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 Replies: 10 / Views: 3,820 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2815 Posts |
I was really excited to get the Nimbus Cloud Dome this week and start practicing amateur coin photography (iphoneography). After taking several photos of various Morgan dollars over a couple of days, I noticed that the mint state/AU Morgans were suffering from this technique. One in particular has light purplish-maroon toning on the obverse and reverse. I used this coin as a sort of control to experiment further until I could see this coin look exactly the same in a photo as it did in my hand. What I want to capture in my photos is the "actual" look of a coin. That is, how the coin actually appears to the human eye. I don't want my photos enhanced in any way. I want to see the real, authentic appearance of the coin. So, with this 1890-S Morgan I began to experiment until I found the proper setup/lighting to achieve this. Below is the first photo I took of this "control" Morgan with the Nimbus Cloud Dome:   Below is the same coin, but it was photographed OUTSIDE the Nimbus Cloud Dome. I used a Sanoto light box and an LED lamp to provide lighting. This is actually how the coin looks in reality (i.e. the human eye):   As can be seen, the light diffusion technique takes away all the color and luster on this coin. However, it does show more condition details that may be hidden by the toning and/or luster. On the other hand, the cloud dome seemed to work very well for average circulated Morgans (F-XF or below). Here is a 1902 Morgan that was taken with the dome:   This really is how this 1902 Morgan looks in hand. It matches very well. The photo does not lie. Here is the simple setup I used for lighting:  I would like your comments and/or opinions on this. SsuperDdave: you mentioned in another thread that you no longer photograph with diffused light- only direct lighting. Now I know why. I have learned that direct lighting is what really works for capturing the true appearance of mint state coins. I still have a long way to go, but I enjoy the learning process. Edited by Darth Morgan
09/22/2013 01:40 am
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Moderator
 United States
14463 Posts |
The toning of the 1890-S is beautiful.  If that is actually how the 1902 looks, WOW. That Morgan looks creepy. Halloween is coming up.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2815 Posts |
NICE! Thanks, fuzzy. Yep, it does look rather "ghostly" white, now that you mention it.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4212 Posts |
Your desk is much too neat. How can you find anything? Oh yeah, nice '90!
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4593 Posts |
This is actually not THAT surprising. If you read up on toning (I've been reading Coin Chemistry, http://www.amazon.com/Coin-Chemistr.../0971392412) (the book, btw, has it's ups and downs - might look at borrowing it from the library). Anyway, what makes the pretty light show is a very thin film (50 nanometers is yellow, but 110 is black with all the other colors in between) of oxidation. Basic optics says that it works by reflecting different wavelengths of the white light source to the eye. So if you use the dome and give very flat overall light, there's nothing to reflect differentially. -----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2815 Posts |
Interesting. So the diffused light basically unveils the true surface of a toned or heavily frosted silver coin. With the 1902, there is no thin film of toned or frosted surface. So whether in direct or diffused light, the coin will photograph the same.
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New Member
United States
2 Posts |
Darth Morgan: I am a total beginner what is the equipment on your desk?
This probalbly sounds stupid but is the set up you show just the lighting? iF SO WHAT CQAMERA DID YOU use?
MKF
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2815 Posts |
Quote:
Darth Morgan: I am a total beginner what is the equipment on your desk?
This probalbly sounds stupid but is the set up you show just the lighting? iF SO WHAT CQAMERA DID YOU use?
MKF MKF- Yes, the photo I posted just shows what I use for lighting, which includes a simple LED desk lamp (purchased from Hobby Lobby) and a Sanoto lightbox ( ebay). I haven't taken any daytime shots yet, so those might turn out better. I used my iphone 4S to take the photos. I think it does the job quite well. It's nowhere near a professional camera, but the phone cameras are only going to get better as time goes on. More than likely, I'll probably end up having to re-shoot all my coins sometime in the future.  I'm still trying to practice and figure out the best setup/lighting combination. It's a work in progress. Edited by Darth Morgan
09/27/2013 11:59 pm
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New Member
United States
2 Posts |
darth morgan thank you
i thought the photos looked great.
I will try my samsung galaxy
what is the "nimbus cloud"?
MKF
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4593 Posts |
Quote:
Interesting. So the diffused light basically unveils the true surface of a toned or heavily frosted silver coin. With the 1902, there is no thin film of toned or frosted surface. So whether in direct or diffused light, the coin will photograph the same. Yup. Was reading Goodman* on the plane last night and he has some amazing examples - a whole section (ok, it's 6 pages) on photographing toned coins. See: http://coinimaging.com/* Goodman, Mark; Numismatic Photography, 2nd Edition http://www.amazon.com/Numismatic-Ph...p/193399004X-----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2815 Posts |
Thank you for providing those links, BStrauss3. I appreciate it. Learning how to photograph coins is a new and exciting part of the hobby that I have just delved into. Quote:
what is the "nimbus cloud"?
MKF
It is a relatively new product that allows for small object photography using diffused light. Here is the official link: http://www.clouddome.com/You'll find a video showing you how it works. I use the Nimbus Cloud Dome, which was specifically designed for smartphone use. I do believe that the camera on your Galaxy phone is actually better than the iphone. I'm not sure, though. I look forward to seeing your photos. |
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Replies: 10 / Views: 3,820 |
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Posted 09/22/2013 01:43 am
