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 Replies: 38 / Views: 6,464 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
900 Posts |
Edited by scurry64
12/03/2014 07:36 am
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CCF Sponsor
United States
702 Posts |
I would start by saying that this set up certainly has its advantages - as noted, sometimes you see things you would otherwise never see! And photographing a truly beautiful coin can be oh so rewarding.
But you're right, the issue is lighting. My "set up" cost me 40 bucks. Start with just two, more directionally focused lights rather than a broad overhead format. (I should add that my set up also cost me about 20 hours of fiddling until I was happy - and I'm still not! 5 different adjustments at 4 hours each, roughly.)
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
900 Posts |
Thanks Scropper. I did a bit of research on the lighting issue. I will pick up a couple of gooseneck desk lamps and try lighting the coin from both sides. Should I also try to eliminate other light sources?
Why do you think the reverse looks better than the obverse? Is it because the obverse fields are so much larger than the reverse fields? I suppose the field portion of the die takes the most abuse which increases the need to polish that area of the die more frequently, or at least more harshly.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5825 Posts |
Quote:
... but the pics show every single flaw on the coins. I can't even see these flaws with a 30x loupe. I imagine the problem has a lot to do with the lighting ... Standard situation with the higher resolution that cameras offer. The human eye doesn't have that resolution AND the human mind is VERY good at ignoring things. And, yes, your lighting is a huge factor in accentuating problems. Using the same setup turn your coins 90° and take a new set of pictures. Then compare the old and new images. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
900 Posts |
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The human eye doesn't have that resolution AND the human mind is VERY good at ignoring things. You make a very good point. I hadn't considered that. Thanks. |
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CCF Sponsor
United States
702 Posts |
And yes, eliminate other light sources.
A more directed set of lights will not eliminate the flaws, nor would you want that. You want to see the flaws, you NEVER want to hide them. You want to see the coin as it is in-hand. (Well, at least that's what I'm after - maybe you have different goals.) The pictures you started with are clearly not that. It's easy to over-accentuate flaws with lighting. That coin would never look like that in-hand.
BUT - if you want a great numismatic learning experience, take photographs of a few certified ms or proof 68 or 69 with your old set-up - the one you started with. You'll see them in a whole new way!
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
I've owned an earlier model Coolpix. It took sharp macros, but it also pulled out every blemish--particularly on UNC coins.  It's a function of lighting and probably the internal sharpening software of the camera, which is getting 16mpx out of a 5.57 x 4.17mm sensor. This might not be practical in most cases, but you might try photographing coins in overcast sunlight. This produces some of the best diffusion possible.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
900 Posts |
I appreciate all the input and suggestions. I will work on improving my lighting setup. It occurs to me, however, that I might be better off using my older 8 MP camera to more accurately represent what the coin looks like in hand. If a 16 MP camera will"exaggerate" every die polishing line, contact mark, and carbon spot, then it doesn't actually create am image that is representative of the coin to the naked eye, as Kanga pointed out. I'll post more pics here when I start to get my lighting dialed in and solicit more feedback. Quote:
You want to see the flaws, you NEVER want to hide them. I couldn't agree more, Scropper. But at the same time, I don't want to exaggerate the flaws to the point that my images don't resemble what I see when I examine the coin. Thanks again. |
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CCF Sponsor
United States
702 Posts |
NO! You WANT a higher resolution image. You just need to get better lighting. A higher resolution will not accentuate the flaws, it will better reflect reality!
Just work on your lighting a bit... : )
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Pillar of the Community
United States
900 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Edited by DVCollector
12/07/2014 3:33 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
900 Posts |
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I'm not sure I improved much on your shot. I think that was a big improvement. I need to learn how to use photo editing software. Thanks. Edit: Spelling counts. Edited by scurry64
12/07/2014 3:44 pm
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CCF Sponsor
United States
702 Posts |
Fantastic improvement, scurry64! Nicely done!
I feel like I'm seeing a little more detail with your 60W shots, but then that might just be the subtle change in lighting angle as the coin is rotated a few degrees clockwise.
Any way you cut it, that's a huge improvement.
DVCollector, is that just a neutralize filter to take out the cast?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
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DVCollector, is that just a neutralize filter to take out the cast? It's a little more involved...but it goes quickly: 1. Save file as jpeg. 2. Open as RAW in photoshop, which gives you the Adobe Camera Raw window, where you can adjust highlights/shadows, contrast, white balance etc. I did this mostly to pull down the highlights. 3. Open file in Photoshop, convert to LAB mode, and tweak the color balance/saturation further--as a "guess" what the coin might look like.  4. Wish this was a simple click on a filter, but it takes maybe 10 minutes tops to do a custom adjust. Edited by DVCollector
12/07/2014 9:16 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
900 Posts |
DVCollector, can you recommend a tutorial website, or youtube video that will help me learn how to use photoshop. I just purchased the full program and I have no experience with digital photo editing.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
900 Posts |
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Fantastic improvement, scurry64! Nicely done! Thanks, Scropper. I appreciate all the help and I'm excited to learn how to improve my images. |
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Replies: 38 / Views: 6,464 |
Posted 12/03/2014 07:46 am
