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 Replies: 18 / Views: 4,912 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
623 Posts |
Not much experience here but I am starting to learn and need the pros help. I have built a camera stand that I think I will be able to use for dual purposes. But understand I know little of the terms here for photography and would like to learn a little bit more. The stand I have built should work for overhead(?) and axial I hope. Anyway here are a couple shots from overhead with a couple different settings on my cheap camera ( need to earn about these settings to and how to remember them when I do get a good shot). I will get some pics of the stand for opinions later as I have some more pieces to get before I can try out the axial part of taking pics. Can I get some opinions please and thank you.     |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1054 Posts |
You're doing a pretty good job with your focus, things are starting to look pretty crisp and clean. A couple ideas for you, play with your white balance so the photos don't look to washed out. Same with your lighting source, so you can take advantage of the luster of this coin for example. And finally, I would probably use a darker background to make your coin a better focal point. Get all three of these in line and you will have some of the best looking coin photos out there. Best of luck!
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Quick first response, because I've a bunch to do today and can't right now spare you the time you deserve. That will change later today and I'll write you a bookpost. 1) If you're unaware of the term, Google "EXIF data" so you know why I now know your camera and settings. As long as you have your camera's GPS tagging off (if it has it), nothing compromising to you personally is available in that data. 2) Your camera just went firmly on the list of point-and-shoots I can recommend as coin cameras. Nothing here is farther than "slight" postprocessing from being images I'd be happy to grade with accuracy, and with my level of experience I wouldn't need it but others might. 3) I think you're letting a little too much area light leak in, and cost you a little bit of contrast. It's easily correctable in postprocessing, but if we can make the camera correct it on its' own your job will be easier. We'll explore that later. 4) Last thing: Stop worrying about other cameras or upgrades for the moment. What you have here is plenty good enough to become a "good" photographer with. It won't be as "good" with smaller coins because they won't image so large in size - depending on how much you downsized these to post - but it's plenty good enough to learn on and become popular.  You'e already figured out what you need to be doing right now. Continue doing just that. No doubt others will have opinions before I'm back, and the folks in here can be trusted to offer thoughtful ones. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2373 Posts |
The pics look pretty good to me. The first set is detailed but lifeless and the second set looks like what I would expect the coin it to be like in hand. nlp
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
623 Posts |
Thanks to you all ! I been out since my last post and appreciate your help . I am going to change a few things and take some more practice photos and fool with my settings . I will post some photos later for some more critique.
Hope to not pester you all to much . If I am please let me know.
Also fooling around with this stand I built to see if I can make it useful and workable.
Any and all help is appreciated.
Thanks again.
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Let's wait for the "book" until we get an idea of how you're rigging things, and what you used for lighting on each of those shots.
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
OK, that's pretty good timing. Pester us. That's the only way we'll know what to teach you. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
623 Posts |
I have a couple of photos of the stand I have built.It can be clamped just about anywhere or be free standing and it has a few different adjustments. As for lighting I have been using an adjustable lamp(light) clamped off to the side. What is the proper kind of bulb and wattage to use here? Also trying to figure out all the settings and such that are on the camera and the uses for each. Will post more questions and hopefully better photos later. Any and all opinions and suggestions are welcome. Thank you.    Edited by T1Steel
05/08/2015 10:06 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
623 Posts |
@SD, I read up on the EXIF data , and checked if my camera has GPS on it . I understand about you knowing what settings I used on the pictures by the metadata I am guessing. Fooling around with the camera and playing back the pictures I did have it set where I could see those settings as well but then I lost that info again when I reset the camera.
I did not grow up using computers or electronics so getting used to them will take some time for me. Knowing all the terms and how everything works is a challenge I will work at .
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4593 Posts |
Nice stand - clean, simple, easy to adjust and the 2 axis feature is cool. Maybe you should sell them [to pay for your coin addiction, naturally]
-----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
4038 Posts |
I agree, nice simple stand!
We generally recommend Jansjo gooseneck LEDs for lighting. Put one a 1:30 and one at 10:30. The highlights and shadows in the shots above show that your light is at too low an angle relative to the coin surface. Bring the light closer to the camera lens and things will improve. The advantages Jansjos have is they are small and flexible and run fairly cool so are easy to move around close to the lens, or even between the lens and coin of there is room, to get the higher lighting angles.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4593 Posts |
Dave's right - awesome for a $130 P&S! Re the Jansjo's you can diffuse them with a tissue (shows how cool they run) or a piece of white muslin type fabric (or even a piece of old white pillow case. The neck detail makes a great 'mount' for the rubber band. Mail order from Ikea: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/c..._room/20516/, per specs it's 70 lumen, warm white (2700K), both the clamp on and the stand version have the same head... Always remember to set the white balance to avoid the blue color shift. -----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
Canada
623 Posts |
Hi I am back to ask more questions if you have the time. Busy weekend.
I have picked up 2 of the jansjo lights and again this is all new to me.
How close to the coin or camera lens should these lights be?
Can you recommend any basic reading materials I can read that might help understand the proper terms so that I can learn what you are trying to explain.
Also thanks for the comments on the stand, if I had to I could make longer if I needed to but I think with what I am using for a camera it will do for now. I am a welder by trade so it would be easy to customize the stand or make to specifications.
Appreciate any comments and help.
Thank you.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4593 Posts |
I think this place IS "the reading materials". Just keep asking... Well, for GENERAL usage (i.e. not DCAM) * Positioning the lights at 10:30 and 1:30 relative to the coin is generally found to work best * I find that positioning them up at the level of the lens works best. But you'll have to play - looking at the live view and the photos to minimize reflection. And it's often dependent on what you are shooting. (Remember inconveniencing electrons [to make throw-away photos] is basically free) For example - I was shooting a photocert earlier today. SO now you have something where there is a lot of distance between the lens and subject, I had to position the camera about 80cm above the surface for a full frame shot, so I just positioned them at 9 and 3 with the heads just out of the shot aiming down. For that shot, there was no luster to worry about, just glare. Result: http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums...nfpvsos8.jpg-----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
Canada
623 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4593 Posts |
The histogram (or histograms) shows you the amount of light in each of the 256 possible values from 0 - nothing to 255 - all. If your camera reports separate RGB you have three, otherwise just one (for coin photos I don't think there's that much use in the individual colors - you aren't going to adjust it so the grass looks greener, you're going to adjust so the coin looks like it looks). Anyway, if you don't have the highs full white and the lows full black, you simply aren't using all of the capabilities of the sensor. It doesn't make for a BAD photo, just it could be better. See the red arrow below - it just means your blacks could benefit (slightly) from a small adjustment...  to this  (see how there is more detail now in the blacks) (of course that's really just your background, so the whole exercise is sort of silly...) (anyway... Gives this:  Of course, go too far and you've 'juiced' the photo. It's a narrow way down the slippery slope. Only YOUR eyes can tell which of the two better matches YOUR coin. -----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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Replies: 18 / Views: 4,912 |
Posted 05/08/2015 11:36 am
