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 Replies: 11 / Views: 5,665 |
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Valued Member
United States
80 Posts |
I have recently been interested in photographing and documenting my collection. I have spent a lot of time reading through old posts on this section, and have learned a lot. I have done some very basic experimenting with axial lighting and think the results look pretty good. As for the camera, I am able to use my parents Nikon D60 with a 50mm lens which seems to take decent photos. As for a stand I have been struggling with a tripod, but it is quite bulky and difficult to deal with. I have seen some other peoples set ups and I really like the idea of a copy stand. However some quick google searches show that they can be quite expensive. There are some cheaper ones, but they do not look to be strong enough to support the hefty dslr. I do not need anything special, just something that will be sturdy and semi adjustable. Does anyone have any ideas as to where I could find an old cheaper used one, or some sort of alternative?
Thanks for any input
-1909svdb
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
I have never bought one because my husband is a shutter bug so I get him to take my pics sometimes.  However, it occurred to me that our local camera shop carries used equipment of all kinds. If there's a camera shop anywhere near you, why not call and see what they have in the way of used copy stands? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9395 Posts |
Quote:
or some sort of alternative? One possibility is to assemble a copy stand (or something that functions as one) from spare parts like Arca-Swiss compatible camera bars, clamps, brackets, bellows, adapters, microscope stages, etc. I don't know how much you'd save, though. This is what I did -- it doesn't look pretty but it does work. Another possibility is to have rmpsrpms build a copy stand for you (without the camera and lens, if possible). His coin photo rigs are much more compact and better optimized for coins than mine. |
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Valued Member
United States
408 Posts |
Search on ebay or Craigslist for used copy stands or other photography equipment. Somebody out there has to be selling a used one. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
I agree, Craigslist or ebay. I found a very nice Kaiser (RA1 & RS1) at Goodwill. I was very lucky and had to pay only $20 for a product that sells for over $700 new. |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
I just use a tripod and it works quite well  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5825 Posts |
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I just use a tripod and it works quite well I don't like tripods. One leg often seems to get in the way. But you're correct about copy stands being expensive. Here's mine; plain vanilla. But I recall it costing about $40.  |
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Valued Member
United States
71 Posts |
I adapted a microscope stand (bought on ebay for $36), which is very precise and handy.   |
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Valued Member
 United States
80 Posts |
Thanks for all of the advice and replies. I still have not decided exactly what I want to do, but I will definitely take your suggestions into account.
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Valued Member
United States
65 Posts |
Hello coinphotofan,
I looked at the second photo of your stand where you've removed part of the original assembly but cannot ID the mounting you have added to it. Think there is a focusing rail or three in the center but the pic makes it hard to tell. What did you use? Any home brewed mods to it or were parts readily available for quick assembly? The photos you've posted on CCF look very sharp, detailed. Nice setup.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
992 Posts |
There's no real substitute for a good copy stand, I believe. I passed up on all the cheap imports, and bided my time, finally got a nice Kaiser RS3 stand on ebay with the light setup, crank adjust, all the goodies. Couldn't be happier with it, and for $250 shipped it's a bargain. The Beseler 23 stand is a good one, too. I'm doing coins and currency with mine. |
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Valued Member
United States
71 Posts |
Quote:
Hello coinphotofan,
I looked at the second photo of your stand where you've removed part of the original assembly but cannot ID the mounting you have added to it. Think there is a focusing rail or three in the center but the pic makes it hard to tell. What did you use? Any home brewed mods to it or were parts readily available for quick assembly? The photos you've posted on CCF look very sharp, detailed. Nice setup. Thanks, and sorry for replying late. Last month was hectic for me. I use a Minolta bellows with a focusing rail, like this:  Between the microscope stand and the focusing rail, there is an aluminum plate, which I cut out of an aluminum straight edge. You can see it installed on the stand:  Here is a photo showing the components more clearly:  |
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Replies: 11 / Views: 5,665 |
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Posted 01/09/2017 11:59 pm
