| Author |
 Replies: 71 / Views: 9,231 |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
WheatBack, I hate to keep asking questions, but your results are so exact looking. Can you tell us what size of LED bulbs and CFL bulbs you are using? Thank you, Ham.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
2850 Posts |
Quote:
WheatBack, I hate to keep asking questions, but your results are so exact looking. Can you tell us what size of LED bulbs and CFL bulbs you are using? Thank you, Ham. No problem. I use two of these cheapies, and I can't remember the exact CFL bulb type off-hand, but I'll check soon. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstay...l13=&veh=sem |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
WheatBack, more questions. Is there a reason for not having the LED lights opposite each other. Your image shows the CFL light opposite one of the LED lights.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2850 Posts |
Quote:
WheatBack, more questions. Is there a reason for not having the LED lights opposite each other. Your image shows the CFL light opposite one of the LED lights. Only reason for that is because the black lamp has a clamp-on base, therefore I have to clamp it onto the edge of the table. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
Thanks again WheatBack. I take some photos and post them here. I'll so some experimenting with different light positions of the three sources. Still would like to know the size of the CFL bulb.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2815 Posts |
Ham1947- if you're using an iPhone 6S, then you're on your way to great photos. It's all about the lighting. I noticed your post showing the 1803 Draped Bust coin. I use the same phone you have, and I captured the image below (counterfeit 1795 Draped Bust). Optimal focal distance is important, of course, but lighting is the MOST important.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
Thanks Darth Morgan. A few questions, if you don't mind. What is the optimal focal distance, what type of lighting do you use, and could you supply some photos of your setup? I have spend countless hours trying to get the best possible photos of coins (about half in slabs). Slabbed coins seem to give me the most problems. My current coin photos are just ok, but I am striving for much better ones, such as I see from WheatBack, you and others.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2815 Posts |
Ham, here is a link to a topic I started a while back relating to iphoneography. My setup is essentially the same a Wheatbacks. I just use different materials. http://goccf.com/t/160092&whichpage=11Go to the last page. It shows my current setup using the iPhone 6S Plus. You can go back a few pages to see where I started shooting with the 6S+. I will tell you that getting a 5th Jansjo lamp is what really clinched the lighting factor for my setup. The optimum focal distance for the iPhone camera is ~ 6 inches, but I shoot at 4 inches. That's not a lot of room for lighting properly, thus, the need for 5 Jansjo lamps. I didn't buy all 5 outright. I started with two, but over time I noticed how my images would improve after each addition of another light source. One other thing- you'll notice in the photos that I have the coin positioned near the top of the viewer. Ideally, it's best to place the coin in the center of the viewer, but you're going to sacrifice lighting due to the small space between the coin and lens. With the coin positioned near the top of the viewer you get all the benefits of adequate lighting, but the image isn't quite as sharp. But that's not a problem in post-processing. I simply use the sharpen tool in Photoshop CS5, and the image comes into focus nicely. Edited by Darth Morgan
06/14/2017 09:32 am
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
Thanks Darth Morgan. Great advice and tips. I already have the (5) Jansjo's. When I find the time I will try your suggestions and post some of the photos. Ham.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2815 Posts |
Looking forward to seeing the results!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
Here's what I have done so far. Using WheatBacks setup. I keep getting a light yellow-greenish tint using the CFL bulb (at 9 and 3). What is the cause of this? Also, both seem very "grainy". Don't see anything remotely close to this on WheatBack's photos. As soon as I can roundup the Jansjos, I try with Darth Morgan's setup.   |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2815 Posts |
Did you do any post-processing of the image? It looks as though the images have been over-sharpened, which causes an unnatural, grainy appearance. As far as the tint you mentioned, I'm guessing it has to do with white balance. In PS CS5, the auto tone/color function corrects for this. Sometimes the auto tone works better than auto color and vice versa.
Edited by Darth Morgan
06/15/2017 09:44 am
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
I use Digital Photo Professional for post processing. Probably did too much sharpening or too much contrast. I think the tint has to do with the CFL bulb.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2850 Posts |
Those images aren't bad, but they are definitely over-sharpened. The yellow-greenish tint is likely due to your white balance being off, but it can also be changed by how you have your lighting set up. I'd get your camera and lights setup and then move them around to see how different angles/proximity of the coin effects the way your images look. It's just a lot of trial and error until you find that "sweet spot".
|
| |
Replies: 71 / Views: 9,231 |
First Page
Previous Page
Posted 06/10/2017 5:09 pm
