Do You Want To Produce High Quality Images Of Your Coins?

I like those photos. But for USD$3000 you still need the right optics to get that result.
I have the optics, but my lighting isn't quite up to par. That said, I still do OK photos:

With all due respect, I've demonstrated on this forum how to achieve a result like below with $1000 worth of camera and $20 worth of lighting:



Coin photography is not that difficult, my friend.

Jstar...I've got a hunch that your system, though apparently very good, will have a limited market among coin collectors. Anyone willing to spend about $3000 for just a lighting system will already be heavy into photography, and will likely not NEED your system unless he/she needs that extra 1-5% improvement that it would bring to a well-outfitted, competent photographer. I'm sure that I can't match your photography skills or equipment, but I've got about $4500 invested in camera and several excellent lenses. I just couldn't afford to spend another $3,000 just to take better coin pics. To spend that amount I would want to be getting something that would be useful for many different types of photography.

At the other end of the scale, you have guys who try to use their cell phone cameras to take coin pictures! These folks are so far from your target market you'll never even get them to think about your system, much less fork over that kind of money.

Your market, at that price, is going to professionals, who want something that is fast, so they don't have to use a lot of time setting up for every shot.

Without knowing more about your system, is it adaptable to other objects/collectibles? I'm thinking many peopl photograph jewelry, guns, and other small to large, shiny objects!

Just a thought.

Thanks Hunter. My main target group is auction houses and dealers who produce auction catalogues or illustrated lists. Also the academic community who are publishing books and sylloges. I just thought I'd test the water in this forum to see what you all think, from the collector's point of view.

The unit is adaptable for other areas including forensic photography. It will cost me a lot of money to get this off the ground hence testing this market. If it will appeal to a greater audience, then it might be worth pursuing.

Thanks again to you and everyone who has replied so far.

SD--great photo! I'll check out your lighting techniques, thanks!

If it's a quick turn-key solution that provides a cost-effective alternative to hiring a pro who charges $200+ per hr, then I could see that paying for itself.
That said, I think any boxed lighting package would require calibration to a dSLR (another expense), which would still involve the expertise of a professional like you.
For that reason, I would outsource any volume commercial work to a professional where I could get a group rate--and avoid equipment overhead.
Just my opinion from hiring photographers for product shots.

I can think of a few coin dealers over here that could use a better system for coin photos,
but these days it's all about maximizing profits and minimizing overheads. Apparently a small average
photo still produces sales. In any case I think some dealers don't want the photos too good unless
you see a scratch on that $200,000 coin! As SuperDave once said, once you reach a certain level of resolution
and expertise anything below MS66 looks like road kill.

Then your going to need the skill to "drive" it right? I'm not sure I've seen a system that is set and forget
for perfect photos every time without knowing what your doing. As mentioned above with a little skill it's
possible to get 95% the photo for a couple of hundred anyway so it's a bit of a catch 22.

I'd be curious to know what makes the system tho? Is it a FFL system or Scanner plate solution, etc?