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 Replies: 25 / Views: 3,476 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3077 Posts |
 ok I have read some post about this and know its useing a pane of glass on an angle between the coin and the camera but is it used w/ natural light and how do you aim lights at the coin
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Valued Member
Denmark
69 Posts |
You are using a light source (lamp) and the lamp is pointed at the angled glass so that some of the light is reflected down on the coin.
Try search this forum or google for axial lighting coin.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3077 Posts |
will it work w/ natural light?
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Valued Member
Denmark
69 Posts |
I can't se how unless it involves some mirrors.
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
It's unlikely that you can make natural light work axially; part of the equation is preventing the light source from hitting the coin directly. The only light reaching the coin is what's reflected by the glass; no other light can hit the coin. I do all my axial shooting after dark, so I can completely control the available light.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3077 Posts |
its a rough sketch but the idea is to point the light at the glass not the coin?  |
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Valued Member
United States
69 Posts |
Yotie, this link does a good job at explaning the setup for axial lighting. If you compare this setup to your sketch it looks like you have your light on the wrong side of the glass. It should be on the same side of the glass as the coin. here is a photo I took with a similar setup  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3234 Posts |
Yotie, the light source should actually be pointing from the other direction. Other than that, it's about right.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3077 Posts |
and this method is for mainly proofs or does it work w/ cirulated coppers also?
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
and this method is for mainly proofs or does it work w/ cirulated coppers also? Al though it "works" with anything, it's mostly a technique to illuminate Proofs and show color in silver coins. It also helps when shooting through a slab. Here's an example - the top image is conventionally-lit, the bottom axially, in a slab:   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3077 Posts |
thanks Dave I have a toned Nickel I will try this out on
hope it will be tonight I gotta break it out first
now I normally take at least 4 pics with the coin rotated 90 degrees for each pic should I continue this habit taking pics using this technique ?
Edited by yotie
08/03/2009 12:30 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3077 Posts |
well I took the pics but it seamed the colour was off dont think I am doing it right and it seams to mess up my auto focus
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
It's going to affect focus - you're putting a whole lot less light on the coin. In the two examples above, the exposure for the regularly-lit coin was 1/200; for the axially-lit coin only 1/60. The lesser light might give your camera difficulty autofocusing.
Play with the angle of the glass, even rotating it a bit. You'll see what is reflected, and in what direction; you can vary how much light hits the coin. There will be a point at which you like it best, and this might not be exactly 45 degrees tilted.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1882 Posts |
Quote:
Play with the angle of the glass, even rotating it a bit. Dave, what do you use to hold the glass? If you use a block of wood with groove cut in it, that doesn't seem very adjustable. Shims under the wood block come to mind...hmmm, attaching a block to a piece of plywood will make it easier to adjust the angle with shims.  |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
Dave, what do you use to hold the glass? I hold the glass by hand. I shoot remotely, with the camera wired into the computer and my mouse running the shutter, so there's a spare hand for the glass. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1882 Posts |
Quote:
I hold the glass by hand. Now that's an obvious solution that I didn't think of. Time to find a piece of glass. |
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Replies: 25 / Views: 3,476 |
Posted 08/01/2009 8:17 pm
