Macro, Micro, Losing Color, Ring Lighting, Etc.

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daltonista Pillar of the Community United States 1058 Posts	Posted 11/21/2009 6:25 pm Hi, all ~ Spent some time last week playing with my two cameras, an Olympus Camedia D-545 Zoom and the Celestron Digital Microscope Camera (Model 44302). This was about my fifth session attempting to get decent images of tokens in my collection, although with 95% of my collections in safe deposit boxes at any given moment, I had to use what was "lying around" as subject matter...meaning these are fairly recent acquisitions. In any case, I'll post side-by-side versions of each token...left side pix were taken with the super-macro setting on the Olympus, while the right-side pix were taken with the Celestron. As other members have noted in several of the threads below, I've confirmed for myself that the ring lighting (six LED's) on the microscope camera is so close to the subject that all hope is lost when it comes to color, contrast, etc. It's also perpendicular to the coin, so the blast of white essentially washes out a lot of detail that's captured pretty well in macro. For a good example of that effect, check the first two photos, noting the interior of the cathedral. In the micro photo, there is no interior. I'm certainly no expert, so I know I have a lot to learn...I think particularly about white balance and lighting. Anyone out there using an OTT light? I've got one, a gooseneck, but I haven't taken it out of the box yet. Your comments and suggestions would be much appreciated: First up: Peterborough, Northamptonshire. Second, London, Middlesex. Last, for this post, Hull, Yorkshire. Here's where micro pays off...check out these denticles! "If everything seems to be under control, you're just not going fast enough." --- Mario Andretti Report this Post to the Staff

John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 11/21/2009 8:37 pm I have the Celestron.Do you use a filter on the LED's? On mine I caped five of the LED's and caped the sixth one with a filter I made and it helps a lot with the glare problem but I still don't the photos I am getting. Just wondering if your Celestron has a white balance feature? I like the D-545 better. John1 Edited by John1 11/21/2009 8:38 pm Report this Post to the Staff
daltonista Pillar of the Community United States 1058 Posts	Posted 11/21/2009 9:21 pm No white balance control on my Celestron model...yours has it, John1? How did you cap the LED's? ...pretty resourceful, I'd say. I'm guessing that no matter how much you reduce the light emitted from those diodes, the fact that it's directly perpendicular to the coin is still going to give you that washout effect bouncing back at the lens. Haven't tried it yet on copper or bronze, but silver sure is reflective enough to create problems for the Celestron's imaging. "If everything seems to be under control, you're just not going fast enough." --- Mario Andretti Report this Post to the Staff
xshift Pillar of the Community United States 2669 Posts	Posted 11/21/2009 9:53 pm What would help with the Celestron is if the light were diffused in some way - I know a couple people have taped tissue paper over the lights, and I've tried it myself. It works wonders with the harshness of the lighting directly above the part you're trying to capture. Try a thin strip (even doubled or tripled) taped directly over the LEDs. Report this Post to the Staff
John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 11/22/2009 09:50 am daltonista, My Celestron does not have white balance control it's the same model as yours, I just wanted to know if mine wasn't working for some reason. As for caps;i bought a package of those metal hooks you use on a peg board, they each have a rubber cap on them. I used a black marker to color them in because they were white. You might have to cut the caps a little because they stick down a little too much. As for the LED that I use a filter on, I took one of those eye glasses lens cleaner clothes "the dry ones" not the wet ones, although I guess you could wait till it dries out and I cut a piece about the wigth of the bulb about three or four inches long and wrapped it around an ink pen ink tube then taped it with a piece of frosted tape. Then take it off the tube and pinch one end together and tape it down. Then cut the open end a little at a time until it fits the bulb just right, make sure you cut as straight as possible so you block as much light as you can. There will still be some light coming from around the bulbs but it does help a lot. And you can move the rubber caps and the filter caps as needed. Report this Post to the Staff
daltonista Pillar of the Community United States 1058 Posts	Posted 11/22/2009 11:36 am Yikes, John1! That sounds like heroic measures to me. I think I'd rather limp along with my Olympus...didn't think the pix were bad enough to justify all the mods to the Celestron. I do agree 100%, however, with one member who advised in an earlier thread that the microscope camera is best for mintmarks, diagnostics, die doubling, etc., where you really want an extreme close-up. Haven't really had occasion to try for that yet, although this is the closest I've come: "If everything seems to be under control, you're just not going fast enough." --- Mario Andretti Report this Post to the Staff
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