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 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,772 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
I use an Olympus 760, definitely not the best but it's okay I guess. I use the super macro mode with a 10x loupe, and if you've seen some of my posts, I take pretty bad shots. Here's a link to one of my threads with some pictures I took: https://goccf.com/t/54144&SearchTer...slq,purchaseAny advice will be appreciated. Or maybe I'll try to sell my camera and buy a better one. Are there any good inexpensive cameras that take good pics of coins out there? Thanks. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
I did a little digging on your camera, and read that "super macro mode" on the Oly 760 has a minimum focusing range of 3.2 inches, which might not get close enough to the coin for detail shots? Nice workaround with the loupe, although that will sacrifice some sharpness. As for an upgrade to your 760, I found a very reasonable camera that does great macro shots--even hand-held. I spent all of $140 on this camera, and the image stabilization really helps. Here is a comparison of hand-held macro to tripod shots using the Canon SD790IS. Course, there are a lot more options discussed elsewhere on the forum. Good luck!  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1534 Posts |
Thanks for the info, DV, those are some great pictures you take. My camera is really terrible at close-up shots. I unfortunately don't use ebay, and after doing a search on the camera you mentioned, it is not available at Best Buy or some of the other stores I go to. I think I'll sell my camera in order to buy a new camera that takes good pics of coins, so I'll probably post a WTB ad here, on Craigslist, and I might go to a local electronics store and see if they have a good camera. It would be nice if I get the camera you have, those are some really nice pics you've taken with your camera. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
I bought mine as a factory-refurb from a good supplier, but they're now out of stock. However, the new version is the Canon SD780IS, which has identical optics, but with 12 megapixels versus 10. You can see a price range here. That's just one option, and probably other cameras will do a similar job.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
Ok thanks. I'll try to sell my camera, and I'll use the money to buy the camera you mentioned. I like that the Canon SD780IS has a focusing range of up to 3 centimeters, while mine only goes to 3.2 inches.
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
It's going to be very, very difficult to properly light a coin that's less than 4 inches from the camera.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
 If this camera did not have zoom in macro, it would be useless for coin shots. Fortunately, when zoomed to 2.3X I have useful working distance with lighting. My results won't be as good as a dSLR with telephoto macro of course! As a quick demo, here's a full-frame 2.3X shot of a Lincoln (original is 2700 pixels square). One light source, and no shadows were cast on the coin--which is easier to manage with such a small camera.  Edited by DVCollector
12/30/2009 3:25 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
a recommendation that won't cost anything ... take shots at a right angle to the coin. You have a small depth of field at that magnification and are losing definition at the borders. Since coins are inherently flat, shooting at a right angle will result in equal definition across the coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
Thanks for all the tips, I'll use them when I get the Canon that DVCollector suggested. Quote:
If this camera did not have zoom in macro, it would be useless for coin shots. Did you have to buy any other equipment, or do you just use the camera itself? |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
9406 Posts |
Here is a thread where I demonstrate how I take pics. Certainly not the best in the world, but the set up didn't cost a lot of money either. The lens is about 2 inches from the coin. Camera is a Fujifilm Finepix S5600 set on fully automatic. https://goccf.com/t/51531&whichpage=1Hope this helps Steve |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Quote:
Did you have to buy any other equipment, or do you just use the camera itself? For the pic above, just the camera and a halogen lamp. The image stabilization on this model is so good that I can't see a difference using a tripod. Then I put the shot through photoshop for some quick contrast and color-correction--but that's all. Steve--nice method to diffuse the light source. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
Okay that's great, it really sounds like a neat camera. And very nice process Triggersmob, that's a really nice pic and method.
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Replies: 11 / Views: 1,772 |
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Posted 12/29/2009 8:58 pm
