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 Replies: 14 / Views: 8,090 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
731 Posts |
Friendly FYI... In case anyone is looking for a stable and consistent way to photograph their coins, I just recently obtained a tabletop copy stand for that purpose. I find this item extremely practical when shooting pictures of coin specimens. It is an Adorama RS-CS305 Desktop Copy Stand. It adjusts from 6" to 12" high and has a 9" x 12" baseboard. Among other places, it can be found for $49.95 at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=oss_productHere are a few shots of it in case anyone would like to see:    |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
717 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
731 Posts |
Yechi - the last one you posted really looks awesome. Here's a multi-purpose one on Amazon for $89.95 that includes a soft light box, cloth diffusers, two tungsten lamps, and an adjustable stand. Some of the customer photos really illustrate the versatility of the product. http://www.amazon.com/American-Reco...4022&sr=1-21I was eyeballing it, but chose the other due to space and storage constraints. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Quote:If I was selling coins, I would grab this beauty, which includes lights, for $117 including shipping. http://cgi.ebay.com/CAMSTAND-SUPERP...em4a90a55790 I can vouch for that one- I own it  I bought it a little over two years ago, the price was a bit cheaper then. I think I paid about $85 shipped. From the appearance of it, the guy has a machine shop set up in his garage and fabricates most of the parts himself. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2669 Posts |
I bought a copy stand at a local surplus auction that used to be used at the DMV. The post is 6' and the camera doohickey can run the entire distance.. it hooks to one or 2 small tables at the bottom. The camera can point in any direction you need it to. I just need to figure out how to get the industrial-strength Polaroid off and get my Canon on, but haven't had time to mess with it. Thanks for the links - if I can't figure this thing out, I'll be looking at those pretty close  . I've wanted one for a while.. the little light tent I have is ok, but it's never been as good as when I had the camera pointed straight down from the tripod and was able to adjust lighting easier. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
I was going to buy a copy stand but they are just to bulky and I have way to much stuff on my desk and under it as it is so I just use my table tripod and set the timer on the camera so it waits a few seconds after I push the button to snap the picture, that way the camera isn't shaking from the button press
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New Member
United States
21 Posts |
Copy stands are invaluable for clear planned shots, I sometimes
hold a jewelers loupe in front of the lens, for a real close up
on part of the coin. I found a vintage one at a local yard sale.
Some of the photographic supply stores carry used copy stands as well.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
I did build one out of plexiglass once but still found it to take up to much room and didn't use it very much at all
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
A tripod is just as good as a copystand, and far easier to use if you don't have a permanent home for the stand.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1571 Posts |
I bought one of those, too. Waste of time and money.. still using camera/scopes combos... Helps to have some optical zoom....
yechi7 I was looking at the link you posted, the DIY stand. That is great. I have tried several combos, but nothing has woeked out like I wanted. I am still using a combo scope/camera setup for my photos, and one is giving pretty good results. I am still working on it, tho, so nothing concrete, yet. I have some of Superdaves suggestions, re lighting, and when I get the right setup, then the lighting will become primary.
Dick
Edited by livingdinasaur
03/23/2010 02:39 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4000 Posts |
I was thinking about this for $30-32 shipped. I don't need anything fancy, just something steadier than my hand that can get close ups. If you visit their store, they have other stands for sale as well. http://cgi.ebay.com/Compact-macro-c...as_W0QQitemZ360240756167QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDigital_Camera_Accessories?hash=item53e005b5c7 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
717 Posts |
Scooby, Keep in mind that this copy stand only extends to 5 1/2 inches. From info I have read from SuperDave & others, sometimes you want to be able to back away from your coin about 8 inches or so to be able to get better focus & also to let in more light. If you're too close, the focus might not be sharp & the camera may block the light. That seller has another copy stand which extends to 12 inches for $20 more: http://cgi.ebay.com/digital-camera-...ew_W0QQitemZ a href= https://www.coincommunity.com/go/link.asp?target=https://www.ebay.com/itm/-/360240763828 target= _blank rel= nofollow 360240763828 /a QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDigital_Camera_Accessories?hash=item53e005d3b4 Edited by yechi7
03/28/2010 01:21 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4000 Posts |
Thanks yechi7. Yeah, I thought about that. I don't have a problem getting nice shots "freehand" of the whole coin, and generally those shots are within 5-6 inches. I just find I need to take 20-60 shots when trying to get closeups of doubling or RPM's because I can't keep steady enough. So, I really only need something for the zoom factor.
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
A realistic evaluation of your needs is important when choosing a copystand. For me, I needed a big one because my camera/lens combination is pretty heavy, and the outer glass of the lens is almost 15" from the coin when I shoot. For someone using a point-and-shoot with integral lens, a much lighter/cheaper copystand giving a max of maybe 10" of height is ample. And I'll reiterate - the camera doesn't know whether it's on a tripod or a copystand.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2254 Posts |
Quote:
And I'll reiterate - the camera doesn't know whether it's on a tripod or a copystand Show off.....  |
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Replies: 14 / Views: 8,090 |
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Posted 02/26/2010 03:53 am
