Could We Have, Coin Photography For Dummies, Conversation?

Start here:

https://goccf.com/t/29441

The trouble you face is, it's generally necessary to learn a bit about photography before you can make a camera create worthwhile pics of your coins. A "point-and-shoot" camera doesn't usually work that way with coins. The absolute rules of shooting coins:

1) Camera and coin parallel. Usually done from a tripod with the camera pointing straight down on a flat surface. Generally, black for lighter coins, white for darker ones. You want contrast with the background.

2) remote shutter or timed shutter. You don't want your finger touching the button, and shaking the camera, when the picture is snapped.

3) Every camera likes different settings. Some want to be zoomed in, some do not. All will want to use their Macro Mode if they have it.

Start with one bulb of 60 watts or so, preferably on a gooseneck lamp. The closer you can get it to "right above the coin," the better. But this is not a place where one way works for everyone - you have to learn what your own particular camera likes.

Ask any questions you like. We'll be happy to help.

G'day, photography is all about capturing light. If you get that right, you've got a hope; without it ... you're in the dark.

I've discovered that I get well-lit shots on my dining-table, which is near a window, but does not get light directly from the sun. That's OK if I'm content to take all my shots during daytime, which suits me ... for now. I suggest that you hunt around for a convenient daytime location: indirect light seems to be the go.

I tried using a flash, but I always washed out some or most of the coin, so I have a lot to learn about that.

And, the more shiny the coin, the more difficult the pic, it seems to me.

Dave's tips about the tripod and the timer are very important: reduce vibration.

I've been told that the best shots do not use "digital zoom". My camera claims to have "3x optical zoom; 12x digital". So I take my shots fairly close, on a small tripod, and stay within the 3x factor.

When I see a really good pic on CCF, I often ask how the pic was taken. Most of them are taken with fairly basic (inexpensive) digital cameras. It seems to me that I don't need to spend more on a camera: I just need to get my technique right.

Peter, still learning (and thankful that digital photography is so inexpensive)

I forgot, super Dave, your link was helpful! I have it up and marked as a fav.

I may have it! hopefully I will be able to post first picture this aftnoon, before the game! From 8pm on I will be busy for a while..... GO GREEN BAY! to make it coin related, I have pins from the first 2 super bowls, and one with Brett as well. haha. Thanks again, I have to open Daves link and get back to work.

I think the problem I need to crop? whatever. I have no desire to learn a new function on here. 'm sorry. I have learned to take good pictures and I can e-mail . Plus I have downloaded pic's on many sites, yahoo, Navy for Moms, a couple others. You click browse, you double click the picture, then upload. easy. this is WAY over my head. If someone wants to look at my picture attempt, I will be happy to email it to you.
My sis and I had a blast taking pictures. It took us, the super Dave step by step, about 4 hours, and experiments with goose neck lamps that boarder on the obscene, but I think we have a not to shabby picture of ob and rev on a 1890 Morgan.

Oh we have a nikon cool pics L22.

Sunny, the advice so far is excellent. But unless you have a camera with a lens capable of making the image "larger than life" in your viewfinder, you probably need to start shopping around. If you can find a close-up set auxiliary lens set that will screw right into your current camera lens, you may be able to solve the problem that way more cheaply than running out to buy a new camera. If you have a camera which will accept different lenses, you can purchase what's called a "macro" lens which will magnify the coin image, and then you can crop the image by simply moving in close enough to the coin to cut off most of the background. As SuperDave indicated, keep your coin absolutely parallel to your lens, so that the entire surface of the coin is in focus, and then you can experiment with different settings (shutter speed, aperture) and lighting. Also, read through some of the threads in this forum so that you're not trying to reinvent the wheel.

My expertise is mostly with film cameras, so I can't really recommend much in the way of digital photography (other than the basics I listed here), but ...

1. Larger than life
2. Keep it steady
3. Focus carefully
4. Look at your lighting setup through your viewfinder; experiment with different lighting setups
5. Shoot, review; correct mistakes; shoot again until you're satisfied, and then Bob's your uncle!

Good luck!

That happens a lot! I start talking computer stuff and my wife's eyes glaze over. I will try to use normal people talk to describe this. I have found the word thingy is especially effective.

What I am saying is that you can upload your pictures to Yahoo instead of here. Usually there is a way on Yahoo, etc., to "email a link to this picture" or "get a link to this picture". If you can find this on Yahoo, you can take that link and use the little mountain thingy on this forum and put that link (URL) in between the bracket thingies that show up when you click the mountain thingy.

It's too bad computers can't understand commands like "make this show up there"...

I'd bet that it's the size of the image that is trying to be uploaded that is kicking the error.