How To Get The Best Pics With My Point And Shoot

If you have a microscope, try a customized PCV tube fitted over one lens and then set your cyber-shot in the PVC extension and start snapping a few images. Indirect light works best using halogen lights. Try setting up next to an outside window to get some diffused sunlight, or try the bathroom counter and bounce light off the mirrors.

Just experiment to find out what works best with your camera.

For diffused lighting... took the "frosted clear plastic" top from a can of (some brand of semigloss clear) spray paint... cut the top out. For shooting, put the coin down, set this diffuser over (around) it, shine the bright light from the side, as close as practical (close) to get a nice bright almost omni directional lighting. great for coins (like 80's lincoln cents) with bright areas and very rough corroded areas.

I looked into your camera a bit. Results were somewhat disappointing in that there's very little manual control, but it has a decent lens and proper setup will help.

First, use only ISO 80 & 100 (maybe 200) for shooting coins. Too much noise will be introduced into the shot at higher ISOs. Second, turn off the image stabilization. It's digital in this camera, not optical, and will introduce noise into the image. Third, use Spot Metering. That makes the camera only examine the very center of the image for metering information, and since your coin will be in the center, that means the camera will get the best information and not try to bring out the details at the edges of the shot.

Your Macro mode is capable of focusing down to about 4cm, which is darn good. You wont be able to light a coin that close to the camera.

I'm able to get pretty good pics now with the settings you suggested. I use a lamp with a fluorescent light bulb, and some paper so is not overly bright. I've hooked up my old tv and connected my camera to it for a huge display (compared to the on-board screen), that way I can tell if its blurry or not before I take the picture.

Here is a pic taken with my new setup:



Here is my setup:






Thanks guys, I've learned a lot.


EDIT: Oh yeah, next time I go to Wal-mart I'm going to pick up a black paint sample card to use for the background when taking pics of coins.

I don't know how I lost touch with this thread, Hambone. My apologies.

The blur you're seeing will not go away until you tripod-mount that camera. When you do, you are going to realize that's a pretty darn good camera - I can already tell what it's going to be capable of.