I've been playing with my camera

[Hussulo]

After reading Mark Goodmans article on coin photography http://coinimaging.com/photography.html I had another play with my camera.

Both shots were with the same camera. The first one is my old picture and the second my new one.

I must of had the camera set on the stand at a slight angle as the left hand side on both the obverse and the reverse is out of focus.

I still have a bit to learn, but what do you guys think?

[Peter]

Great coin Hus.

Both pictures are good.

In a way I like your 1st picture as it really looks quality gold.

Which is the most accurate in hand?

[Hussulo]

Great coin Hus.

Both pictures are good.

In a way I like your 1st picture as it really looks quality gold.

Which is the most accurate in hand?

Thanks.

The colour of the first is maybe closer, but the second really is more detailed.

I would say the second is the most accurate, but it looks nicer in hand.

Larger pictures (especially when lighting is used from certain angles) can show more detail, but it might also highlight scuffs, scratches etc. on the coin which might not be obvious in hand.

Edited September 11, 2008 by Hussulo

[Stechlin]

Great effort Hussolo!

I've been interested to photograph my coins as best as I can already for a long time. About a year ago I started a question in a German digitalcamera forum and received a lot of help. Although my pictures are now much better as they have been at the start (as yours), there is still room for improvement.

Thanks for the article you showed us. Its a great one and whenever the author writes "important", he hits my own experiences. Concerning the true color a manual White Balance is important, if your camera offers this feature. I had a lot of "colour-problems" with my old digicam, which didn't have this. The settings and other things are described in the article, so the rest means experiments with light. - Afterwards you can improve the pictures with an image editor programm (I'm not sure, if this is the right translation), but it means an awfull lot of work!

Will you start to photograph your whole collection again, when you are satiesfied with the results?

[Hussulo]

Great effort Hussolo!

I've been interested to photograph my coins as best as I can already for a long time. About a year ago I started a question in a German digitalcamera forum and received a lot of help. Although my pictures are now much better as they have been at the start (as yours), there is still room for improvement.

Thanks for the article you showed us. Its a great one and whenever the author writes "important", he hits my own experiences. Concerning the true color a manual White Balance is important, if your camera offers this feature. I had a lot of "colour-problems" with my old digicam, which didn't have this. The settings and other things are described in the article, so the rest means experiments with light. - Afterwards you can improve the pictures with an image editor programm (I'm not sure, if this is the right translation), but it means an awfull lot of work!

Will you start to photograph your whole collection again, when you are satiesfied with the results?

Thanks.

The current camera I am using isn't great when it comes to adjusting white balance etc. I recently traded a newer camera Sony Cybershot DSC-W200 with my friend. I'm hoping that it will be a better camera for taking coin pictures. It is missing its charger, so I have bought one off eBay which I'm waiting to be delivered before I can have a play with it.

I am currently using two photo editing software programs which are both free:

http://www.gimp.org/

and

http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php

I use photscape mainly for its circle cropping tool, which is really easy to use and you can change the colour of the backgrounds of the coin when you crop it.

I am keen to improve my coin photo taking skills, but it will need a bit of practice.

I would like to take fresh pictures of my collection, but it may take time as they are in the bank and every time I want to take a new picture. I'll have to go to the bank and bring back a couple at a time.

Regards,

Hus

[Guest Panterex]

Hi Hus!

Nice coins indeed!

Well, from my experience, If I want to make really quality pictures of the coins, I use 2 LED lights from each side, about 45⁰ so if you imagine, one light creates the shade, another removes it and doing so you have even light on your coin. Don't use Super bright LEDs, cos you'll get reflections, or if It's your only choice, adjust your lights in a bit greater distance.

It takes a lot of time to set the whole thing up, but once you set, you're flying!

Usually, I don't bother to do so. With my wife, little baby and metal detecting I don't have that much time...

[Stechlin]

Hi, Hus

Lets go into details: (this posting is a really difficult one with my school english ). Your pictures now are really good (better than 95 % of all coin pictures on the web), but if you are looking for a nearly perfect documentation of your own coins or a perfect picture, if you want to sell coins:

Looking at your new photos, two things are interesting:

1. The right side of both pictures shows more details than the left side, I don't have an explanation for that, because you've seemed to have photographed straight upside down. But, as the author in your article already said, try to bring a bit more distance between coin and camera.

2. You wrote, that you are using photoscape as one of two programms to improve your pictures. As a German, I’m not really sure, what you mean with the “circle cropping toolâ€, but I think, I know what you mean. It’s a tool, that recognizes a shape in a picture, marks it, and – as you said – you can change the background afterwards. If we are talking about the same tool (I know it from German programms with the name “Zauberstabâ€, especially in the professional “Photoshop†programm): Don’t use that tool in coin photographing, because it ruins the “outer side†of your coin pictures (the edge), as it certainly does in your pictures, if have a close look at your pictures in that region.

3. I’m adding a picture of one my coins (I have had to reduce the quality, to get it in here), not a good one in terms of coins (but an interesting one, I will show later on). But as you can see, all details from the highest points of the coins to the lowest one are quite sharp (concerning number 1 above). And the edges are sharp too (concerning number 2 above). I had a similar “background problem†as you perhaps had, but for my “cup of teaâ€, I have determined, to use a black background in general and I’m using a kind of felt for that, because that reduces reflections.

But: There is another problem, and I have to admit Panterex is right: My coin picture concerns a Copper one, and is quite easy to photograph, because there are only a few reflections. I had lots of “light troubles†photographing the few hammered Silver Pennies I have. You have managed a perfect light to your picture of a reflecting Gold coin, so all in all it seems you solved the difficult problems before the easy ones. I’m looking forward to collect more hammered – Silver - Pennies, so you can imagine, I’m keen to hear, how you solved the light problem.

Regards

Holger (or, as Chris would say: Herr Stechlin)

[Hussulo]

Hi Holger,

1 I can't get much more distance from the coin or the camera goes out of focus. Perhaps my new camera will be better.

2 Your correct I did mean I use photoscape for cutting the coin away from the background. I normally use a black background when taking pictures of coins (I prefer black backgrounds, but if coins are quite dark they show up better on lighter backgrounds), but this one's in a NGC slabs. NGC slabs have white plastic round the coin. The slab also hides some of the edge so it would be pretty impossible to show any more of the edge without cracking it out.

Here's a picture of it in the slab:

3 I really like you coin picture.

I had to play around quite a bit with the lighting so as it wasn't reflecting directly into the camera.

It's going to take a bit of practice. I hope my new camera is a bit better as I am quite enjoying the chalange of taking better coin pictures.

Thanks for the pointers.

Regards,

Hus

[Q.E.D.]

Hi guys,

what light do you use to make coin photos? Thanks.

[Hussulo]

Hi Q.E.D

The first picture was sunlight, the second just cheap LED lighting, but I did have to adjust the colour a bit as it was to white.

I've heard Tru light or daylight bulbs are good and what most coin photographers use, but I haven't tried them yet.

[Q.E.D.]

Thank you, Hussulo.

When I try to make a photo of a slabbed coin in a daylight, I never get a good one, the reflections are spoiling it. Have to practice more

[Stechlin]

Hi guys,

what light do you use to make coin photos? Thanks.

The first good results I had with LED light for Copper coinage, which not reflects very much. Daylight is not an alternative for me. If you photograph the obverse of a coin and the light afterwards changes just a little bit, you will get a a different reverse photo in terms of lightning. I tried that and it made me sick. Now I use special lamps with "day-light character" (5400 kelvin). I think perfect would be such a lamp with the shape of a ring. You can find an example in the following link. Sorry, a German page

http://www.studiobedarf24.eu/shop/product_...euchte-22W.html

[Chris Perkins]

Hey I like that ring light Herr Stechlin! And they also do a rather useful stand for macro-photography which would also go very well with my camera (an Olympus SP-510UZ). But alas, I need all the Euros I can scrape together at the moment to pay a deposit on a house in the Erzgebirge!

[Stechlin]

Hey I like that ring light Herr Stechlin! And they also do a rather useful stand for macro-photography which would also go very well with my camera (an Olympus SP-510UZ). But alas, I need all the Euros I can scrape together at the moment to pay a deposit on a house in the Erzgebirge!

Yes, I have similiar problems and sometimes I`m afraid my coin collecting equipment ist more worth than my coin collection itself). Just to avoid missunderstandings: The link I have put in, shows a lamp, not a flashlight. Of course you will find flashlights in shape of a ring too, but as far as I remember they are even more expensive

Herr Stechlin

[Sergy]

Hi guys,

what light do you use to make coin photos? Thanks.

The first good results I had with LED light for Copper coinage, which not reflects very much. Daylight is not an alternative for me. If you photograph the obverse of a coin and the light afterwards changes just a little bit, you will get a a different reverse photo in terms of lightning. I tried that and it made me sick. Now I use special lamps with "day-light character" (5400 kelvin). I think perfect would be such a lamp with the shape of a ring. You can find an example in the following link. Sorry, a German page

http://www.studiobedarf24.eu/shop/product_...euchte-22W.html

Hello!

Do you take a picture through the lamp oder was?

[Chris Perkins]

I assumed that was the case, it's the only way as far as I can tell.

[Stechlin]

Hi, Sergy

Sorry for a little late reply. Interesting question! As I mentioned, I haven't photographed with such a ring lamp, so I can't really tell, how it should work. I looked at the offer again (unfortunately not at same place in the internet as it had been offered before, but still available). A bit strange, I have to admit, because the ring lamp is described as a helpul thing to photograph items within a distance in between 2 cm. A bit to close for a coin, I think. No idea! But the inner circle of the ring is 11 cm, that would be enough, to photograph just through the middle indeed. Perhaps somebody in this forum has experiences with that - or, what would interest me too, with ring flashlites photographing coins. But all in all: If you look at all the ebay offers or coin websites you will not find many coin pictures better than Hussolos new ones, Garys or mine (I know, I'm a bit unmodest ) (Well, Mr. "Lucido" on ebay does a good job), but in the end the photos must be good enough to answer the purpose for document own coins or to sell coins. So this question from Hussolo with his highly interesting link and its answers might have been at least helpful for Mr. Perkins , selling his coins.

Holger!!

By the way: Hi Chris: Have you heard that someone from the ore-mountains today has won a price for a "Bratwurst-emergency-service"? Great idea, especially for people living in the ore-mountains. Just call me Holger and I promise not to tell any more secrets about those nice people living there.

[Hussulo]

I've had a play about with the colours:

Unfortunately the camera my friend gave me isn't working.

I have my eye on a new one but until then I'll have to make do with the one I have.

[Stechlin]

I've had a play about with the colours:

Unfortunately the camera my friend gave me isn't working.

I have my eye on a new one but until then I'll have to make do with the one I have.

An improvement again, a beautiful picture. But I question myself, if the coin is as good as the photo is now. I always had my difficulties to find the realistic colour with the help of using software afterwards.

[Geordie582]

It depends on what you want the pictures for. If they are for personal use and identification purposes - no problem but if as material for selling then I agree with Stechlin. As I have no intension of selling my coins I use Paintshop Pro frequently. If I need to sell I can always re Photograph!

Edited October 9, 2008 by Geordie582

[Red Riley]

Just thought I would mention the heading for this thread ('Ive been playing with my...') is the best I've ever seen on the Predecimal message board!

Sorry lads, as you were...

[Chris Perkins]

When I first saw it I thought it was another post from a porno spam bot!

[Hussulo]

But I question myself, if the coin is as good as the photo is now.

Yes. The colour is closer to it now and the detail is accurate.

I don't plan on selling it. I am just trying to improve my picture taking skills and get them as close as I can to the real coin.

When I first saw it I thought it was another post from a porno spam bot!

Edited October 9, 2008 by Hussulo

[Red Riley]

A genuine post now. Not surprisingly, I have taken many, many photographs over the last year or so, and although this may sound perverse logic, I have found that the quality of the coin being photographed is the most important factor in getting a decent result. Take a high grade coin, whatever the metal, well struck and with good tone, and you could get a decent image with a box Brownie. On the other hand, worn bronze/copper, with pale tone, especially the low definition obverses of George V or Edward VII are an absolute nightmare! Certain rather harsh silver tones can also cause problems.

For the record, I am using a Canon EOS 400D with a Sigma 70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro lens, a convertible stand/tripod setup, subjects taken where possible in natural light (including some taken in the garden) and all edited with Photoshop. To save taking another photograph (as I have now deleted that one), check out the 1839 penny on the 'Looking for Help' thread. I think the tool for cutting out that you mentioned is actually called an 'Eliptical Marquee Tool'. I have used this tool extensively as finding an acceptable background for coins which could be removed simply at a later date was proving very problematic (everything from tablecloths to a cat litter tray had been tried). I accept that where a coin has coarse reeding, some edge detail may be lost, but for my purposes, where surface detail is more important, that is not particularly relevant.

I am no way any expert, but in the vast majority of cases I have been very pleased with the outcome.

[Sergy]

Totaly agree about GV bronze.

Look at my pic (btw - it's about UNC):