thedeadpoint Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 Post the picture you're most proudest of that you took of one of your coins or notes. It may not be your favorite coin or most expensive note, but it may be that one shot that was so tough to take. Or the best lighting to showcase your coin. Or maybe a cool experiment you did with your camera. ***************** All I have is a point-and-shoot and a scanner. (I have a film cam that I don't use enough...) I like that I captured the toning on this coin... you can really tell its a film adhered to the surface. I just like how this simple scan turned out: I'm most proud of this one. Can you tell what it is and what took it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfdollar Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 I use a basic CanonPower Shot SD750. I use a halogen light overhead, a OT light to my right and behind left an incandescent light. I have no special set up. I place the coin down in front of me and hold my camera in hand, point and shoot. Here are a few that I have taken and like very much I actually take most of my coin images unless they have a PCGS background, then they took those. and this composite is one of my favorites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elverno Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 This was sheer luck playing around with bill's favorite setup: Most of my stuff is pretty workman-like but sometimes you get lucky: I got close with this but the reverse is a little too hot: I would wish the light was a little more on his forehead but the color was perfect: Take enough pics... Last two: I came close to winning the Popular Coin thingie one year with that last medal, and this is a much better pic of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 This was sheer luck playing around with bill's favorite setup: That's a bit more than sheer luck. As for your later comment about taking enough pics....Clicking off digital images is cheap, just your time. You get better images by making multiple shots, playing with the lighting, and seeing how different angles and directions work out. You sometimes find something you didn't expect. You just have to try to remember how you did it (hard at my age). As for the light on the forehead, if your light setup is fixed, try rotating the medal and then fixing the rotation in Photoshop. Its general best to rotate both side the same amount so the light looks natural from side to side since they are usually displayed together. The other option is using a small deflector between the light and the medal to soften the light on the top of the head. Sometimes you can do it with your hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiho Posted November 25, 2010 Report Share Posted November 25, 2010 Still my favorite... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted November 25, 2010 Report Share Posted November 25, 2010 Took this one with my Nikon CoolPix. The lovely golden hue is not from forgetting to set the white balance; this is actually how the coin looks (taken in sunlight, IIRC): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted November 26, 2010 Report Share Posted November 26, 2010 Hiho: One of my favorites as well. (Nothing posted here is less than a favorite, but I do love that bonnet!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akdrv Posted November 26, 2010 Report Share Posted November 26, 2010 A lot of great photos here. One of my personal faves from about 6 years ago: I should try again with a new camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiho Posted November 27, 2010 Report Share Posted November 27, 2010 Hiho: One of my favorites as well. (Nothing posted here is less than a favorite, but I do love that bonnet!) Thanks Bill. I love how you imaged that 1997 ANA token. That had to take quite a while to accomplish but it was well worth the effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiho Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 I have a new favorite picture, taken last week... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted December 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 Good lord thats amazing. I can almost feel the coin. The texture is amazing heightened by the light and toning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 Good lord thats amazing. I can almost feel the coin. The texture is amazing heightened by the light and toning. What "thedeadpoint" said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 I have a new favorite picture, taken last week... Care to post the other side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted December 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 Care to post the other side? We're not worthy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 That's good! (I leave it to the reader to decide to which reply to apply.) Hiho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiho Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 You guys are WAY too kind. Especially considering I posted the wrong photo. Here's the Huguenot photo I meant to post... And here is the reverse for BobH... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 And here is the reverse for BobH... Wow ... I'm really curious now as to how you got such crisp photos through the slab? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constanius Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 School Merit Award Token Obv: H.R.H.THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE / BORN JAN.17.1796.DIED NOV.6.1817 small H below bust. Rev: 5 INTEGERS on central shield surrounded by scroll-work pattern. If you look above 'INTEGERS' you can see the inscription has been reworked. Brass 33mm by Thomas Wright Hill. Undated but circa 1818 by my reckoning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 All beautiful photos of outstanding coins. I'd be most interested in hearing about getting clear and correctly focused shots through the slabs. I have a lot of slabs I want to photograph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiho Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 Wow ... I'm really curious now as to how you got such crisp photos through the slab? Thanks! I find you need a dedicated macro lens, one that can focus with razor sharp surgical precision through the plastic. I use an old Canon 100mm EF f/2.8 lens, as seen here... http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=canon+macro+lens&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADBF_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=12247020285934160034&ei=51r_TMeaJYWdlgfat4W9CA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQ8wIwAA# Is $500 too much for a lens? Not if you make back your money in two years taking coin photos for others. The thing weighs a ton but for razor sharp photos I believe it's exactly what the doctor ordered. A new photo I really like... One of these days I'll get my lighting correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 I find you need a dedicated macro lens, one that can focus with razor sharp surgical precision through the plastic. I use an old Canon 100mm EF f/2.8 lens, as seen here... http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=canon+macro+lens&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADBF_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=12247020285934160034&ei=51r_TMeaJYWdlgfat4W9CA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQ8wIwAA# Is $500 too much for a lens? Not if you make back your money in two years taking coin photos for others. The thing weighs a ton but for razor sharp photos I believe it's exactly what the doctor ordered. Beautiful! Thanks for posting the details! I have an expensive macro lens which costs even more than the $500 you mentioned: the Nikkor 105mm F/2.8 (and Nikon D60 camera). However, as you may have noticed from some of my other pictures, I still have trouble with focussing once in awhile. My eyesight is unfortunately not good enough that I can focus manually with the desired degree of precision, so I have relied mostly on the autofocus feature up till now -- which works pretty well, but I'd like to do better. So my next step is to buy a view-finder magnification adaptor which will hopefully give me better feedback during manual focussing. I'm curious to know if others out there have ever used one, and are they worth the extra $$$ (also not cheap)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 I find you need a dedicated macro lens, one that can focus with razor sharp surgical precision through the plastic. One of these days I'll get my lighting correct. The macro lens is a must, the lighting still needs some tweaking. The Huguenot was just about perfect (I think the first image you posted was perfect, but MS-70 should be hard to get). I think it has a flatter field compared to the Oregon half. Getting the light into just the right position to evenly light the deeper filed and not burn out the facial features is a challenge. Through it all, you've got to retain that magnificent toning. This is a good example of the value of digital photography, you can make hundreds of images if needed until you get it just right. Damned slab, however, does present an additional challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russel Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 I find you need a dedicated macro lens, one that can focus with razor sharp surgical precision through the plastic. I use an old Canon 100mm EF f/2.8 lens, as seen here... [...] Looking at the image attributes, it appears that you used F5 for your aperture setting. Focusing that close with such a fast aperture means a shallow depth of field. Do you use F5 to shallow the depth of field so that the slab casing is more out of focus? I frequently shoot macro photographs at F16 to F32 if the lens,a 60mm macro, is within 4 to 10 inches in order to maximize depth of field. Granted coins are quite flat, I find myself using F8 at 1:1 when photographing coins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goetzdude Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Karl Goetz: "Robbers Court", 1923, Cast Bronze, 61.5mm, 74.30g., Edge-punched; KGoeTz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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