Photographing coin Tips

Nice Coin Xray,

The 99 look's to be at least 15% off center. Did you find it in a circulated roll? Nice picture's also. Did you use Photoshop?

Rhubarb
 
The off center I found in pocket change bout 4 years ago, before I started detecting. I have been in the habit most of my life to scan pocket change and bills for anything unusual, and have found quite a few errors and misprints.
The photo is not edited save for a crop, I do have photoshop and corel, which are both outstanding apps, but I use ulead photo impact the most, guess I'm just used to it.
 
I have found that trying to jam the camera as close as possible to a coin for a super close up is a mistake.
This tends to cut off light sources, and it seems to want to focus on the nearest part of the coin, leaving the rest somewhat blurry.
It is a natural temptation though to want to fill up the cams LCD screen with as much as the subject as possible, but one that should be resisted, from my experience, at least as far as coins are concerned.
I took this shot of a MS penny about 5 inches away, and I don't see how I could do much better.
 

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Hold on guys!!!!! this way is the quickest, easiest, and cheapest way to photgraph coins and small artefacts with outstanding quality. place you're coin on the table and lay a fly-tying magnifying glass over it then with you're digital camera in automatic and macro setting take you're picture. No need to be buying expensive scanners etc etc. This is the one i use but dont use the alligator clips tro hold you're coins as it may scratch or mark what could be a rare variety. I have also included a coin to let you see the outcome.
 

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I use my camera in macro mode, I place the coin on a small sheet of glass supported approx 3 inches above either a white or black background, gives great results, see below.
 

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flatbed scanner is the best in my experience.

btw that lincoln memorial penny with the mint error should be worth big money!

stamps and coins with mint errors are worth the most.
 
I used to use a scanner, but I found the color and vibrance left a whole lot to be desired, almost comical compared with a good cam.

Some errors certainly are worth big bucks, some surprisingly little.
One pictured is worth $8-15 or so.
Its good the date is visible, or it would be worth even less.
Plain old off centers aren't considered very dramatic compared to a double strike or something like that.
 
I've been trying to get a pic posted of stuff with detail, tried a big handheld type magnifying glass on different piles of books etc. just didn't work for me (digital camera). Last resort, took a really cheepo eye loop/jewelers loop, all plastic #2 (made in India) and taped it to the camera lens opening, being careful not to cover up any of the flash & other stuff. held the camera steady against the pile of books and took some practice shots. Altho you still have to get really close you can see the target thru the viewer AND eye loop, and get enough light on the object. By adjusting the light source (table lamp) got pretty good shots without bad shadows. There is a REALLY helpful thread on how to post pics elswhere here on the board.:yes:
 

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For coins I have had better luck with my Kodak Easyshare than with scans but that might be a function of the scanner.

I use "SCN" mode with the "close up" option and good artificial light or sunlight rather than flash. My program is setup to store them as jpgs. Then I do a Easyshare software "save as" and re-size. The "best for e-mail" option seems to work well for the posts.
 
They're nice, TW, but like Zander10 does, I also like a scanner way more for coins (and just about anything else I can fit under th' lid)...!
 

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i just figured this out last nite. i have a kodak md683 8.2 mp. i put mine on the flower( used for things within 24 inches) i bought a eye loupe. it slides over my lens and it takes awesome pics of coins. hope this helps
 
Hi All,

This picture was taken by laying the coin down on the back of an old coin book. The camera was on a small tripod. The camera was set to macro. I use auto focus and force the camera to flash. That's it. Then I crop and use a photo program to put a border around the coin.

I try to take pictures with as little complication as is possible. The camera is an older Nikon Coolpix 950.

Have Fun,
Bill

64ken2.jpg
 
I set my scanner to 1600x1600 dpi and use a piece of black construction paperas a background. The 1600 resolution makes for a HUGE picture, but leaves plenty of pixels for Photoshop to work with, so I trim it to the right area then resize it keeping as much of the original dpi as possible. I think it turns out OK most of the time.
 
Here are some more links

Check this http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php?showtopic=12649 for some absolutely stunning coin pics.
I was so impressed that I went out and got the cam he used to take those shots with, the canon A640, and it just makes a universe of difference over the cam I have been using the last 3 years. It is so good it is acutally a double edged sword, as every single nick, smudge of speck of dust is caught as if in the glare of a spotlight.
I literally just got this cam yesterday so am still tinkering around with the settings. Here is a quick shot I just took of an error penny by hand [no stable table just yet].

Keep in mind also that many pics [as the ones in the link above] you can download them, open them up in the viewer of your choice, and look at properties and EXIF settings. This will give you info on the various settings that were used on the shot, and can be a real help.

Finally, heres another link from the guy above, detailing his setup.
http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php?showtopic=12650

Nice penny, xray. Is that in your collection? That's a very good error coin.
 
Here are some more links

Check this http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php?showtopic=12649 for some absolutely stunning coin pics.
I was so impressed that I went out and got the cam he used to take those shots with, the canon A640, and it just makes a universe of difference over the cam I have been using the last 3 years. It is so good it is acutally a double edged sword, as every single nick, smudge of speck of dust is caught as if in the glare of a spotlight.
I literally just got this cam yesterday so am still tinkering around with the settings. Here is a quick shot I just took of an error penny by hand [no stable table just yet].

Keep in mind also that many pics [as the ones in the link above] you can download them, open them up in the viewer of your choice, and look at properties and EXIF settings. This will give you info on the various settings that were used on the shot, and can be a real help.

Finally, heres another link from the guy above, detailing his setup.
http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php?showtopic=12650



Outstanding shots!!! Check those links for how to really do it right!
 
i try to make my pics bigger to see the coins better but it almost always comes out fuzzy how do i make the pics bigger without making the coin pics fuzzy?

thanks
 
easy

i have a kodak easyshare camera cheap $50 bucks.use the macro setting no flash.hold coin about 6 inches away.once pic is taken hit edit,then crop and zoom in on the coin.hit save.done
comes out like this
 

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