184* crowns

[ski 1]

and another

[ski 1]

close detail shot

[Peckris 579]

That's really useful advice Steve.

I own a Lumix FZ38 'bridge' camera that allows macro shooting and will also take RAW+JPEG shots. I'm also familiar with Photoshop. My main problem is not how to light (I think I would choose natural daylight over artificial) but how to support coins so they are absolutely at a 90º angle, i.e. a flat plane to the lens. I could place the coins on a table top and mount the camera looking down, but that's kind of counter-intuitive to me. I'd want to have the camera flat to the table and stand the coin up, so the final assembly can be moved naturally to get the best light. Any suggestions?

[ski 1]

the main thing here is to get the coin being photographed parallel to the focal plane of the camera....photos of coins at angles often dont look right because the light falls away across the view.

i use a macro table to take my coin photos, but a table and tripod do the same function, these allow the 90o view that is ideal.

it doesnt matter if youre looking down onto the coin or straight at it, the view will be the same as long as you remain parallel to the camera. i prefer looking down onto a flat table as it gives me a constant, and once set up changing coins is easy. i always use aa a4 shet of paper for a background

i try to use natural light as much as possible, but additional lighting reduces shadows caused by sideways lighting and for this i use a couple of simple anglepoise lights that use everyday 40w lights, raw allowing wb adjustments.

natural light gives a nice light but is directional so some artificial light helps balance the image, for this reason its not always essential to use natural light, but preferable to control the light, as in studio work.........and its very easy to make a cheap coin studio.....table/tripod/balance lights.

with photography, we find methods that work for us individually and 1 method is no more right than another, you have a good camera with a good macro facility and the ability to shoot raw, dont be put off by the extra work of converting a raw, the benefits of wb control and exposure are well known, but more importantly......while natural light is good, artificial light, once set up offers consistency and the ability to produce a batch of photos of a number of coins, without the problems associated with sunlight moving amongst the clouds/rain/snow.....whatever

[ski 1]

by the way, the 3d and farthing were photographed not using my macro table but using a workmate outdoors using natural light. the farthing suffers from uneven lighting and the 3d from the camera not being exactly parallel to the coin, as a result the depth of field falls away on the left hand side of the coin.......the macro table and a correctly set up camera minmises these errors greatly......the human (me) however interferes to produce these poor images................

[Peckris 579]

the main thing here is to get the coin being photographed parallel to the focal plane of the camera....photos of coins at angles often dont look right because the light falls away across the view.

i use a macro table to take my coin photos, but a table and tripod do the same function, these allow the 90o view that is ideal.

it doesnt matter if youre looking down onto the coin or straight at it, the view will be the same as long as you remain parallel to the camera. i prefer looking down onto a flat table as it gives me a constant, and once set up changing coins is easy. i always use aa a4 shet of paper for a background

i try to use natural light as much as possible, but additional lighting reduces shadows caused by sideways lighting and for this i use a couple of simple anglepoise lights that use everyday 40w lights, raw allowing wb adjustments.

natural light gives a nice light but is directional so some artificial light helps balance the image, for this reason its not always essential to use natural light, but preferable to control the light, as in studio work.........and its very easy to make a cheap coin studio.....table/tripod/balance lights.

with photography, we find methods that work for us individually and 1 method is no more right than another, you have a good camera with a good macro facility and the ability to shoot raw, dont be put off by the extra work of converting a raw, the benefits of wb control and exposure are well known, but more importantly......while natural light is good, artificial light, once set up offers consistency and the ability to produce a batch of photos of a number of coins, without the problems associated with sunlight moving amongst the clouds/rain/snow.....whatever

Thanks for that. I do have a tripod but I just don't think I can physically manage looking down on the coin (bending over the whole arrangement). The drawback with the Lumix is that the viewscreen isn't articulated which would make my task a lot easier.

[ski 1]

a friend of mine has a problem looking down onto the coin, he has made a cheap wooden tray to hang on the wall and then angles the camera on the tripod to keep the coin parallel. As discussed earlier, a great photo can sell a coin, so time spent getting a good working set up is well worth it.

[Peter 615]

I get so exited I get Camera shake That is why my eldest does the pictures and dips into my paypal account at least once a week.

[ski 1]

shaking hands.......are you photographing coins or thrupenny bits

[Peckris 579]

shaking hands.......are you photographing coins or thrupenny bits

One really good thing about the Lumix is its Optical Image Stabilisation - very good.

[Red Riley 2]

shaking hands.......are you photographing coins or thrupenny bits

You'd need to be a cockney to understand that one.

[Peckris 579]

shaking hands.......are you photographing coins or thrupenny bits

You'd need to be a cockney to understand that one.

Got you Threepenny bits, gits, right?

[davidrj 194]

shaking hands.......are you photographing coins or thrupenny bits

You'd need to be a cockney to understand that one.

Got you Threepenny bits, gits, right?

Bristols?

[Peter 615]

Organ stops....

[ski 1]

[argentumandcoins 70]

I think you sniggering little schoolboys will find that the correct anatomical name for the appendages to which you refer is... lady bumps!

[Peckris 579]

I think you sniggering little schoolboys will find that the correct anatomical name for the appendages to which you refer is... lady bumps!

I won't give you an argentuman pver that!

[Peter 615]

I think you sniggering little schoolboys will find that the correct anatomical name for the appendages to which you refer is... lady bumps!

I prefer milky pillows...oops the wife has been seeing what a pervie site predecimal has become