I'm ready to buy a camera, but..........

louis · New Member

I'm considering the Canon Powershot SD800. One of the primary reasons for the purchase is to be able to photograph Lincolns. Before I buy, is there anything I need in addtion to the base camera for taking pictures of my Lincoln finds to post to this website? I've been told that Marco Mode will allow me to get closeups. Will this be sufficient for displaying die varieties clearly or is additional magnification required? And if so, how do I take a snap of a magnified coin (I don't have a microscope and I hope I don't need one)?

Any feedback would be appreciated as I will not make a purchase until the above questions are answered. Thanks in advance to all who respond..............

coop · Expert Member

Louis: I use a Macro Camera and a Microscope to take images. Some take images through a loupe. But they are usuall blurry. Maybe Stephen has some suggestions. But the Macro Camera and Microsope is what I prefer.

Steven · Expert Member

I would guess the camera is only a start in getting the finished photo posted.
(Which I do not have much to work with yet)

Proper lighting
(I Make do the best I can with what I have available)

The macro setting is great for the full coin shots but make sure all other settings are correct for the photo you want to take.
(All those still confuse the heck out of me)

A good photo program on your PC is in my opinion a must.
(I'm not doing to bad there. I use two to get the results I want for some of my full coin photos.)

A program such a photobucket for storage of the photos you want to post here will be necessary.
(You can store quite a few on the free version).

For the close up shots I have a couple of ways I take them. I place a 20mm telescope lens to the camera lens or a wide lense 10X loupe.

The first photo below shows the full coin shot set at macro without the 20mm lens cut from the photo and layered onto another with a second photo using the loupe for the close up layered on the same.

The second is an unlayered photo using the wide lense 10X loupe. (I just started using it and it seems to work well).

Both of these also had discriptions applied with the photo program.
The only thing that is probably necessary with the photo program for getting the photo ready for posting is cropping and sizing.

All of this stuff is just my opinion and some of what I do. To each his own I guess.

coop is correct with the blurry photos with the loupe. If you look at these you can see some blurry outer areas of the shots.

Steven

Dick · Expert Member

Steven, do you have the 20mm telephoto lens mounted, and viewed from the external position? I have a "TV Zoom lens V6x1717-102mm 1:2.0" (Don't ask me what all the numbers are, I don't know). It came off my color camera, another dinasaur, like me. I used it with a cam corder for getting some real good shots with a lot of magnification.. The 'corder went west, and I tore down the setup. Maybe it could be used with one of my other digital cameras, or one of the video cameras. my problem, right now is getting the units all back together, so I can use it like before. I use a scope, with a scope camera, but I don't have the control I'd like with the focus. I did order another cheapie scope, to use with the camera, so as to view "on screen" to be able to see it, and focus real close. The scope focus and the camera focus points are not co-incidental. That is mist confusing. Any thoughts along this line? Thanks,
Dick

Steven · Expert Member

DIck,
I try anything I can get my hands on that I think might make the photos come out better. With out funds for a decent scope I have been using other types of magnification to try for good results. This causes an inconsistency in the color and clarity from one photo to the next. Taking the photos free hand as I do adds to the problems of gettting fuzzy photos. I end up taking sometimes 50 shots to get one.

Steven

Dick · Expert Member

AHA! A man after my own heart. There is always room for inprovision. At one time, I could get some pretty good magnification. Of course that much gives room for some wild finds. Yep! And they are so small, that they don't count. Oh well, we do what we can ,and hope one day we step in , "you know what", and come out smelling like a rose! We should swap photos of our "labs" to see what we might discover, (and use in our own setup).
Dick

coop · Expert Member

A tip on focus for mincro image is this. If you are using a stereo Microscope, close one eye and focus with the eye piece you are taking the image with. Focus on the fields next to a device rather than the top of a device. The top may focus, the field looks out of focus. But if the field is focused next to number/letters or inside lower parts of mintmarks, then the whole image will be clearer. I've mentioned this before but a reminder always helps.

coppercoins · Site Admin

I have no experience with trying to get photos to work with a loupe. Microscopes will give the best results, regardless. A decent scope can be purchased for under $350.