Hello & Question About Creating Images

[Socrates]

Hi All,

I've been collecting Lincoln cent for the last 6 months and am a newbie to coin collecting. I have a Canon digital camera and am considering buying a macro lens to create high resolution images of some of the varieties I think I've found to post on this forum. I've also found on Amazon.com a Celestron digital microscope for about $40.00:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UQ6E4E/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A13BNE3P7C8THK

Macro lenses are, of course, much more expensive than the digital microscopes I've seen so far. I'm interested in hearing what some of the more seasoned members of this forum think is the better choice for creating high resolution images of Lincoln cent varieties?

[lara4228]

Hi,

I have one of these and I often heard from members on here that my pics possessed too much glare. It is great for zooming and viewing but it truly does not capture the true essence of you see.

I'd sink my money into a new lens if it were my decision.

Lara

[thecentcollector]

Sink your money into a new lense, or buy a cheaper "startup" scope (I suggestAamscope for newcomers). This will help you achieve the maximum potential of coin photography. If money is not an issue, avoid the handheld microscopes. They do more harm than good, not only for yourself, but also when you post questions about coins as well. Those handhelds take terrible photos, and they are of little or no help to the community as a whole.

Sorry to be blunt, but that's my take. I'm sure if you bucked up to $100, you can find a nice, cheap Amscope on ebay or somewhere, and then use a normal camera through an eyepiece for a while until you can afford an adapter (or new setup).

Just my two cents.

[RWBILLER]

Welcome to lcr!
Rog

[jallengomez]

First and foremost, welcome to the forums and stay away from the hemlock. :) I agree with Andrew in that the handhelds are terrible. I learned that firsthand. As others have pointed out, you might look at an Amscope, which is what I'm currently doing. Keep in mind, that for a macro lens you will need a high magnification ratio(around 5:1) and that kind of quality glass is going to approach the $1000 range depending on the camera you have. Otherwise a standard macro lens is going to do you no good at all for the kind of close-ups you need for photographing RPMs and doubled dies.

[Socrates]

I'll try to stay away from hemlock and won't go near Athens :LOL_Hair: When I thought of my username I had almost forgotten Socrates' ultimate fate. In the back of my mind, however, I did think that if he were alive today, Socrates would have enjoyed collecting Lincoln cents :angel:

Thanks for the recommendation re: Amscope. Buying a $1000 macro lens is something I really do not want to do right now. I'll take a closer look at Amscopes and start pricing them.

Thanks again.

[coop]

The biggest drawbacks with the cheaper scopes is the plastic lens that they use. You just get a poor image with them. Also the lighting is another issue with taking images.
Best to save your $10 (You get these less often) and set the money aside for a nice scope that will do what you really want it to. This is what I use:
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/coop49/WHAT_I_USE.jpg

I use a small inexpensive light. The one that came with the scope, I tore off the same day. Used some of the parts for a better setup. The most inportant thing is you lens power. I use a zoom from 3.5-35X. That way you can get the shot you really want. A fix power scope it seems that you are too close or too far from what you want to see. Anything more than 30X is too much. But glass lens is so better than plastic. If they would put those in the cheaper scopes, they would be more popular.

[jcuve]

We have a large camera thread HERE (http://www.lincolncentresource.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4037) that also might help.

[liveandievarieties]

The biggest drawbacks with the cheaper scopes is the plastic lens that they use. You just get a poor image with them. Also the lighting is another issue with taking images.
Best to save your $10 (You get these less often) and set the money aside for a nice scope that will do what you really want it to. This is what I use:
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/coop49/WHAT_I_USE.jpg

I use a small inexpensive light. The one that came with the scope, I tore off the same day. Used some of the parts for a better setup. The most inportant thing is you lens power. I use a zoom from 3.5-35X. That way you can get the shot you really want. A fix power scope it seems that you are too close or too far from what you want to see. Anything more than 30X is too much. But glass lens is so better than plastic. If they would put those in the cheaper scopes, they would be more popular.


AAAGGGHHHH!!! It's Frankenstein!

In addition to Jason's mention of lenses, you may want to search this forum for previous posts on Amscopes. They're professional quality, come with everything you need including camera and software and can cost less than $200 including shipping.

But this thread is over a week old and I'm sure you've already found your answer!!