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Just got a Celestron camera from Santa. I have been trying to get pictures of a 1980 cud penny to send to JC. Any suggestions on how to reduce the glare from a shinny coin?
Thanks, Mark
Thanks, Mark
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That's a great present Mark! Did you get the Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope Pro? -
You are welcome! Tracy (duece2seven) and I studied the market to find a scope with good features for less than $100, then Ray Parkhurst tested it out for us and gave it the thumbs up for what this little scope can do! I absolutely love it for searching Lincolns! It has a 5MP camera which is higher than most at this price range, but I've had better results using the snipping tool for clearer (less grainy) photos.
First thing... have you taken the grey plastic thing off of the top of the silver rod where the scope moves up and down. That is necessary in order to get full coin shots.
Also, the whiteish thing at the bottom of the scope itself is just glued on and a few tugs with pliers will crack it off (it may come off in pieces but didn't hurt the scope at all when I removed it). That is necessary to get closer to the coin for real close up shots.Last edited by VAB2013; 12-28-2018, 08:11 AM.Comment
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You must have been good this year!
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Okay moving on to the next step because I have to work today...
Loosen the knob at the very back of the gadget that moves the scope up and down and turn the scope 180 degrees so that it is no longer above the light grey platform. This will make full coin shots easier (I just leave mine that way all of the time) Because for full shots you are going to want the scope up as high as you can get it. There is a point where the thing will come off the pole if you move it too far up, just put it back on.... you will be able to tell how far up you can get it and still be able to tighten it down.
Now... the lights. I wish I could say that I have that mastered but I don't. I can say this... I believe any scope that uses LED lights is going to have the same issues. One great thing about the Celestron is... you can adjust the LED lights or turn them off completely. Many of the other scopes on the market do not have this option. The less LED light the better. I also made a paper donut thing, that I tape over the LED lights when I need it for Shields, but I don't have to use it for brown cents or most Memorials that are circulated. The lighting process is just going to change with every cent...
What I love about the scope is it has made searching so much easier! I have these foam sheets (from WalMart or craft store, the ones I have have a paper back you can peel off it you want to and it's sticky under that paper, I leave the paper on there because the foam will slide across my desk better. And when they get dirty, toss it and get another sheet.) I cut them in half and I can get 10 coins across (more if you want to, but with just one row of 10 cents you can flip them over easier, I flip as I go because I don't flip over every cent) The foam is easy on the coins (no scratching) and I can slide it under the scope and look at 10 coins at a time basically. My back feels better... also my eyes do too because I have to squint with a loupe (less eye wrinkles LOL)... By looking at 10 at a time, once I get to 50 I roll them up to take back to the bank!
Hope that helps! Enjoy your new Celestron! I know you are going to have fun with it, especially with those million plus cents you have to search through!Last edited by VAB2013; 12-27-2018, 01:41 PM.Comment
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On the USB Cable there's a rectangular box thing with a thumb switch on the side to adjust the LED lights from brightest to off. Also on that toggle switch is a round button to push to click the photo, but I don't use that button because I use the "Snipping Tool" that comes with Windows. With a Windows PC lower left corner of the monitor at "Type here to search" type in "Snipping Tool" then right click on Snipping Tool and pin to task bar (that will make it easier to access). Then when you have the cent the way you want it for a photo, click on Snipping Tool, click new, position the plus sign on one corner of the box where the image of the coin is and drag it to the opposite corner, let go of the mouse clicker and then click File, Save As and place the photo where you want it on your computer. I always put mine on the desktop in a new folder so they are easier to find.Last edited by VAB2013; 12-28-2018, 08:32 AM.Comment
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You are welcome Mark! All of the things I was explaining to set up the scope are from Ray when he tested the scope for us! I would have never figured that part out myself!
Can't wait to see your finds out of those million+ cents!!!Last edited by VAB2013; 12-28-2018, 08:33 AM.Comment
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You may have already figured this out... but just in case...
Another cool thing about using the Celestron on a PC is, you can move that Celestron viewing window over to the far right corner of your monitor (click the top of the window and drag it) then open your Windows browser and resize it so that it fits to the left of the Celestron viewing window. That way you can look at coppercoins, variety vista, wexler, etc. and compare your finds side by side!
Added: In the Celestron viewing window on the right side it is white. That white side is where the photos will show up if you use the Celestron camera to take the pics. Since I don't use the camera and use the snipping tool instead, then I don't need to see that white part of the window. When I move the Celestron viewing window to the right of my monitor I keep moving it until the white part is not visible anymore. That way you can see more of your browser.Last edited by VAB2013; 12-28-2018, 08:53 AM.Comment
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I must have a different unit. There is no thumb or toggle switch on the USB cable, However the bar that the camera is attached to is long enough for me to raise it up and get a picture of the entire coin without taking the top cap off. There is a tool bar above the image on the screen. All I have to do is click on save and it takes the picture. It then displays it on the right of the screen. I just right click on the picture and it saves it to my pictures folder.
I will eventually figure out how to dim the LED's, in the meantime I want to thank you for all your time. It is much appreciated. Have a Great New Year!
MarkComment
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Here's a short video of the Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope Pro, you can see the switch thing on the USB Cable. I'm trying to figure out which one you have.
once you open the link, click on the microscope, then on Related VideosComment
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Thanks again. I looked at the videos and mine looks exactly like that one EXCEPT mine does not have the box think on the cord.Here's a short video of the Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope Pro, you can see the switch thing on the USB Cable. I'm trying to figure out which one you have.
once you open the link, click on the microscope, then on Related VideosComment
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Mark, I wonder if yours is the 1080P HDMI version? It looks like it does not have the LED light adjustment knob but the specs say it has a local and remote shutter trigger. Please see if this one is yours...
Last edited by VAB2013; 12-28-2018, 11:58 AM.Comment
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