I have this challenge coin im trying to photograph.  I have taken over 55 pics of this thing and they all come out blurry.  My camera is a digital  3.1 mega pixels but i really have no clue how to properly utilize it.  The coin is roughly the size of a half dollar coin.  It is a copper colored metal with raised lettering and also some purple and white paint on it.  There is some sort of clear coat on top of all of this which reflects glare.
How can i take a nice picture so that the words and the rest of the artwork comes out clear

thanks

use a tripod, turn off the flash, set it to macro mode, get the camera real close, use a timer so you're not bumping it around when shutter opens

Read the instruction book!  

See how close you can get to the item per that book (in macro mode, if it has one).  Anything closer than this will be blurry.

If you can’t get as close as you’d like to, take the highest resolution photo you can from the minimum focusing distance and then crop the photo.

Here’s how I’d do the lighting.  I realize I’m kind of beating this to death, but I find that shiny objects like coins are real hard to photograph well (at least for me).

Turn off the flash and set up a couple of lights to illuminate the coin.  One should be stronger than the other.  I’d put the brighter one at about 2 o’clock and the weaker one at about 9 o’clock.  Possibly use a white handkerchief over the lights and/or use redirected light (bouncing it off, say, a white piece of paper) to reduce glare and to adjust the intensity of the light.  You can also move the lights further away to make these adjustments.   Keep the brighter of the two lights a little low along the side of the coin to increase the shadows on the coin and make the markings more visible.  Use the second, weaker light for fill – that is, to reduce contract and soften the shadows a bit.

In addition:

You might do better adjusting the focusing manually, if your camera allows that.

If your camera allows exposure adjustments, try adding or subtracting stops if the photo is over or underexposed.

Bottom line, though, is that you’re going to just have to experiment, which fortunately is pretty easy with a digital camera.

Hope this helps!

What they said.

That's about the best advice you get.

I'm a film photography person, but in this case, digital has its advantages (instant feedback of what works and what doesn't).

Do shoot a coin you don't want to light the coin directly.

Take a white card 8x8 12x12 or so and cut a hole in it that is big enough for your camera lense and any autofocus sensor that it has to see through.

Like this.


Turn your cameras flash off and swith it to macro focus mode if it has one.  Bounce your light source onto the white card that your camera lense is sticking through and the light will refelct evenly down onto your coin.

It took me longer to whack the hole in a piece of gator foam then it did for me to balance the tile the coin is on in one hand and hold the camera w/card in the other and take this shot.



Total time including uploading about 4 minutes.

Here is how to do it.

ONE "flavor" of light source (sun, incandescent, flourescent, etc.)  NEVER MIX light sources unless your light source (usually flash) can serverely overpower ambient light (unless shooting in direct sunlight, which I doubt).

Tripod, as recommended above

Set Camera to "Fixed Focus" at 1/2 Meter or 1 Meter (or closest choice you have, Then use Zoom to fill frame with subject)

Turn "On Camera Flash" to "OFF".

Turn on Camera "Self-Timer"

After you have the coin properly framed in the viewfinder and in focus (focus changed when fixed by moving tripod forward or back, once you pick the 'fixed focus mode', you can see the sharpness), push shutter button.

Step away to ensure no movement (as 'ambient light' generally makes for long exposures). The camera will take the pic in a few seconds, and you are done.

Total time:  < 1 minute.

what is the brand/model of your camera?

Quoted: what is the brand/model of your camera?

kodak dx3900
i dnt have a macro zoom

Quoted: Quoted: what is the brand/model of your camera? kodak dx3900 i dnt have a macro zoom

yes you do

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Kodak/kodak_dx3900.asp


you can get 7 cm away and still focus

thanks a lot phil in seattle.  That index card trick worked
Heres the before best picture i could get

here are the 4 i shot using your technique

One word...scanner. Your pics did turn out pretty good though!


ByteTheBullet  (-: