coin size item photography lens recommendations

[jesbroken]

Hello,

I am new to the board and new to my camera. I have a Canon eos rebel T6 with an ef 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III lens and an efs-s 18-55mm zoom lens that came with the kit. My question is that before I spend the money for a macro lens, can I in the meantime take photos of coins size items. This camera may be over my head, but I bought it with the plans of tethering it to my pc and taking photos on a camera stand of small items, coins included. I am just beginning to learn the menu and selection process so I am truly a newbie. Thanks in advance for your help.

Jim 

[wq9nsc]

You 18-55 has a fairly short focusing distance and should at least get you started with macro photography for your coins.  A camera mount/stand and proper lighting will be very beneficial.

At very close distance, the depth of field will be very shallow which normally isn't a big issue with a very flat item like a coin.  But it does mean focus must be PERFECT to achieve a good image.  Increased lighting allowing you to step down the lens from wide open will increase depth of field and the lens performance will improve somewhat when you aren't shooting wide open so proper lighting will be the single biggest low cost improvement that you can make.

Rodger

[jesbroken]

Thank you Rodger. I have a camera stand with three ott lites, and two incandescents. My granddaughter Ellie decided I needed to move up to a dslr when she picked up and dropped my PowerShot SX530 HS on a concrete floor and it has never came on since. My fault for having it accessible to her. It broke the lens and pretty much ruined the camera. So, I am learning to enter this realm of photography and I'm old so here goes.

Jim 

[wq9nsc]

JIm,

Good luck, you will do fine with the DSLR!  Ellie didn't realize it when she dropped your PowerShot but she was helping you move up to a more versatile system 🙂

Rodger

[Waddizzle]

You could buy a set of extension tubes to get started. As noted above, DOF will be very when you fill the viewfinder with a coin sized object. The need to focus stack several images in post is a certainty.

[ebiggs1]

"You could buy a set of extension tubes to get started."

You can certainly do that and it will work. I mean you will get close and you will get a picture.  It is not the best approach if you want top quality results. You do not have a lens that is great at, well, anything but certainly not at macro photography. You do need a true macro lens. A macro lens is corrected for macro photography. Most regular use lenses are not. A very inexpensive choice is the excellent Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens at $350.  A super choice is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Auto Focus Lens at $700.

Second to a true macro lens is Photoshop.  It is mandatory if you are wanting the best result no matter which lens you decide on.

[wq9nsc]

I agree with Ernie that for best results, a macro lens is what you want if you are going to concentrate a lot on macro photography.  I have the earlier non-IS version of the 100mm macro that he recommended and it is a versatile lens that is a lot of fun to use. 

The photos below were taken shortly after I bought my first 1 series digital back in 2005.  There used to be far more honey bees in the area and they were very cooperative models except they were a little TOO friendly landing all over me while I was taking their photos.  I don't dislike bees but with them swarming all around me, image stabilization would have been useful to help steady the image 🙂  My daughter and I have both had a lot of fun using this particular lens.

Rodger

[kvbarkley]

The EF-S 60mm macro is an excellent value. You can get a refurbished one from Canon for $380:

[jesbroken]

Wow. Great photo's Rodger. Thanks for sharing. BTW, what flower are those?

Jim

[wq9nsc]

Jim,

Those are Moss roses, very attractive to bees and extremely easy to grow.

Looking forward to seeing some coin photography from you!

Rodger