INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING
THE AXIAL LIGHTING KIT FOR MACRO & COIN PHOTOGRAPHY

AXIAL LIGHT KIT - PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING FOR COIN PHOTOGRAPHY SALES ONLINE

If you have questions, email them to papertiq@bellsouth.net

Axial lighting provides a light that appears to come through the lens of the camera. Axial lighting gives superb results when photographing coins which cannot be achieved by other lighting methods. Other methods can be used, but professional coin photographers prefer axial lighting.

NOTE: THIS AXIAL KIT PROVIDES THE LIGHTING ONLY!!!
THE SIZE AND QUALITY OF THE COIN IMAGE IS DEPENDENT UPON YOUR CAMERA & LENS.
This is a home made kit. I do not provide any guarantee or warranty on the parts supplied or results you will get.
I am only providing the axial kit, instructions and tips that photographers use to professionally photograph coins.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN YOUR KIT:

1 - PROFESSIONALLY WELDED ALUMINUM AXIAL LIGHT BOX THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME DESIGNED WITH PRECISE ANGLES FOR ACCURATE LIGHTING
2 - LIGHT TUBE THAT FOCUSES THE LIGHT INTO THE AXIAL LIGHT BOX
3 - A BUBBLE LEVEL TO HELP LEVEL YOUR CAMERA OVER THE COIN
4 - PRE-CUT SELF-STICK VELVET FLOCK TO LINE THE INSIDE OF THE AXIAL LIGHT BOX (flat black paint will also work)
5 - HIGH TEMPURATURE TAPE TO TAPE THE LIGHT TUBE TO THE LAMP CONE
6 - LINK TO A FREE, POWERFUL EASY TO USE IMAGE EDITING/VIEWING PROGRAM (XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.x and Windows 10 ONLY, MAC NOT SUPPORTED)

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUPPLY:

• A SUITABLE CAMERA
• 8" x 10" CLEAR GLASS PANE (8x10 picture frame at a local dollar store) For better image quality purchase HD glass used in quality picture frames.
• 5.5" CONE CLIP LAMP FOR A STANDARD BULB (available at most hardware stores or online under $10)
• 100 watt INCANDESCENT BULB
• TAPE TO WRAP THE EDGES OF THE 8 x 10 GLASS PANE (masking tape is fine)
• BLACK POSTER BOARD OR A BLACK CLOTH TO HANG IN FRONT OF THE LIGHT SETUP TO PREVENT REFLECTIONS ONTO THE GLASS
• A 3" STRIP OF CARDBOARD TO PLACE BETWEEN THE LIGHT AND AXIAL LIGHT BOX TO BLOCK THE LIGHT FROM CASTING A SHADOW ACROSS THE COIN
• AN IMAGE EDITING / VIEWING PROGRAM TO CROP, STRAIGHTEN, ADJUST & RESIZE YOUR PHOTOS.
• IF YOU NEED, DOWNLOAD "FASTSTONE IMAGE VIEW & EDITOR" FOR FREE. (XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.x and Windows 10 ONLY, MAC NOT SUPPORTED). This is the fastest and easiest to use image editor I have found and use it myself to edit all my ebay images.

Preparing your Axial Lighting Kit for use. Unpack your Axial Lighting Kit.

Trim pre-cut black self stick black flock if needed for an exact fit. Carefully apply the pre-cut self stick black flock inside the aluminum frame.

This 5.5" Clip Light is available from Lowes, Home Depot & Amazon.
It must be 5.5" size to match the Light Tube.

Insert a 100 watt incandescent bulb into the clip lamp and test it. Make sure you are using a working bulb. A 150 watt bulb tends to get a little to hot and is not necessary as the 100 watt bulb provides sufficient light.

Purchase an 8"x10" picture frame for it's glass. Tape the edges tor safe handling.
For better image quality purchase HD glass used in quality picture frames.

Tape the rough edge of the light tube to the clip light cone, making sure to align it properly. I supply 2 strips of heat resistant tape which helps hold fast when the light cone gets warm. If you need more I suggest using a heat resistant tape like 3M High-Temperature Flue Tape, 1 1/2 in x 5 yd, Silver, or another brand, which can be purchased online from Walmart or Amazon for under $10. Safe use of this kit is your responsibility.

Cut a 2 " by 10" cardboard strip to use between the Light Tube and the opening of the Axial Light Frame. This is important and must be used to prevent the light casting a shadow across the coin, we only want the light reflected from the glass to illuminate the coin.

Place a strip of stiff cardboard in the clip and adjust the clip and cardboard against the surface so that it holds the light tube level and pointed at the opening of the Axial Light Frame.

ELIMINATE REFLECTIONS ON THE GLASS
When shooting the darker the room, the better, you don't want extraneous light sources causing reflections. Also... Attach a black poster sheet to a stiff cardboard of the same size OR flat black spray paint a 24"x30" piece of cardboard OR cover it with black cloth. Stand this cardboard upright about two feet behind the Axial Light Frame to block any reflected light back onto the glass. Reflected light on the glass will show up in the final images and degrade the quality of the photo. You may need to experiment with the distance and adjustment of the cardboard to remove any reflections.

Congratulations, you now have a Professional Axial Lighting Setup for photographing coins.

FAQs: Please read this information thoroughly.

• YOU NEED A SMART PHONE CAMERA, OR DIGITAL CAMERA WITH A LENS THAT WILL FOCUS AT ABOUT 8"-15" ABOVE THE COIN OR CAMERA WITH ZOOM FEATURE TO MAXIMIZE SIZE OF THE COIN IMAGE.
• YOU NEED A CAMERA WITH ADJUSTABLE EXPOSURE COMPENSATION. Because a white background will cause the camera to underexpose and a black background to overexpose so compensation is necessary to insure proper exposure. Read about Exposure Compensation Here
• THE AXIAL KIT PROVIDES THE LIGHTING ONLY!!!
• THE SIZE AND QUALITY OF THE COIN IMAGE IS DEPENDENT UPON YOUR CAMERA AND LENS.
• FYI: SENSOR SIZE MAKES A DIFFERENCE. THE LARGER FOUR THIRDS OR APSC SENSOR WILL ALLOW FOR MUCH BETTER IMAGE QUALITY OVER A POINT & SHOOT WHICH USES 1" SENSOR OR SMALLER AND MOBILE PHONE WHICH USES THE SMALLEST SENSOR SIZE. VIEW THE ARTICLE CAMERA SENSOR SIZES EXPLAINED.

ACCEPTABLE! - A SMART PHONE CAMERA WILL PROVIDE A SMALL SIZE, ACCEPTABLE ONLY COIN IMAGE (Using a Moto G7, a magnifier app and settings adjustments I achieved acceptable results. If a smartphone is all you have, the Axial Lighting Kit can improve your coin images.) The following were shot with a Moto G7 Play Smartphone using a magnifier app with no post processing except for cropping.

BETTER!! - POINT & SHOOT DIGITAL CAMERA WILL PROVIDE GOOD SIZE & QUALITY COIN IMAGES (Recommend 5mp or higher, zoom or macro mode and must have exposure compensation adjustments)

BEST!!! - A QUALITY DSLR WITH A KIT LENS WILL PROVIDE THE GREAT COIN IMAGE RESULTS (A Prime or Macro Lens will additionally improve image results) The following was shot with a 10 year old Pentax K-50 with a 35mm prime lens (equivalent to a 50mm in 35mm format) with no post processing other that cropping and resizing.

Click this link to view an Axial Lighting Tutorial
by a professional photographer Doug Smith with photos of the arrangement and setup.

PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR COIN

I cannot provide training for every smartphone camera, point & shoot camera or dslr camera. I will however give the basic guidelines that will help you get the best possible coin images with the camera you have. You will need to become proficient using the camera you have and adjusting it's settings.

THE BASICS

Use a white or black background under the coin according to your preference. A white background will cause underexposure and a black background will cause overexposure so exposure compensation is necessary for proper exposure. Read about Exposure Compensation Here Simply adjust and set the Exposure Compensation + or - (shutter speed or aperture) to get the correct exposure. Make a note of all your settings for future use.

We are using an Incandescent light source, also called Tungsten or Indoor lighting in your camera settings. If Auto White Balance works well for you, fine or you can manually set the White Balance to Incandescent setting in your camera. White Balance is necessary to get the best color rendition of your coin. Important! Since we are using tungsten lighting, make sure to not allow other light sources to interfere, like fluorescent lights from the next room, or light from a window. Turn off the fluorescent lights and pull the shade to block the daylight. These other light sources will throw off your white balance. Other extraneous lights in the room may also allow unwanted reflections on the Axial Glass Panel, so turn off all the other lights in the room, the darker the room, the better.

Since we are shooting our pictures hand held, to overcome camera shake, use an ISO of 800 which allows for a high enough shutter speed to overcome minor camera shake. We always want to hold the camera as still as possible anyway to get the sharpest image. A lower ISO number will lower the Shutter Speed and may introduce camera shake. A higher ISO may introduce unwanted grain or noise into the final image. But ultimately go with what works for you and your camera. My camera settings are usually 1/125 shutter speed, an aperture of f5.6 at ISO 800.

Most cameras also allow a choice for different "Image Profiles" like Neutral, Standard, Vivid and so on. Choose the profile that produces the most natural result so you don't get a flat looking image or an unrealistic looking over saturated image.

Always use the camera screen and not the viewfinder. It is easier to hold the camera still and compose the image along with using the provided Bubble Level on the view screen. Using the bubble level assures that your Image Sensor is on a level plane with the coin.

Get as close to the coin as your camera will allow and still focus, use the zoom if that helps. 12" to 16 " is average for most cameras, closer for cameras with macro lens. Align the coin properly so you do not have to rotate the image much later (Fine image rotation adjustment can be easily done in Faststone Image Viewer). Choose spot or center weighted focusing on the coin.

Photograph using the highest MP and Image Size your camera will allow. This will give the largest sized final image of your coin after cropping. Ebay allows upload of up to 7MP image size, so there is plenty of leeway even if you shoot at 24MP and 6000x4000 ratio.

Practice and experiment with your camera settings till you get the results you want. Record you settings for reference and dupication every time you photograph coins using your Axial Light Kit.

Please view this tutorial for using Axial Lighting by a professional photographer Doug Smith
with photos of the arrangement and setup.

USING A SMART PHONE CAMERA:
Every phone camera has different capabilities and settings. Using a Moto G7, a magnifier app and settings adjustments I achieved acceptable results. I tried without the magnifier app and could not get a good close-up image. Using the app allowed me to zoom in appropriately while adjusting the Exposure and White Balance in real time before tapping the shutter icon. Experiment to see what works best for you and your phone camera. Some of the new Android or iPhones will give very good results allowing zoom, color balance and exposure compensation.

USING A POINT & SHOOT CAMERA
Go to settings and set the ISO to 800 if you are able, set the White Balance to Tungsten or Indoor. Then after a test shot, adjust the Exposure Compensation + or - as needed till you get a properly exposed image. Experiment to see what works best for you and your camera.

USING A DSLR OR MIRROR-LESS CAMERA
Set the camera to Manual Shooting Mode. Choose the Image Profile that will give the most realistic results, usually Natural or Standard. Place a white paper inside the Axial Light Box, turn on the light and according to your camera instructions, set your Manual White Balance according to the User Instructions. Set your ISO to 800, Shutter Speed to 125 and Aperture to F4 to start. Take a test shot and adjust the Aperture up or down till you get the best exposure. Make sure to keep the Shutter Speed as high as possible to reduce camera shake. Some cameras have Shake Reduction. Experiment to see what works best for you and your camera. Remember to use the bubble level on the view screen so your camera sensor is level with the surface of the coin.

Most DSLR or Mirror-less cameras come with a kit lens like an 18-55mm or 14-45mm zoom which have limitations, but will provide a moderately sharp image. Avoid wide angle lens shots, if you are using a kit lens, adjust the zoom to a 50mm equivalent on a 35mm. For instance using a DSLR with a 1.5 crop factor, adjusting your zoom to 35mm will give a 50mm equivalent. There is an in camera adjustment for sharpening which can also improve clarity of the image along with post processing adjustments.

A Prime / Standard lens that gives you a 50mm equivalent will usually provide a sharper image over a kit lens. Minimum focusing is usually around 15". Auto-focus Prime lenses are usually inexpensive and will give you the best images for the cost of the lens.

Using a dedicated 1:1 Macro lens will give the best possible image size and sharpness. Do some research and ask some pros about what may work best for your needs if you plan on purchasing an expensive Macro Lens.

NOTE: Truly accurate colors are only available by using a Color Checker software, shooting RAW and using an image program that will process into jpg using the Color Checker software. If the quality of your coins are worth the expense to have accurate color rendition, then this would be your next step to further improve your images. Let me know if you need details.