Comparison of Macro Photos from Cameras & Magnifiers

[DPS Ammonite]

Several posts have mentioned equipment and ways to take up-close macro photos of fossils. This post was created to help people decide what cameras and magnifying lens/ magnifiers to use to photograph their fossils. I encourage everyone who has recommended a camera with or without addition lenses and magnifiers to take pictures of part of the micro printing on a crisp US $20 bill. The micro print is 1/100 of an inch high. Photograph the right most "20 USA" in the lower left front part (and below "Treasurer of the United States") from a US $20 bill. Crop the photo and use the highest pixel count for posting the photo. Tell us what camera you used, the settings, techniques and what addition magnifiers you used. Try small hand lenses, hand held magnifying lenses and microscopes. I would like to see what iPhones and other phones with and without attachable lenses can do. I would also like to see what compact and larger dslr cameras can do. Also, let's see what the newer USB cameras can do. Use macro setting on the cameras.

This is a useful collaborative project to help everyone select equipment to take better up-close photographs.

Here are some of my photos. I used a compact digital Panasonic DMC-ZS40 camera using the "Program AE" and "Macro Zoom" settings. I took the second photo by getting as close as I could to the bill, 0.1 feet. The third photo was taken with the same camera and setting through a 10 power Hastings Triplex hand lens. The quality is a little better. The best quality photo, the first, was obtained by placing the camera against the objective lens of a 50 power binocular microscope.

Let's see what kind of photos everybody can make.

Edited August 12, 2016 by DPS Ammonite

[snolly50]

This is a great idea and useful exercise. However, your 2nd two images don't enlarge so it's had to compare them with the first.

If I can scare up 20 bux, I'd like to try several approaches tomorrow.

[DPS Ammonite]

This is a great idea and useful exercise. However, your 2nd two images don't enlarge so it's had to compare them with the first.

If I can scare up 20 bux, I'd like to try several approaches tomorrow.

I could not fix the enlargement issue. I think that it has to do with the fact that the last two images were severely cropped and the first one taken through the microscope was not cropped severely.

Edited August 12, 2016 by DPS Ammonite

[Ridgehiker]

You'll have to send us all an American $20 bill to try out on.

[DPS Ammonite]

You'll have to send us all an American $20 bill to try out on.

We would be more than happy if you took a picture (and posted it) of a similarly sized (1/100 inch) feature of one of your American bills with the Queen's image on it that circulates in Canada.

Semi-rhetorical question: Does anyone find it odd that people from the USA are called “Americans” when Canada, Mexico, Brazil etc. are also part of the Americas? Aren’t we all Americans?

[richardpierson]

Iphone 6, 3.5 inches away 8 zoom level. resized down to 490 pixles using paiint and cropped.

[Sylvestersen]

super idea
But just like Canadawest, we are a bit short of 20$ bills here in Denmark. So if we could come up with something for scale, that was available all over the world, it would make this idea of compare photos of the same object universal.

Newspaper, paper fibre and the letter K - 2,5mm*2,5mm

Same Photo as above - cropped

crystals of tablesalt

All photose taken with a Olympus Stylus TG-3

Edited August 12, 2016 by Sylvestersen

[Raggedy Man]

You'll have to send us all an American $20 bill to try out on.

I hear that!!

[CraigHyatt]

I encourage everyone who has recommended a camera with or without addition lenses and magnifiers to take pictures of part of the micro printing on a crisp US $20 bill.

My wife won't let me have $20 all at once. I just blow it all on sausage biscuits. Would a closeup of a sausage biscuit be OK?

[CraigHyatt]

Here's an iPhone cropped, Pentax macro mode, and 6x magnifier. Probably not all in focus, but you get the idea. I set the quality (compression level) to around 70/100. I like to keep uploads at around 200 to 300K range.

iPhone cropped

Pentax macro mode

Hand lens 6x

Equipment

[snolly50]

I was able to "acquire" a twenty - the snollywife will be none the wiser.

Here are images made with a point and shoot Nikon in Macro mode. This is an older model Coolpix S6300 I bought used, online for $100. It is great for casual shots, as a pocket carry along. It is also great for close ups of bugs and flowers. It will do a pretty credible job on close ups of fossils of 1/2" or larger. For the present challenge I don't think it is that impressive.

The first shot is the image from the camera cropped all round by about 50%. The shot was taken with the lens as close to the bill as its focus capacity would allow, no zoom applied. This image displays nice detail and would make an very acceptable image of a fossil in this size range.

The second image is extremely cropped to approximate the challenge images. This small file is less than 50kb. This result is much less impressive and the image ended with the small display size evidenced in DPS Ammonite's two images. I can't say i would recommend this Nikon for attempts at photographing objects as small as the 20's microprint.

[JohnBrewer]

And you can use cheap flatbed scanners for macro work if it's fairly flat background was cleaned using Photoshop but would work well using the free 'Photoshop' - GIMP.

@snolly I was able to "acquire" a twenty - the snollywife will be none the wiser.

[JohnBrewer]

Just incase you're worried about typing GIMP in a search engine here's the link https://www.gimp.org

[JohnBrewer]

You'll have to send us all an American $20 bill to try out on.

Yep

[CraigHyatt]

Here is a comparison using an HP LaserJet Pro MFP-M127fw at several resolution settings. It looks to me like setting higher resolution isn't so useful, as the results are swamped by image compression. I deliberately used something 3D because I wanted to see the depth of field.

At 300 dpi

At 600 dpi

At 1200 dpi

Equipment

[Ridgehiker]

HP Scanner purchased for $10 ( 10 Loonies) at thrift store. Low resolution.

[CraigHyatt]

HP Scanner purchased for $10 ( 10 Loonies) at thrift store. Low resolution.

I'm starting to think a scanner is the way to go, at least for photographing at home. Good illumination, good focus and depth of field, good color accuracy, minimal distortion.

Those are very nice shots. I got the scanner combo with a printer for the versatility, but I almost forgot I *had* a scanner. ;-)

Edited August 12, 2016 by CraigHyatt

[Ridgehiker]

We would be more than happy if you took a picture (and posted it) of a similarly sized (1/100 inch) feature of one of your American bills with the Queen's image on it that circulates in Canada.

Semi-rhetorical question: Does anyone find it odd that people from the USA are called Americans when Canada, Mexico, Brazil etc. are also part of the Americas? Arent we all Americans?

$20 Canadian.

[Ridgehiker]

I'm starting to think a scanner is the way to go, at least for photographing at home. Good illumination, good focus and depth of field, good color accuracy, minimal distortion.

Those are very nice shots. I got the scanner combo with a printer for the versatility, but I almost forgot I *had* a scanner. ;-)

Unlike yourself i'm not a techy guy ( an understatement). However, my experience. Many of the thinscan type scanners do not do 3d. I use an older HP scanner from about the year 2000...the models were 5000 and 5050. You lift the lid, place the fossil on the glass and cover with a white box ..like a thin jewellry box or similar cardboard container. A white bowl might do the same. Take a photo then just crop.

Others will have their own regimen.

[JohnBrewer]

Unlike yourself i'm not a techy guy ( an understatement). However, my experience. Many of the thinscan type scanners do not do 3d. I use an older HP scanner from about the year 2000...the models were 5000 and 5050. You lift the lid, place the fossil on the glass and cover with a white box ..like a thin jewellry box or similar cardboard container. A white bowl might do the same. Take a photo then just crop.

Others will have their own regimen.

I like the white box idea. Btw Canadian $20 look much nicer than USA one. 'ducks head'......

[JohnBrewer]

Here is a comparison using an HP LaserJet Pro MFP-M127fw at several resolution settings. It looks to me like setting higher resolution isn't so useful, as the results are swamped by image compression. I deliberately used something 3D because I wanted to see the depth of field.

At 300 dpi

turtle_300.jpg

At 600 dpi

turtle_600.jpg

At 1200 dpi

turtle_1200.jpg

Equipment

HNMW6973.JPG

Hi res is really useful for good detail with a scanner and manipulation afterwards in imaging software. You can always shrink the image down afterwards. Look at the file size of my tooth image.

[JohnBrewer]

Here is a comparison using an HP LaserJet Pro MFP-M127fw at several resolution settings. It looks to me like setting higher resolution isn't so useful, as the results are swamped by image compression. I deliberately used something 3D because I wanted to see the depth of field.

At 300 dpi

turtle_300.jpg

At 600 dpi

turtle_600.jpg

At 1200 dpi

turtle_1200.jpg

Equipment

HNMW6973.JPG

You need a cheaper scanner Craig

[CraigHyatt]

You need a cheaper scanner Craig

I know! His sharks teeth look like Glamor Shots, and my turtle looks like 2005 flip phone. :-(

Edit: I just saw Canadawest's tip above. I *literally* need a cheaper or at least older scanner. How interesting!

Edited August 12, 2016 by CraigHyatt

[Ridgehiker]

I know! His sharks teeth look like Glamor Shots, and my turtle looks like 2005 flip phone. :-(

Edit: I just saw Canadawest's tip above. I *literally* need a cheaper or at least older scanner. How interesting!

I used the term '3d'. Now that I read subsequent posts that should be 'depth of field'.

Another issue someone else might answer is about the software needed to run an older scanner. I use Microsoft ME on an old desk top but know zip about if any recent computers are compatable with old scanners. My computer training started and ended with keypunch cards.

[tmaier]

My wife won't let me have $20 all at once. I just blow it all on sausage biscuits. Would a closeup of a sausage biscuit be OK?

When I got divorced, my wife took all the $20 bills with her, and left me the loose change. I'll have to use pennies for this.