Photo of coins for ebay

[farmerdave]

My new (used) Canon pwrshot S200 is loaded with features I'm not sure how to make the most of.
My first project is to make some photos of silver coins to be sold on ebay.
What would be the best camera settings and how should the shots be set up? I need some help with proper lighting, background etc.
Appreciate the help.

[flugelboy]

Here is a shot that I took with the Canon S1 IS. I know it's not the same camera, but you should be able to get similar results.

http://www.chadwhite.com/Portals/0/TTTGallery/Favorites/IMG_0253.jpg

Believe it or not, this was on the Auto setting. My cam doesn't have a 'macro' setting, but if yours does you should try using it to get the best detail. My camera lens was about 5cm away from the coin.

The lighting I used was just natural light through a window. If I were to change something, I would have used a darker background for more contrast.

I am by no means a professional, but I hope this helps a bit. Good luck.

[Persian-Rice]

These might be a little bit extreme, but I think they can help.

http://www.irphotoschool.com/lessons/c5050diamondRing/c5050diamondRing.php

http://www.irphotoschool.com/lessons/e10vault/e10vault.php