Trying the coin picture thing...gtg

Your "Incandescent" setting likely works for the circumstances of the above pics - that yellowish cast is usually an artifact of Tungsten lighting.

Camera and coin square and level, usually accomplished by mounting the camera vertically looking down on the coin on a flat surface. A $20 Best Buy tripod placed over the corner of a table will do the trick. You can place a small mirror where the coin will sit, and arrange the camera so its' lens is in the center of the image in the viewfinder. That squares the camera to the subject.

Delay or remote the shutter, so you're not in contact with the camera when the shutter snaps.

Aside White Balance setting, all color correction should be done in postprocessing rather than in-camera. Cameras have nowhere near the processing power of computers, and PC graphics software is far more capable. It is always preferable to utilize Custom White Balance settings if you have the capability.

 

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What should the white balance be sit too.

 

If you're doing a custom white balance, you follow a procedure of shooting a piece of white paper under the lighting you're using for the coin shots, and telling the camera to set the white balance based on that piece of paper.

If you're using one of the canned settings like Incandescent, Fluorescent, Daylight, Cloudy, etc, you set it to the type of lighting you have. Typically this would be Incandescent or Fluorescent. That's a bit less accurate, because of those light bulbs come in various colors, and your camera will just have a preset for one (presumably average) color.

 

Thank you for the reply and info
Mike

 

The flash pictures represent the luster, the no flash pics represent the coins color a bit better. No question its RB

 

And here it is........















Along with the 1916D merc, Morgan, and 45s merc, I bought all these in a collection from a guy that basically sold me everything he accumulated within a 5yr span. I also got a partial Unc franklin set, complete merc set and a jefferson nickel set that looks like circulation pulls. This one stood out, in my eyes this was a ms65 coin. Either way I think I did good, he threw it in for 10 bucks. I cracked it out immediately and put it in an album to let the cardboard work on it over some time. Thank you guys for all your replies, I definitely learned about my camera. Now, off to grab a tripod from bestbuy!

 

Are all 3 photos of the Obverse the same coin?

 

Nothing about that coin screams questionable color to me, but I haven't seen it in hand either.

 

Yes, just in different lighting.

 

I was afraid they were. The problems occurring are more than the WB. There appears to be some form of distortion with the detail. I am sure part of the problem is shooting this through the plastic. Please look at the third obverse photo the @ both the ribbon Diamond Area. Notice the slight photo variations, in detail I first was drawn to this while zooming into the L (Longacer's ) and Diamonds on Ribbon.
As far as what to do I be watching this forum's expert comments.

 

I think the images are not quite square to the camera, and it's possible the slab is preventing the camera from autofocusing properly. That's a problem for many cameras.

 

I don't see anything about that coin that looks like questionable color. It looks lustrous, and typical of problem-free UNC coins from that era.

 

To me this coin looks as a R/B MS64-65 coin. If I were wanting to photo this coin for possible trade/sale/insurance issues I would want to see better photos to avoid possible future conflicts. Color of this coin is a true point of contention as it has been noted by PCGS. I can fully identify with ThinnPikkins desire for a good setup to photo his coins. Been there myself and have not yet found the correct a solution to fit my wallet and abilities

 

I'm thinking a hint at the artificial color can be found at the border between but and field on the obverse, especially at the lower feathers and back of the neck. The reverse has me wondering with those darker patches, as well.

 

I had already cracked the coin out of the holder prior to taking pictures, i just left it in the ring it sits in

 

Hmmm... I don't see why they called it QC from your pictures....

In hand, does it have a bluish cast? In the pictures, it looks like your typical RB woodgrained pattern. However, if it looks bluish in hand, PCGS may have called it QC because they thought it was MS-70'd.

 

That's what I need! I left mine back up north. Been going to local thrift shops to see if I could pick one up 'on the cheap'but so far, no luck. I might have to hit the Walmart...........

 

Without correct White Balance we can't form any opinions at all about color. I tried playing with these a bit in Gimp, and the WB is out of whack in more than one hue, meaning I couldn't adjust the color to "correct" without seeing the coin in hand.