I have a morgan dollar which I cannot seem to photograph correctly with my cell phone. Will a real camera do better?
Modern cell phones are very good. Play around with setting for the camera such as adjusting white balance etc. It is not normally the phone that is the problem but the lighting and background.
I rely solely on my cell phone any more and most of my coin photos are acceptable. Try using different backgrounds.
Use at least two lights, both with the same type and rating of bulb. Raise the coin from the background surface, I use a bottle cap for larger coins. Support your phone on a coffee mug, soda can etc and try to get as much coin in the viewing window without zooming and without losing any focus. You will need to experiment with distance from coin with phone and lights. Finally set the timer for 2 seconds to eliminate camera shake when pressing the shutter button. Trial and error but it is worth it in the end.
I use a Black background usually. Take Pics similar to this diagram. Adjust the height to get the clearest Pic.
No better way then to spend a grand on a fancy camera with a million indecipherable functions, to take pictures that come out worse, and then scratch your head and wonder why
Try different lighting and maybe use your cell phone a little bit on an angle. I only use my cell phone and I get fairly good pictures. It just takes time and practice.
This is the method I personally use. All of my better coins are professionally photographed, usually by the folks at PCGS or NGC, but occasionally I've hired someone like @messydesk. However, on the stuff that I need to photograph myself, with my phone, the method in that diagram that Sal shared is the way to go. It takes some experimentation, of course. And then there's the lighting...
All of the above are good suggestions, but nothing can replace practice. With digital cameras, you aren't spending any money, so just keep trying and changing the set up and settings.
