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Now this is my kind of thread!

 

One of my favourite Lincolns

 

I am trying to figure out taking photos with my phone. (How do you control the specular reflections?)

It wasn't until I was reviewing the photos that I saw the die scratches on the reverse - especially the long one that disappears under the N in ONE.

 

Just found this trio from 1909.

 

Just bought this one today.

 

Your picture makes me feel better about my raw one, since they both have a granular appearance in the fields.

 

That 1910 s is absolutely stunning!

 

Not sure what to think about this coin.
Anyway I cannot decide A/T or N/T and I've not seen another quite like it. Maybe it fell into a batch of tinting colors.......

 

Top Pop.

A little bit of diffusion (very little in your case) would help. A slip of near-transparent tracing paper or something similar over the lighting will help cut the hotspots without losing the inference of luster. White balance could use a bit of help in that image, as well.

You can also help it in postprocessing. It's possible to bring up darker areas without affecting areas already brightly-lit (same original image):





It's also possible to help correct deficiencies in the original image. Yours seems to have been lit with lights of two different color temperatures, making color correction pretty difficult, but some success could be had:

 

Thank you so much!

You nailed it on the lighting. I have two desk lamps but two different bulb types.

I need to track down the little gooseneck lamps I saw on another thread, so I can control the distance, angle, and white balance. I knew it was a little too red but much, much better than all my previous attempts.

I am giving up some resolution by using an iPhone but that's no reason to settle for poor lighting or color. Once I nail the settings I have about 200 cents to shoot.

I am aspiring to your standards!!

 

The lamps (if they're the ones I'm thinking of, the ones I use) are Jansjos, available at Ikea for $10. They're a loss-leader for them. You can get them for $20 at Amazon, as well. Fair warning: the switches aren't of the greatest of quality; you'll likely have to replace them down the line. Mine only lasted about two years. Those two differing color temperatures freak out the phone's white balance adjustment - it doesn't know which way to correct, nor can it correct for both at once anyway - and it's a problem for the best pf dSLR's too.

You have not maximized the capabilities of an iPhone for coins yet. They're good at this.

I believe you're too close to the coin for best focus. I don't expect an iPhone to be able to create a sharp image of a Cent at 1900 pixels in diameter - the size of your original - nor do you need it that large for posting online. Try backing off a bit and see if you can achieve sharper focus. Your phone is capable of it.

 

MS-64RB

 

I was wondering who picked this one up! Incredible color.

 

I like my light, it has a lot of flexibility and was only like $30.I think I got it at Lowes or Home Depot.

 

I like that the color temperature is labeled. That should simplify setting the right white balance. The ones @SuperDave mentioned also have the color temperature right on their web page. I ordered two of them; seems like there used to be IKEA everywhere, but I've paid $20 for the two lights and another $10 to have them sent.

I also love all the coin rolls in the background! I think it makes all of us want to open them up and see what's there!

 

A custom white balance setting is accomplished simply by taking a picture of a white (or 18% grey as pro photographers do) card under the exact lighting you'll use for the image, and telling the camera "this is the color to balance." You don't need to know the specific color temperature in Kelvin; only the highest of high-end dSLR's allow specific Kelvin settings. For an iPhone, I don't believe Apple's Camera app allows Custom white balance but there are aftermarket apps which do.

Me, I shoot a small stack of printer paper for white balance, when I bother. My camera's Tungsten setting pretty much corrects Jansjos properly, although sometimes the reverse of Morgans comes out yellower than the obverse. Still haven't figured that one out.