I REALLY loved everyone's shared pics from their collections. My question is: How does one go about a Basic Setup to do this without being to complicated...you know, Coin Imaging for Dummies? My skills don't extend beyond the vintage Polaroid-instant and current Nikon Coolpix.
I am like you. My photography skills ended when disposable cameras went out of fashion. But if you have a smart phone even dummies like me can take forum acceptable photos. Like Sal said above. Just a way to rest your phone so it will remain still and you too can have photos like these!
For a more technical approach, although a smart phone might be adequate for your needs, check out the website of member Doug Smith here ; https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/
As stated, use a can or coffee mug for support, have at least two light sources at 10 and 2 o'clock. Use a background that is sympathetic with the coin metal finish. Set the timer on the cam phone to two seconds to avoid any camera shake. Instead of zooming in to the coin, raise the coin on something until it fills the screen to avoid slight pixelation. Experiment with lights, for example brightness, distance and position.
If you don't have access to a fancy digital camera - remember, you probably have one in your pocket. Cell phone cameras take pretty dang good pictures. If you use it plus something like @SensibleSal66 showed, you can take pretty good pictures. These were taken by me with my iphone6. They were held in my hand though so there is a bit of blur. I just used natural sunlight so I didn't need the fancy cup and extra envelope lol.
Watch this video. It's 10 years old, but is geared toward your desire to make half-way decent pictures and not spend much money. You can ignore the discussion about specific camera models near the end. https://archive.org/details/FUN11010
I tried some of the methods described here but am terrible at stacking tin cans. I have setup that costs about $50 total. I don't get publication quality, but I think my photos are good enough for showing the details I am after. I have a USB Microscope mounted to a post that has a rack and pinion to make minute adjustments. It is feed directly to my desk top monitor. Here is a photo of my set up. The Morgan Dollar is on the platform below the USB Microscope and the coin is displayed on my monitor.
My microscope setup is similar. But just for example purposes, this was set up in about 10 seconds. I didn't bother with correct lighting as this is just for info. The phone is on a plastic pot and without any zooming a silver dollar fits the screen. After cropping the image and choosing full image in your post you are ready to post.
@expat I know the phone photos work very well. But I can't take a picture of a horse with one, let alone a coin. I have tried.
It is not for everyone. You have a system that works absolutely fine, as the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.
This is absolutely wonderful advice and tips...Thank You!! I have a Android phone camera I use for work images in the landscape...with likely the longest learning curve known-to-man. Big fingers and techy-handicapped is my middle name BUT this is a good project to work on over winter down-season.
They actually make a little tripod for cell phones that I used before I got a camera. Get 2 lights at 10 and 2. I use an old CD holder with a sunglasses polishing rag (black) with a slit to fit over the spindle with a felt dot on top to balance the coin. This is important as it helps your camera focus on the surface of the coin and not the background such as the table. Use the self portrait timer so you are not touching the coin or the phone/ camera when the shutter snaps. Use your camera app to rotate and crop to the edges. Focus and lighting are your main issues to overcome. Always post full images here.
Enough lighting and position of that lighting is key. Just about any device can be set to AWB (auto white balance) to take out the blue or yellow hues depending on the light source. Once that's set the key is just getting the right amount of light on the subject matter, usually at a high angle. And the ability to use a camera to capture the image without casting a shadow or getting glare. I use a copy stand with 4 standard LED bulbs. I rarely use all 4 bulbs anymore as I've learned a lot of coins can have too much light on them and get washed out. You're trying to eliminate dark spots and shadow areas without washing it out and losing detail. Oh and did I mention auto white balance? Use it.
The lighting can really make a difference. This DCAM proof coin has hazy fields, and looks totally different depending on light position and angles as above.