Which Images do You like Better?

Which of the two sets of images do you like better, and why? They both show the coin well, but have a very different style and highlight very different aspects of the coin (and were, of course, taken by different photographers).

While we're at it, give a shot at the grade. No cheating

 

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The one that most closely resembles the coin in hand. Of the two the top one. It appears to be a little liter than the second.

 

Top set for me. AU55?

 

Tops

 

I think the bottom one is over-contrasted. I get the impression that I'm losing detail both in the highlights and the shadows.

 

I feel like the bottom set hides parts of the county's surfaces but is probably closer to what it looks like without tilting it to bring out the color. Grade...AU58.

 

Although I prefer the first set from a technical standpoint, the second set presents the coin more artistically and represents a different style of photography. EXIF data is still present, so I know both were done with excellent equipment although the first set of images were done at some odd exposure parameters - f/5 and 1/800. One would expect a 100mm Macro lens to be shot at f/8 for appropriate depth of field, and 1/800 means there's a ton more light in use than really necessary, especially when shooting through a slab.

Can't argue with success, though. They're terrific images.

 

Top set... way too much light in the bottom

 

I took the top set of pictures. I don't really worry about calculating what is the correct exposure: I play with it until I get something I like.

I'll try some future shots at f/8 and see what I get.

 

I'd say the top images are the better ones. They were lit with multiple lights versus the bottom images which was a single light source. Not sure why they photographer lit the obverse from below and the reverse from the left on that second set.

@physics-fan3.14 Don't go to f8. I'm not sure how much of your frame your filling, but if it's close to filling it, then the magnification your working with is actually increasing the effective aperture. The settings on your camera might be f5 but when you are at a 1:1 magnification your effective aperture is closer to f11. If you set your lens aperture to f8 and shoot at a magnification of 1:1 then your effective aperture is actually f16. At that point you will be introducing a lot more distortion from diffraction than you'll gain with increased depth of field.

On smaller coins such as dimes and half dimes, I'll shoot with an aperture of f4 - f5.6 and take two shots. The first shot is focused at the top most surface of the coin and the second shot is focused at the fields of the coin. I then use Photoshop to merge the two exposures to create a focus stacked image. The end result is superior to increasing your aperture and introducing diffraction.

Long story short, stick to the f4 - f5.6 aperture setting for smaller coins. Larger coins such as Dollars you can go to f8.

 

Here is a focus stacked image of the reverse of a Walking Liberty Half Dollar. The relief is to high for a single exposure. The lens I use is optimal at f5.6, so I shot it at f5.6 with an effective aperture of approximately f8. The first image was focused at the eagle's breast and the second was focused at the field to the left of the eagle. Both exposures were then blended using Photoshop.

 

Top photos look the best and AU58 for me,nice piece!

 

What are you guys seeing that is leading to an AU grade? If that is what you are seeing, then the images aren't showing the coin well, and I need to try again... This coin is very far removed from AU.

 

I like the first set the most. The second set looks to have taken some of the color away. I would go to f/8 as well.

 

It's not my series, but looking at the details and apparent luster, I'd guess MS-64?

 

Those who may not want to spend the money for Photoshop can get a good Freeware Focus Stacking program called CombineZ. Certainly diffraction becomes a problem at a point but few of my coins have detail to support wide apertures. I use stacking for diagonal shots:


While I don't collect moderns, these half dime images all strike me as way too contrasty. The Walking half dollar is a great photo (not at all too contrasty!) making me wonder if I should try more stacking for high relief coins.

 

Top set, no question. Bottom set has too much contrast.
I'll guess 64PL

 

I like the top set and I'm going ms 62 due to the baggy cheek

 

Nice 34 large 5 and larger C, top set looks better.