Photos for ID

Regulars here know how much I hate cell phone cameras BUT the fact is that many people want to show a coin here and have no better option. I decided to see if I could make a usable image for asking CT help using my Samsung phone, a juice glass for a 'tripod' an only the light that was in the room (kitchen here). All settings were left on the defaults. All phones are different. This is what I got. I prefer black backgrounds but many like white. Bright white backgrounds can fool auto exposure routines to make dark coins too dark. I suggest that those who prefer white include a bit of black as shown here so the camera will think it is seeing gray and not make the coin black. Most cameras will allow manual control of exposure but tricking it in this way is easier. Of course I would prefer that everyone crop out all the extra (non coin) space and, unlike me here. be sure to show an image of both sides. This is a lousy photo hyped up by the phone manufacturer's poor default settings and microscopic sensor. It was not postprocessed other than combining and cropping. Still it is good enough to allow ID of the coin.


I will continue to prefer coin photos made with a real camera.


Is there anything our regular phone users can suggest to help those who want to photograph their coins for Coin Talk use without scaring them of with complex technical matters?

 

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For me it's a matter of focus. In the early days of using my google pixel phone about 1 1/2 years ago I routinely was too close to the coins to get a proper image. I thought that if I were closer than the base image of the coin would be larger. Since, I have discovered that it is better to hold the camera back from the coin and snap a smaller image. This will be clearer. Then, when you go to crop the image in whatever ap/program you are using you can greatly expand the image and still have it emerge with sharp focus.

I use google photos to crop and format the coins. I use a white background but I'll will try to start using black for the reasons Doug has enumerated. I have had on occasion coins with dark patinas emerging too dark for the liking of the forum members. Also, the phone seems to take high quality pics of silver coins more frequently than bronze. I may graduate to getting a "real" camera in the future, though the pixel was advertised as taking the best pictures of any phone upon its release two years ago. Here is a sample of what the phone can do on a humble roach.

 

Quite good, ACH, but I would like it more if the light came from the other direction, illuminating GIII's face.

 

Doug, I have an android phone too, a Samsung Galaxy S9+. It is quite sensitive to focal distance. I use the lid of a 2x2 coin box. Even then, the image needs a very little "unsharp mask."

 

This photo was taken with a cell phone 4 years ago. it just goes to show you that you can take decent photos with a cell phone provided you have decent outdoor light and a little bit of patience.



And this image of a mostly uncleaned Victoriatus what's taken with another cell phone 3 years ago.

 

I bought a Google Pixel 3a in May and I really love the camera on it. It’s considered, at the time of writing, the best on the market, even over the $1000 iphones.

I was going to mention it when I posted the Tetradrachm below, but figured most here don’t care.

But this was one of the first coins I took with it & was happy with the results.

Maybe it might work for others, but using “portrait mode” zooms in pretty close since it doesn’t do macro mode.

It also had optical image stabilization too.

I was happy with the results.


Nero (54 - 68 A.D.)
Egypt, Alexandria
Billon Tetradrachm
O: NEΡΩ KΛAY KAIS SEBA GEP AVTO, laureate head right.
R: NEO AGAQ DAIM, Agathodaemon serpent, coiled with head up, holding poppies and grain ears, L ς (date) to left. Year 6.
23mm
13.11g
Milne 203; Emmett 106.6 (R4) ; RPC 5260

The Agathodaemon was a good spirit/demon that was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians.
He had the shape of a serpent with a human head.
The Greek inscription on the reverse of this coin shows that this is the "neo" or "new" agathodaemon serpent, or, in other words, the new good spirit (of rule by Nero).

 

More phone coin photography tips:

1. Don't zoom unless your camera phone has an optical zoom, otherwise it's just digital and does nothing to help clarity.

2. Don't get too close or the phone won't focus. I think this is likely the #1 problem when people post out-of-focus camera phone shots or any camera shots. Crop all the blank space later, either on your phone or with some other app/software/website.

3. Focus. I have an iPhone and don't know how other phones work, but with iPhones you just touch the screen where you want the camera to focus. Sometimes that can also overcome the problem of a white background.

4. Clean the pizza grease off your camera lens before starting .

 

I'm going to try this!

 

When I began using images as part of my cataloging, I used sellers images since I am a terrible photographer. I'm still terrible, but I prefer my images over most seller's images. I also prefer the black background because it focus' the eye on the object of the photograph (the coin).

Seller's image


My image

 

There are several varieties of these about, I bought one like this for 2.99 in a dollar store as the magnification allows it to fill the screen optically, not software faking . Jim

https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Macro-magnification-closeup-pictures-smartphone/dp/B00BQ3ECLS

 

Some Pictures i took with an Iphone 6 with no editing other than cropping




+ here is my photo set up

 

Those are fantastic!!

 

Best I could do with a note 9. My lighting is also not ideal.

 

I have a Note 9 and cannot seem to take good coin photos with the default settings. The defaults (maybe image stabilization?) routinely give coin surfaces a "melted" appearance that are nothing like the coins in hand. I've not figured-out how to eliminate this problem, though I suspect it's some simple setting.

 

For that photo I selected the 3:4 ratio 8mp option and was a 8 inches away from the coin. Live focus does not work close up.

 

Great examples everyone. And I've learned a lot. Thank You.

 

I'm too old for all this. In my day, phones were phones and cameras were cameras, and that's the way I like it.

Of course, also in my day, men were men, women were women, dogs were dogs and cats were pussycats!

 

I'm old enough to identify with ya!

 

I love cell phone photos - especially on eBay auctions. Many times the image quality is poor so that nice coins go really cheap. Scanners generally make a pretty bad image too.

Here is a Trebonianus Gallus I recently got for $8. Seller photo (or possibly scan):



My photo, in natural light, using an elderly Sony Cyber-shot:



At least I think mine is an improvement? My photo skills aren't great, but this photo looks more like the coin does in hand.

Trajan Decius Antoninianus
(c. 250-251 A.D.)
Rome mint
IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right / GENIVS
EXERC ILLVRICIANI, Genius, standing with patera and cornucopiae; standard in rt. field.
RIC 16c; RSC 49; Sear 9374.
(4.50 grams / 22 x 19 mm)

 

Here's my setup. I use an Iphone.