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Message:: [QUOTE="SuperDave, post: 2551498, member: 1892"]That depends on what you have kicking around to take pictures with. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> However, there are some fundamental ground rules common to all coin imaging, techniques you need to use with every camera be it a smartphone, a point-and-shoot or something more expensive. Thusly: 1) Firm camera mount. You cannot allow the camera to vibrate during the image shooting. This could be as simple as laying an iPhone on a stack of books, lens peeking over the edge, or a tripod, or a dedicated copystand. By far the easiest way to achieve this is to have the camera mounted pointing straight down, on the coin laying on a horizontal surface. 2) Camera lens and coin perfectly square to each other. Coin imagery involves a very small depth of field, and if coin and camera are not nicely parallel, not all of the coin will be in focus. Also, the moment you depart from parallel, perspective distortion - which is pronounced in macro photography - begins misleading the observer as to actual details. 3) Remote or delayed shutter. You cannot be in contact with the camera when the image is triggered. Either use a timer or a remote trigger of some sort. 4) Optimize the distance from the subject. This is far tougher than it may seem, because some cameras cannot be very far from the coin to acquire a pic large enough for evaluation purposes. Some cameras cannot be very close to the coin in order to still achieve focus. Even worse, the closer you get, the more difficult it is to light the subject in a manner that will result in a good pic. Which leads to.... 5) Appropriate lighting for the subject. This, again, might be tougher than it seems. The rules for lighting lustrous silver are different than those for circulated copper, and "whatever you may have laying around" probably won't do the trick. Generally, you want the lighting as close to vertical above the coin's surface as you can manage. 6) There is no "Easy Button." You're going to have to more or less learn photography in order to maximize your results. Those are the basics. Specific techniques differ by camera type, so more accurate information will depend on what you're using to shoot with. Some smartphones, like the aforementioned iPhones, are rather capable coin imagers while others are near-useless. The same applies to point-and-shoots, although they have a wider "sweet spot" for imaging. Generally, the larger the actual imaging sensor in the camera, the larger the "sweet spot." The best photographers use dSLR rigs with dedicated macro lenses, which can be pretty expensive (although it's possible to achieve professional results for well under $500 invested in gear, plus a bunch invested in learning).[/QUOTE]

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