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<p>[QUOTE="Gavin Richardson, post: 3999442, member: 83956"]<b>TL;DR: A cheap clip-on macro lens improved my simple iPhone coin photography.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This is a post for people like me who use their cell phone to photograph coins. True photography aficionados should avert their eyes. TIF and Doug Smith should not even be reading this post. It will just depress them. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie3" alt=":(" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie80" alt=":shame:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>I use my iPhone for coin photography and editing. About a year ago, I upgraded to the iPhone X. While the camera was better in many ways, it was actually worse than my iPhone 6 for close-up photography. I saw a set of Godefa cell phone lens attachments on Amazon for about $20 and suggested it offhand as a Christmas gift. Lo and behold, my wife got it for me (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fisheye-Telephoto-Kaleidoscope-Starburst-Compatible/dp/B07DHHXLXF" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.amazon.com/Fisheye-Telephoto-Kaleidoscope-Starburst-Compatible/dp/B07DHHXLXF" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Fisheye-Telephoto-Kaleidoscope-Starburst-Compatible/dp/B07DHHXLXF</a> ). I was skeptical that these cheap attachments would work, but I have been pleased with the 15x macro lens, which is the only one from the set I really use.</p><p><br /></p><p>You just take your iPhone out of its case and clip on the lens. For my purposes, the lens results in better color and detail. Clearly the resolution will not be high enough to meet the standards of many on this board. But if you are a “good enough” coin photographer like me and you have a cell phone, it might be worth the $20 investment if you’d like to try to improve your photos.</p><p><br /></p><p>My set up is strictly lo-fi. An old CD spindle elevates the coin to give it a “floating in space” look. A piece of cloth at the base of the spindle forms the background, which is attractively blurred as the camera focuses on the coin. A styrofoam block elevates the cell phone over the coin. (I have to put a weight on the cell phone so it doesn’t tip over.) I use the camera’s timer function to minimize shake. I try to photograph in natural light as much as possible, but the new lens gives me satisfactory photos even in artificial light. Sometimes I manually shape the light. Literally. I cup my hands around the coin, which sometimes brightens the coin in the center.</p><p><br /></p><p>[EDIT: I forgot to mention that I set everything within the backside of a canvas frame I got at Hobby Lobby for a few dollars. The frame keeps the coin from rolling away if it falls off the spindle.]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1053040[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Once I have photographed the obverse and reverse, I use a free iPhone app called Pic Stitch to splice them together.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1053041[/ATTACH]</p><p>These photos of a Julia Mamea denarius show the difference the cheap lens makes. The top photo is without the lens. The bottom one is with.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1053042[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1053043[/ATTACH]</p><p>I guess I would characterize these procedures as “coin photography hacks” that may render satisfactory images with items you already have. The resolution isn’t high enough to do great work with detail, as you can see. But for cataloging and sharing on this board and elsewhere, the photos meet my needs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some other recent photos using the iPhone and macro lens.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1053044[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1053045[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Gavin Richardson, post: 3999442, member: 83956"][B]TL;DR: A cheap clip-on macro lens improved my simple iPhone coin photography.[/B] This is a post for people like me who use their cell phone to photograph coins. True photography aficionados should avert their eyes. TIF and Doug Smith should not even be reading this post. It will just depress them. :(:shame: I use my iPhone for coin photography and editing. About a year ago, I upgraded to the iPhone X. While the camera was better in many ways, it was actually worse than my iPhone 6 for close-up photography. I saw a set of Godefa cell phone lens attachments on Amazon for about $20 and suggested it offhand as a Christmas gift. Lo and behold, my wife got it for me ([URL]https://www.amazon.com/Fisheye-Telephoto-Kaleidoscope-Starburst-Compatible/dp/B07DHHXLXF[/URL] ). I was skeptical that these cheap attachments would work, but I have been pleased with the 15x macro lens, which is the only one from the set I really use. You just take your iPhone out of its case and clip on the lens. For my purposes, the lens results in better color and detail. Clearly the resolution will not be high enough to meet the standards of many on this board. But if you are a “good enough” coin photographer like me and you have a cell phone, it might be worth the $20 investment if you’d like to try to improve your photos. My set up is strictly lo-fi. An old CD spindle elevates the coin to give it a “floating in space” look. A piece of cloth at the base of the spindle forms the background, which is attractively blurred as the camera focuses on the coin. A styrofoam block elevates the cell phone over the coin. (I have to put a weight on the cell phone so it doesn’t tip over.) I use the camera’s timer function to minimize shake. I try to photograph in natural light as much as possible, but the new lens gives me satisfactory photos even in artificial light. Sometimes I manually shape the light. Literally. I cup my hands around the coin, which sometimes brightens the coin in the center. [EDIT: I forgot to mention that I set everything within the backside of a canvas frame I got at Hobby Lobby for a few dollars. The frame keeps the coin from rolling away if it falls off the spindle.] [ATTACH=full]1053040[/ATTACH] Once I have photographed the obverse and reverse, I use a free iPhone app called Pic Stitch to splice them together. [ATTACH=full]1053041[/ATTACH] These photos of a Julia Mamea denarius show the difference the cheap lens makes. The top photo is without the lens. The bottom one is with. [ATTACH=full]1053042[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1053043[/ATTACH] I guess I would characterize these procedures as “coin photography hacks” that may render satisfactory images with items you already have. The resolution isn’t high enough to do great work with detail, as you can see. But for cataloging and sharing on this board and elsewhere, the photos meet my needs. Here are some other recent photos using the iPhone and macro lens. [ATTACH=full]1053044[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1053045[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
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