Photos

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Comfortably Numb, Mar 13, 2017.

  1. Comfortably Numb

    Comfortably Numb Active Member

    Has anyone bought a accessory for iphone to use for good quality photos of coins to sell? If so which one and what do you like about it.
     
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  3. Seattlite86

    Seattlite86 Outspoken Member

    I stick a cheap 10x loupe in front of my iPhone and take photos with it. I like it because it's easy and cheap. Here are a couple of examples of photos I've taken with my 10x loupe and iPhone. Nothing super fancy, but they work.
    1804 half cent.jpg IMG_7808 - Copy-horz.jpg IMG_7617-horz.jpg Trade Dollar-horz.jpg
     
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  4. Seattlite86

    Seattlite86 Outspoken Member

    Lighting is the biggest thing to mess with and I have 2x goose-neck CFL lamps for that. Those were cheap off Amazon.
     
  5. Comfortably Numb

    Comfortably Numb Active Member

    How do you hold the loop, the phone and the coin steady enough? All without getting too close so you don't block out the lighting source. Those pics look great. I always cast a shadow or something LOL Maybe like you said Seattlite get two lamps.
     
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  6. V. Kurt Bellman

    V. Kurt Bellman Yes, I'm blunt! Get over your "feeeeelings".

    Shame about all those geese with their heads attached directly to their torsos.
     
  7. SuperDave

    SuperDave Free the Cartwheels!

    These were shot with an iPhone (no attachments) by someone who dedicated himself to learning how to maximize its' capabilities:

    70cent.jpg

    1881SRev.jpg

    You probably don't need an "attachment."
     
  8. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    Not too shabby, OP. :)
     
  9. Seattlite86

    Seattlite86 Outspoken Member

    Lighting is the key. Loupe goes directly to the iPhone the way it goes to your eye. Pretty much touching. Then move the lamps until you get a good shot. Not the best setup but it works well enough. You don't need to buy anything to take decent shots. For bigger coins, like the trade dollar, I actually didn't use the loupe. That was a straight on shot with an iPhone 5. The loupe specifically lets me get zoomed in shots of varieties and errors. The iPhone on its own is pretty decent as @SuperDave pointed out.
     
  10. V. Kurt Bellman

    V. Kurt Bellman Yes, I'm blunt! Get over your "feeeeelings".

    Which model iPhone? Mine won't shoot that close.
     
  11. SuperDave

    SuperDave Free the Cartwheels!

    Those were shot by a 4S; I know the 5's to be as good but lack data on the 6's and 7's (anecdotal evidence indicates the 6's are usable). I'd hate to think they could take such a technological step backwards, but it wouldn't be the first time.
     
  12. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    You throw the heads away, use the necks for lamps, and eat the torsos.
     
  13. Bman33

    Bman33 Well-Known Member

    I was looking for a thread on lighting and this one came up. I wanted to know what a good basic lighting set up should be for looking at coins up close and taking photos with them.
     
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  14. Seattlite86

    Seattlite86 Outspoken Member

    Two gooseneck lamps with CFL bulbs. Put them at the 10 and 2 (with you and the camera being at the 6) for starters and then move them individually left, right, up, down, over and over until the lights shines on the coin with no reflection and shows the coin as close to in hand as you see it. Make sure your room is dark so other ambient light doesn't mess with the shot. I usually take my shots in the evening.
     
  15. Bman33

    Bman33 Well-Known Member

    What are CFL Bulbs?
     
  16. SuperDave

    SuperDave Free the Cartwheels!

    Compact Fluorescent - the "spiral" bulbs which have nearly taken over in-home lighting because of their efficiency.

    The "right way" to light imagery varies drastically with the nature of the equipment you're using, because differing styles of camera have differing abilities to distance themselves from the subject and correct for improper color tendencies. You need to first determine what sort of room you will have for the lighting, and how your camera is able to compensate for proper color. The more room you have, the more capable your camera is, the more variance you have for lighting. With something as limiting in one dimension as an iPhone - they're great at correcting color, but will only provide images large and sharp enough at a certain distance from the subject - you have a far more difficult task than with a dSLR/bellows rig such as I use, which could probably create acceptable images with a randomly-placed ultraviolet light. :)
     
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  17. Stork

    Stork I deliver

    This was with my iPhone 6. A bit bigger than a coin (~65mm, which is why I used my phone instead of my camera set up which maxes out at about 60 mm).

    [​IMG]

    One thing that has helped with phone photos is to set the phone on a box/cup/something steady at the distance where the item fills the screen without zooming. I use the Janso (?sp) lights from Ikea.

    The biggest thing though was spending about $8 and get a bluetooth shutter release. The stable platform and remote shutter help tremendously.

    If you are holding a loupe or something, then you will have only one thing to really worry about. Shoot, (hah!) you might even be able to tell Siri to take the picture.
     
  18. Bman33

    Bman33 Well-Known Member

    With no loupe, how far away should the iPhone be in inches?
     
  19. RonSanderson

    RonSanderson Supporter! Supporter

    About 4 inches. Try using a roll of toilet paper as a tripod. Just lay the iPhone on top of the roll with the lens stuck out over the edge. If you feel the coin could be closer, just slide something under it; if further, slide something under the roll.

    This should get you started so you can concentrate on the best lighting.
     
  20. Stork

    Stork I deliver

    Depends a bit on how big/small the coin is...but about 4 inches is as close as I ever could get. I use any variety of box/book or whatever would get a good height.
     
  21. Dancing Fire

    Dancing Fire Junior Member

    How many watts on each lamp?
     
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