A revelation in Cell Phone coin photography, and CHEAP too! 1 1

[GBrad]

I'm going to supply two pics I just took of a Morgan that was given to me years ago.  Didn't even know I had it until I was cleaning out a drawer in my bedroom. These, I consider, to be some very good pictures with a simple cell phone setup I just came across. I did some researching and found a very easy solution, and a very inexpensive way, to take pics with a cell phone (AND NO.... I am not trying to sell anyone on anything.... just trying to help out).  Granted......these are the very first two pics I took with this new setup, using my older iPhone XR, and I was pleasantly surprised at the results.  I am going to have to experiment with the backdrop colors to see what the best colors are for Silver, Copper, etc.... but I believe I can now help out those that have been in my shoes for such a long time who have been struggling to take good, clean, clear and sharp cell phone pictures of their coins. Any and all comments are welcome from the photo experts here on the forum and I would appreciate feedback regarding the quality of the pictures shown below (disregarding the coin itself).  Thanks!  

Edited November 3, 2021 by GBrad

[Hoghead515]

Look very good. Thats been my trouble for a long time. Trying to take pics with a cell phone. Cant never seem to get the right lighting. 

[Jason Abshier]

I been taking pictures of coins with an older iPhone 7 it works just great but I use natural light through window stay about 4-5 feet away from window I lay coin down flat stack few small books about 5” high lay phone on books with camera just barely hanging over the edge of book , blow then zoom in until the coin is fully on screen, shoot away then crop the pictures it does a reasonable job . Better than some pictures of sellers I see selling coins on eBay … Ha 

[Hoghead515]

On 11/3/2021 at 5:38 AM, Jason Abshier said:

I been taking pictures of coins with an older iPhone 7 it works just great but I use natural light through window stay about 4-5 feet away from window I lay coin down flat stack few small books about 5” high lay phone on books with camera just barely hanging over the edge of book , blow then zoom in until the coin is fully on screen, shoot away then crop the pictures it does a reasonable job . Better than some pictures of sellers I see selling coins on eBay … Ha 

Ill have to give that a try. 

[Jason Abshier]

On 11/3/2021 at 5:44 AM, Hoghead515 said:

Ill have to give that a try. 

@Hoghead515 I’ve also used my drill press no lie ! The table moves up and down it has light attached to upper part of the drill press I found LED natural light bulbs work best for me if there too much glare , I’ll wrap and tape a solid white printing paper over the bulb to dim it a little it works well for me 

I been thinking about making a bracket that mounts to the shaft of the drill press mounted with a digital camera , the table moves up and down for height might have to add addition lights I haven’t gotten around to messing with it yet . Work in progress someday 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Jason Abshier

[Hoghead515]

On 11/3/2021 at 6:30 AM, Jason Abshier said:

@Hoghead515 I’ve also used my drill press no lie ! The table moves up and down it has light attached to upper part of the drill press I found LED natural light bulbs work best for me if there too much glare , I’ll wrap and tape a solid white printing paper over the bulb to dim it a little it works well for me 

I been thinking about making a bracket that mounts to the shaft of the drill press mounted with a digital camera , the table moves up and down for height might have to add addition lights I haven’t gotten around to messing with it yet . Work in progress someday 

Very good idea. 

[Jason Abshier]

On 11/3/2021 at 6:40 AM, Hoghead515 said:

Very good idea. 

Yeah I come up with all kinds of wacky ideas… I’m still waiting on my Hardcore MacGyver badge I’ll wear it with pride …  

[Jblindy]

On 11/3/2021 at 2:36 AM, GBrad said:

I'm going to supply two pics I just took of a Morgan that was given to me years ago.  Didn't even know I had it until I was cleaning out a drawer in my bedroom. These, I consider, to be some very good pictures with a simple cell phone setup I just came across. I did some researching and found a very easy solution, and a very inexpensive way, to take pics with a cell phone (AND NO.... I am not trying to sell anyone on anything.... just trying to help out).  Granted......these are the very first two pics I took with this new setup, using my older iPhone XR, and I was pleasantly surprised at the results.  I am going to have to experiment with the backdrop colors to see what the best colors are for Silver, Copper, etc.... but I believe I can now help out those that have been in my shoes for such a long time who have been struggling to take good, clean, clear and sharp cell phone pictures of their coins. Any and all comments are welcome from the photo experts here on the forum and I would appreciate feedback regarding the quality of the pictures shown below (disregarding the coin itself).  Thanks!  

Looks good @GBrad .  What’s your setup?  Your phone with a macro lense?

[GBrad]

On 11/3/2021 at 6:48 AM, Jblindy said:

Looks good @GBrad .  What’s your setup?  Your phone with a macro lense?

Thanks @Jblindy!  I was U-tubin a few days ago and came across a video where a guy was taking pics of coins. This guy was using what's called a Fernco coupling which is a black round rubber type sleeve used in plumbing that joins two pieces of PVC pipe together.  I used them for years in a line of work I used to be in. He then had a cheap round $8 - $10 cell phone "selfie light" (never heard of those before but my kids have...) and placed it inside one of the ends of the Fernco.  He used a plastic bottle cap to sit his coins on to keep them just up and off of the colored paper background/backdrop for lighting purposes which he explained, I don't remember the reason, but it had something to do with reducing background glare I believe.  He then took the Fernco and sat it over the coin which blocked out any exterior light, attached his cell phone to the selfie light and turned on the light.  He perfectly focused and zoomed in and took the picture.  This setup eliminated any movement and it made perfect pictures every time.  So....... one of my son's just happened to be at Wally World and he picked me up a cheap-o selfie light.  I went to my basement just knowing I had an old Fernco laying around but oddly enough I didn't .  I saw an old coffee can laying in the corner and put my new light on top of it and it fit perfectly. I took a can opener and cut the bottom out of the coffee can.  Took a can of satin black spray paint and painted the insides of the coffee can to mimic the same color as a black Fernco.  I did what the guy in the video did and sure enough it actually worked.  The two pics I posted at the top of this thread were the very first two pics I took with this setup so I'm sure I can improve from here. No extra lens was used, just my cell phone lens. I'm going to try some different background paper (black would probably be pretty good) to see what happens.  I'll post some pics of my setup if I can snag one of my kid's phones to take some pictures.  Gonna add @Hoghead515  @Jason Abshier and @Alex in PA. in here too since they have replied so maybe they will get this comment too.  Thanks!

Edited November 3, 2021 by GBrad

[Jblindy]

That video sounds familiar. Especially the part of placing the coin on a bottle cap to raise it off the surface of the mat. It seems your coin took on a blue tint from the paper you used, the paper could be tricking the eye into seeing the blueish tint on the coin though. I would like to see what black looks like. I wonder if a macro lense would allow for a closer view with this setup?

[bsshog40]

I can say that the focus is nice and clear. The blue color, to me, takes away being able to see any luster and detail in the fields. I would experiment with different backgrounds to get a more natural look. 

[Alex in PA.]

On 11/3/2021 at 9:22 AM, GBrad said:

so maybe they will get this comment too.

Okay.  I'm looking at your 1921 Morgan and that pic suits me just fine.  I wish I could help you but all I have is an I Phone 8 and I can't take pics with it worth a darn.  From your comment it appears as if you are on the right track.  I look forward to seeing some of the pics with your new set up.

[RWB]

Lighting for circulated coins is usually simple. Problems jump out when trying to get good photos of uncirculated coins. Using a short tube or other black-painted baffle helps control stray light, and is necessary for good axial lighting. Here's your obverse photo with some color and density adjustments. Color was balanced to neutral at the center of Liberty's cheek - this might be affected by the shadow from your cell phone. (PS: The blue color is from the camera trying to make the scene "average."  This is not caused by the blue background -- over correction would make everything yellow, not blue.

Edited November 3, 2021 by RWB

[GBrad]

On 11/3/2021 at 9:51 AM, Jblindy said:

I wonder if a macro lense would allow for a closer view with this setup?

You wouldn't be able you can use another lens with this setup.  The light has a large clip that holds the phone so there's not any room to attach anything else to the phone.   

[GBrad]

On 11/3/2021 at 9:54 AM, bsshog40 said:

I can say that the focus is nice and clear. The blue color, to me, takes away being able to see any luster and detail in the fields. I would experiment with different backgrounds to get a more natural look. 

Thanks.  Yes, the blue color is bit annoying to me too.  I'm going to try black and white backgrounds to see which work best.  

[GBrad]

On 11/3/2021 at 9:55 AM, RWB said:

Lighting for circulated coins is usually simple. Problems jump out when trying to get good photos of uncirculated coins. Using a short tube or other black-painted baffle helps control stray light, and is necessary for good axial lighting. Here's your obverse photo with some color and density adjustments. Color was balanced to neutral at the center of Liberty's cheek - this might be affected by the shadow from your cell phone. (PS: The blue color is from the camera trying to make the scene "average."  This is not caused by the blue background -- over correction would make everything yellow, not blue.

Now that is really good RWB.  You did clean it up and balanced it out nicely.  That's some good knowledge to have about the background, didn't know that.  Something else I will have to work on.  At least I feel confident that I have a solid way to take some good sharp and clear pictures with my phone now and my shaking hands are now out of the equation.  

[GBrad]

Here's some pics of the setup.  You just put your phone in the large clip on the light, zoom in and take the pic. The light also has several different settings. Very simple. 

[RWB]

You sure that's not a beer can opener?  Photo is clear and sharp without excess contrast. Nice. Now, try an uncirculated silver dollar; and see if you can figure out the color balance. (I can measure the color of any posted photo if you wish. Just use a plain white background.)

Digital cameras are calibrated using 18% neutral gray. This represents an "average" daylight scene. If the real scene is dominated by one color, the camera software tries to compensate by adding more of the opposite color to the photo....that is, it tries to make everything "average" again. This did not happen with photographic film because the film was manufactured to a standard color balance and could not be changed.

[GBrad]

On 11/3/2021 at 12:55 PM, RWB said:

You sure that's not a beer can opener?

I may have to see if it doubles as one when I get home..... good suggestion.  I will take a MS Morgan and put it on a white background to see how it does when I get back home and post it.  Thanks. 

[GBrad]

On 11/3/2021 at 12:55 PM, RWB said:

You sure that's not a beer can opener?  Photo is clear and sharp without excess contrast. Nice. Now, try an uncirculated silver dollar; and see if you can figure out the color balance. (I can measure the color of any posted photo if you wish. Just use a plain white background.)

Digital cameras are calibrated using 18% neutral gray. This represents an "average" daylight scene. If the real scene is dominated by one color, the camera software tries to compensate by adding more of the opposite color to the photo....that is, it tries to make everything "average" again. This did not happen with photographic film because the film was manufactured to a standard color balance and could not be changed.

Ok, I tried this 1883 CC Morgan but not happy with it.  I did use a white background, even though it still looks like the bluish purple paper I used in my opening pic, but I think I messed with my camera settings too much and now I'm not sure what to do (I know they can be restored).... The pic is on white paper.  First pic is the original. Second pic is the same picture but I messed around with it on my standard iPhone editor, was able to take out the blue tone even though this was on a white piece of paper, but still not sure what all the settings on the editor I need to mess with to get it to look like the previous coin I posted where you really cleaned it up and made it look nice.  Thanks for any input.

Edit: Maybe I need to experiment with a different paint color inside the coffee can? It is a satin black as of now.

Edited November 4, 2021 by GBrad

[Coinbuf]

Are you using the pro mode on the phone?  It may be called something else for iphone as that is what its called on my android.   In that mode you can adjust lots of settings like the white balance and such.   If your not see if your phone has something like that to adjust the camera to suit the lighting better.

[RWB]

Here is your second photo with adjustments to the tonal range. No change was made to the color balance - this is on the nose.

The image is not as sharp as the one in your first post.

[GBrad]

On 11/4/2021 at 1:55 PM, Coinbuf said:

Are you using the pro mode on the phone?  It may be called something else for iphone as that is what its called on my android.   In that mode you can adjust lots of settings like the white balance and such.   If your not see if your phone has something like that to adjust the camera to suit the lighting better.

I will definitely check this out on my phone.  This phone has a ton of settings which I think is confusing me that much more.  RWB commented about the second pic I took so maybe I'm not too far off with figuring this out.  I'll eventually get it....Thanks!

[GBrad]

On 11/4/2021 at 2:25 PM, RWB said:

Here is your second photo with adjustments to the tonal range. No change was made to the color balance - this is on the nose.

The image is not as sharp as the one in your first post.

Thanks RWB.  I do agree it is not as sharp, user error on my part evidently, and that's mainly the reasons for me saying I wasn't happy with it because it was not as clear and sharp as my first pic in the post.  I will adjust the tone range on some more pics and see how that turns out.  Thanks for the advice.  

[RWB]

The white background will appear gray because the metal coin reflects more light than white paper. That's OK. It is accuracy of the coin color that is important.