Coin pics with my Samsung S22 + 0

[bsshog40]

So I've played around with my phone camera on regular pictures. The camera really does some awesome stuff. I can erase people or things from a pic and it looks pretty natural. This is really the first time to see what I can do with coins. I have this bullion eagle that has some nice color. Captured it pretty good and cropping lets me circle cut too. What ya think? Reverse to come.
Bobby

[bsshog40]

Reverse

[GoldFinger1969]

How long have you had the S22+ ?  I have a Galaxy S9 but am thinking of upgrading (I'm hoping it will help with a dropped-call problem I have at my home).  Major negative is that the new Galaxies don't have the SD card slot which means you have to buy the extra memory internally which costs more.

Can you describe what you did to crop etc. ?  I want to see if I can do that on my S9. 

Edited January 24, 2023 by GoldFinger1969

[VKurtB]

On 1/23/2023 at 9:19 PM, bsshog40 said:

Reverse

Now THESE are super nice phone shots, but I’m too invested in an all-Apple digital infrastructure. The 14 has some of these features, if I understand it correctly. 

[bsshog40]

On 1/23/2023 at 11:49 PM, GoldFinger1969 said:

How long have you had the S22+ ?  I have a Galaxy S9 but am thinking of upgrading (I'm hoping it will help with a dropped-call problem I have at my home).  Major negative is that the new Galaxies don't have the SD card slot which means you have to buy the extra memory internally which costs more.

Can you describe what you did to crop etc. ?  I want to see if I can do that on my S9. 

Ya, I hate they quit the sd cards also. At least you can attach to your pc and copy your pics and videos over so you can clear it up once in awhile. So how I did this. After you go in to edit a picture, pic crop and then follow the pics below. Hope this helps.

 

[RWB]

I have a flip phone. Photos taken with it are awful....but, it's a telephone and text device, not a camera.

Consider this: Photographers use cameras not phones to make photos. Ever think why?

[bsshog40]

On 1/24/2023 at 9:11 AM, RWB said:

I have a flip phone. Photos taken with it are awful....but, it's a telephone and text device, not a camera.

Consider this: Photographers use cameras not phones to make photos. Ever think why?

I have a very nice Canon Rebel, OTT lights and a copy stand. The copy stand is still packed away at this time. I have photo'd many of my coins with my camera. Usually the session with one toned coin and getting it to look like it does inhand can have me taking dozens of pics and sorting thru them. These pics were taken one time and cropped. And I am pleased that it looks just like the coin inhand.  Phone technology has come a long ways from the flip phone my friend. 

[RWB]

Phones have convenience cameras. Impulse and sales features. Real cameras use different technology that can produce much better results. Spending $1000 to be incessantly pestered, and billed for "services" is ridiculous.

[bsshog40]

On 1/24/2023 at 9:50 AM, RWB said:

Phones have convenience cameras. Impulse and sales features. Real cameras use different technology that can produce much better results. Spending $1000 to be incessantly pestered, and billed for "services" is ridiculous.

It is what it is Roger. We were stuck in our 5th wheel for over a yr after moving, selling our house and finally buying another. I had to learn how to do all my business on my phone. Different technology doesn't always mean better. My cousin is a photographer. Has a very expensive camera setup. Still has to use software to make them look better. I can't use my canon camera to make a mobile deposit to my bank. Lol I've worked hard all my life, nothing wrong with using new technology to make some things easier my friend! 

[Coinbuf]

Your photos look great Bobby!   Nice result from your phone camera.

[GoldFinger1969]

On 1/24/2023 at 9:52 AM, bsshog40 said:

After you go in to edit a picture, pic crop and then follow the pics below. Hope this helps.

Thanks BSS !!  Can I also black-out the bar code from the phone; would make it easy not having to zoom in and crop the photo (from the phone or Paint) if I want to show the label and grade without the bar code.

[GoldFinger1969]

On 1/24/2023 at 10:50 AM, RWB said:

Phones have convenience cameras. Impulse and sales features. Real cameras use different technology that can produce much better results. Spending $1000 to be incessantly pestered, and billed for "services" is ridiculous.

I think the gap between what the average person has today vs. a pro has narrowed a ton.

40 years ago, I had one of those Instamatic cameras...my father had a Nikon 35 mm....and the pros had the Nikon or similar camera with all the huge lenses (wide-angle, telephoto, etc.).

Today.....I see that serious photographers will have actual cameras with lens extensions....and maybe they can shoot in 8K or 16K or whatever....but the difference between those actaual cameras and what a state-of-the-art iPhone or Galaxy can do has to be much less than decades ago when comparing Joe Public and Joe Professional. 

If there are differences, I'm not sure the human eye can discern it !

Edited January 24, 2023 by GoldFinger1969

[bsshog40]

On 1/24/2023 at 10:39 AM, GoldFinger1969 said:

Thanks BSS !!  Can I also black-out the bar code from the phone; would make it easy not having to zoom in and crop the photo (from the phone or Paint) if I want to show the label and grade without the bar code.

Not sure on your phone. Should have an option to use a pen to color blackout or and eraser to cover. Will just have to play with your options on a misc picture. 

[Fenntucky Mike]

On 1/23/2023 at 10:18 PM, bsshog40 said:

I can erase people or things from a pic and it looks pretty natural.

I've been waiting for this technology for years.  JK, pics look great BH. 

Did you do anything to the coin to facilitate toning, or just standard storage? 

[bsshog40]

On 1/24/2023 at 7:24 PM, Fenntucky Mike said:

I've been waiting for this technology for years.  JK, pics look great BH. 

Did you do anything to the coin to facilitate toning, or just standard storage? 

It was in my dansco since 2013. I moved it a while back, maybe 2 yrs ago, and just stored it in my coin cabinet. Replaced it in the dansco. It's been toning over the years. 

[Hoghead515]

Those turned out really good. Very nice for a phone. I got a Samsung Note 10 and it dosent take the best pictures. It did alright when it was new. Im wondering if the lens may be clouded up a little or something. It could also be the man working it also. 

[Fenntucky Mike]

On 1/24/2023 at 9:00 PM, Hoghead515 said:

It could also be the man working it also. 

Pretty sure that's what's going on with mine. 

[rrantique]

Me also

[GoldFinger1969]

On 1/24/2023 at 10:11 AM, RWB said:

I have a flip phone. Photos taken with it are awful....but, it's a telephone and text device, not a camera.

Consider this: Photographers use cameras not phones to make photos. Ever think why?

Well, I guess they have more memory and probably larger/faster processors.  They can probably do more things than a smartphone and faster, too.  Especially with RAW photos and other data-intensive applications.

I suspect that a digital camera also has longer and more powerful batteries...if you're going to be taking hundreds of pictures at a wedding or similar life event, you can't take a break to re-charge a smartphone. 

However...today's smartphone are probably where stand-alone digital cameras were 5-10 years ago.  That's a pretty powerful technology to be included in a phone for free.  Also, a real camera is ergonomically designed for human hands and eyes whereas a smartphone is geared for talking, texting, and maybe watching videos. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by GoldFinger1969

[GoldFinger1969]

On 1/24/2023 at 9:00 PM, Hoghead515 said:

Those turned out really good. Very nice for a phone. I got a Samsung Note 10 and it dosent take the best pictures. It did alright when it was new. Im wondering if the lens may be clouded up a little or something. It could also be the man working it also. 

It should take crystal-clear photos.  Make sure your anti-shake feature is activated.  Take some simple photos with a mini-tripod or full-tripod to eliminate human error...pics should be razor-sharp.

If they're not, something is wrong.  Now....the Samsung smartphones S8/9/10 cameras have a glitch that I found out about just a few months ago....there's something that  affects the AUTOFOCUS which makes the picture decidedly blurry.  They look like photos taken with a camera from the 1970's at 640x480 pixel resolution, not 4000x2200 4K.  I would take photos of the giant scoreboard at CitiField when attending a Mets game and I could easily see the scoreboard and read everything but when I took a picture of it, I couldn't make out the numbers or words.  It was all blurry. 

The Samsung smartphones need to be gently SHAKEN to fix the problem.  Yeah, I thought it was nuts too but that's what caused the problem in the first place: maybe it was dropped, rotated, moved quickly, juggled in your pocket, fell on the couch or car seat or lawn...whatever.  But cleaning the lens and re-loading the camera app did NOT solve the problem nor did all the other fixes I came across.  Finally, I found a website with a guy who had that as the fix and he admitted it sounded bogus -- BUT IT WORKED !!!  

When this happened in 2019-21, it would happen randomly 1 or 2 times a year and last a few days or a week or two.  It was a real PITA because I couldn't use the phone to take pics.  The problem fixed itself with some random shaking or movement of the phone but I didn't know that's what had done it.  I just figured the phone "fixed itself" somehow maybe with a power-off or power-on or whatever.

Nope...you actually have to deliberately SHAKE THE PHONE and then just take pics and see when it razor-sharps again.  Once I found this hint, I did the shaking and the phone was razor-sharp again within 60 seconds instead of waiting days or weeks to accidentally jigger whatever came loose or moved.

Edited January 25, 2023 by GoldFinger1969

[Hoghead515]

On 1/25/2023 at 2:23 AM, GoldFinger1969 said:

It should take crystal-clear photos.  Make sure your anti-shake feature is activated.  Take some simple photos with a mini-tripod or full-tripod to eliminate human error...pics should be razor-sharp.

If they're not, something is wrong.  Now....the Samsung smartphones S8/9/10 cameras have a glitch that I found out about just a few months ago....there's something that comes LOOSE which makes the picture decidedly blurry.  They look like photos taken with a camera from the 1970's at 640x480 pixel resolution, not 4000x2200 4K.  I would take photos of the giant scoreboard at CitiField when attending a Mets game and I could easily see the scoreboard and read everything but when I took a picture of it, I couldn't make out the numbers or words.  It was all blurry. 

The Samsung smartphones need to be gently SHAKEN to fix the problem.  Yeah, I thought it was nuts too but that's what caused the problem in the first place: maybe it was dropped, rotated, moved quickly, juggled in your pocket, fell on the couch or car seat or lawn...whatever.  But cleaning the lens and re-loading the camera app did NOT solve the problem nor did all the other fixes I came across.  Finally, I found a website with a guy who had that as the fix and he admitted it sounded bogus -- BUT IT WORKED !!!  

When this happened in 2019-21, it would happen randomly 1 or 2 times a year and last a few days or a week or two.  It was a real PITA because I couldn't use the phone to take pics.  The problem fixed itself with some random shaking or movement of the phone but I didn't know that's what had done it.  I just figured the phone "fixed itself" somehow maybe with a power-off or power-on or whatever.

Nope...you actually have to deliberately SHAKE THE PHONE and then just take pics and see when it razor-sharps again.  Once I found this hint, I did the shaking and the phone was razor-sharp again within 60 seconds instead of waiting days or weeks to accidentally jigger whatever came loose or moved.

Ill try figure it out. Its got all sorts of settings on it but I dont know what half that stuff does. Im not the greatest with technology. 

[GoldFinger1969]

On 1/25/2023 at 4:51 AM, Hoghead515 said:

Ill try figure it out. Its got all sorts of settings on it but I dont know what half that stuff does. Im not the greatest with technology. 

Ditto with me, Hog.  But the pics should be razor-sharp on the basic PHOTO default setting (don't use SINGLE TAKE or one of the other settings like SPORT, etc.).  If they aren't, do check the lens to make sure it's not dirty (probably isn't).  Clean out your cache and maybe re-start the phone.

If that doesn't fix it, just shake the phone for 2-4 seconds and take a pic.  Keep doing it until it sharpens.

The camera actually took sharp pics of my coins or anything up-close to focus on...but not anything normal or far-away distance.  It was clearly something with the auto-focus getting "stuck."  There's a few photos or links out there if you search for "Samsung camera, blurry, shake solution."

Edited January 25, 2023 by GoldFinger1969

[Hoghead515]

On 1/25/2023 at 10:00 AM, GoldFinger1969 said:

Ditto with me, Hog.  But the pics should be razor-sharp on the basic PHOTO default setting (don't use SINGLE TAKE or one of the other settings like SPORT, etc.).  If they aren't, do check the lens to make sure it's not dirty (probably isn't).  Clean out your cache and maybe re-start the phone.

If that doesn't fix it, just shake the phone for 2-4 seconds and take a pic.  Keep doing it until it sharpens.

The camera actually took sharp pics of my coins or anything up-close to focus on...but not anything normal or far-away distance.  It was clearly something with the auto-focus getting "stuck."  There's a few photos or links out there if you search for "Samsung camera, blurry, shake solution."

I think it narrowed the problem down to the man trying to work it. I never could figure out how many whatcha macall its those pictures of that eagle was. Where I couldnt get it focused very well. Thats why I didnt get back to ya. I never could find it on my phone camera. 

[RWB]

On 1/25/2023 at 2:12 AM, GoldFinger1969 said:

Well, I guess they have more memory and probably larger/faster processors.

DSLRs use different technology than phones. They have far better resolution, tonal range, options and flexibility. The two 1910 coin photos really illustrate differences in image quality (aside from the inadvertent sharpness problem).

In the days of film cameras, it was a common adage that a good professional could make an excellent photo with any camera - even a pinhole. But that the best equipment in the world still made awful photos in the hands of an ordinary snapshooter.

[Hoghead515]

Ive been looking at those used Cannon cameras in the $300ish range. Some have extra lenses and things with them. Im thinking bout getting one this summer. The old lady been wanting one to take pictures of sunsets and land scapes and bugs and wildlife, etc. anyways. Do you think if I get her one in that money range it will be good enough for coins to? Or do you think Id have to have a more expensive set up? Is there certain ones to look for? Im completely lost when it comes to cameras. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Hoghead515

[GoldFinger1969]

On 1/25/2023 at 11:43 AM, Hoghead515 said:

I think it narrowed the problem down to the man trying to work it. I never could figure out how many whatcha macall its those pictures of that eagle was. Where I couldnt get it focused very well. Thats why I didnt get back to ya. I never could find it on my phone camera. 

On my Galaxy S9, I just use the basic PHOTO feature (not SINGLE TAKE, SPORT, ACTION, etc.).  The auto-focus should work if you are shooting an eagle from 5 feet away or 50 feet away.  Tap the screen object to let the camera know that's what you want to focus on (if there are objects in the foreground AND background, it doesn't know which object to focus on -- you have to let it know).

Sometimes a Yellow Dot or circle will appear when you have locked in on the item...or the camera locks in on something else (tap what you want to focus on to switch).

Take some photos of trees equal to the distance of that eagle and see if they are razor-sharp and you can also zoom in on the photo or object without losing too much clarity.  You should be able to do that.

If I could, I'd post a video of my dog Teddy,  where I zoom in...you can see it loses A BIT of sharpness but not too much.

[GoldFinger1969]

Here's 3 photos I just took outside my terrace door.  It's probably 60 feet to the trees across the parking lot (I'm on the 2nd floor about 15 feet above the ground).

I took these 3 shots with no zoom, 4x zoom, and 8x zoom.

Edited January 25, 2023 by GoldFinger1969

[bsshog40]

Sometimes the zoom isn't always good. My phone is set to highest resolution (3000×4000). I'm pretty sure this is 4k quality. I know the video takes in 8k quality. Sometimes you can just set the camera to highest resolution with no zoom and be able to zoom the picture in with better quality. 

[Hoghead515]

On 1/25/2023 at 1:46 PM, GoldFinger1969 said:

On my Galaxy S9, I just use the basic PHOTO feature (not SINGLE TAKE, SPORT, ACTION, etc.).  The auto-focus should work if you are shooting an eagle from 5 feet away or 50 feet away.  Tap the screen object to let the camera know that's what you want to focus on (if there are objects in the foreground AND background, it doesn't know which object to focus on -- you have to let it know).

Sometimes a Yellow Dot or circle will appear when you have locked in on the item...or the camera locks in on something else (tap what you want to focus on to switch).

Take some photos of trees equal to the distance of that eagle and see if they are razor-sharp and you can also zoom in on the photo or object without losing too much clarity.  You should be able to do that.

If I could, I'd post a video of my dog Teddy,  where I zoom in...you can see it loses A BIT of sharpness but not too much.

I had him zoomed all the way in as much as the camera would zoom. I had the auto focus on but I shake so bad it probably couldnt keep pace with me. I got really bad nerves. On the zoom mines got a bar that goes from 0.5x to 10x. I had it on 10x trying get him in as close as I could. I also got an auto focus button i always use. It helps but this phone still dont take very good pictures. My wifes phone takes very good pics. Hers way better than mine. She got a Samsung also. One of the S's. I cant remember which one. I think its a 20. She just got it a couple months ago. 

I sent a message asked her. She said its an S21

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Hoghead515

[GoldFinger1969]

On 1/25/2023 at 3:25 PM, Hoghead515 said:

I had him zoomed all the way in as much as the camera would zoom. I had the auto focus on but I shake so bad it probably couldnt keep pace with me. I got really bad nerves. On the zoom mines got a bar that goes from 0.5x to 10x. I had it on 10x trying get him in as close as I could. I also got an auto focus button i always use. It helps but this phone still dont take very good pictures. My wifes phone takes very good pics. Hers way better than mine. She got a Samsung. One of the S's. I cant remember which one. I think its a 20. She just got it a couple months ago. I sent a message asked her. She said its an S21

It wasn't a bad photo, so don't beat yourself up.  You can CLEARLY see it's an eagle.

The fact you say you used maximum Zoom explains why the image was a bit blurry and not razor-sharp.  Not sure how far away the eagle was, but look at my 3rd photo above of the trees.....it's not as sharp as the No-Zoom photo or even the 4x-Zoom photo.  That's from 60 feet away and I'm shooting big branches 3-5 feet long...imagine going after a bird that is maybe 18" long/high.

Yes....if you were going to photograph wildlife and need to zoom in 20-50x WITHOUT loosing sharpness, you need professional zoom and optical lenses (like the ones we see on NatGeo or PBS).  They are also easier to hold...and mount...than a phone, as some said above.

Edited January 25, 2023 by GoldFinger1969