Different lighting gold - which image is best?

Mr_Spud

I’ve been experimenting with lighting. I’m using one ^ shaped LED Ott light and 2 small fluorescent Ott lights, one on each side. The first picture is old from before I tried these new techniques. The next few pictures are with the side lights on and the ^ wider on some and skinnier on some so the reflection of the light is almost touching the rims. Then a couple are with the side lights turned off and just the ^ shaped one is on. I’m using a few drops of clear compass oil (isoparaffin, mineral oil that slowly evaporates and leaves no residue). The oil makes the slab invisible to the camera and allows it to focus on the coin and not on the slab. The oil also seems to help bend the light around the coin which cuts the glare. The very first pictures are from a month and a half ago and they were the best I could do, but now I retried it with these newer techniques. Which looks better? I didn’t crop them yet so you can see the reflection of the lights and tell which lighting technique was used
1) old one without new techniques

2)
3)
4)

5)

6)

7)

Batman23

I like 4 for overall color but the three white dots in front of her face shouldn't be there.

ɹoʇɔǝlloɔ

between 4 or 5 for me - I think 4 - thanks for sharing your tests

messydesk

4 and 5 are lit best. It seems the only difference is the exposure.

ricko

I like 5 because it seems to show the best detail... i.e. hair, face.... Cheers, RickO

Mr_Spud

Thanks for the replies. I think I will try to reproduce the lighting that I used for 4 and 5 but without those 3 white spots in front of liberty. I didn’t notice those spots when I was taking the pictures, I’m not sure if they are a reflection off the camera or if I had a small bubble in the oil distorting it there and it’s a reflection of the LED lights.

VicPortland

I like 4 or 5 best

Smudge

4.

jwitten

I like 2 and 6. The others have a white dot from light reflection in front of the face

Jimnight

I like 4 and 5.

Cocoinut

5