First attempt using iPhone with manual focus on NGC toner

Mr_Spud

Last week I posted results of experiments using different techniques to try and get a good photo of a toned coin in an NGC slab with my iphone in this post https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1060483/lighting-experiment-black-mask-for-a-white-ngc-slab-vs-no-mask-vs-image-through-oil . In that post the consensus seemed to be that I wouldn’t be able to get the picture to be better until/unless I could do manual focusing instead of autofocus. I believe this is because the autofocus still tries to focus on the plastic slab instead of the coin, a problem I’ve been able to overcome with most PCGS slabs, but not NGC slabs for some reason. So I downloaded an app called Camera +2 that allows manual focusing. I also got some new LED lights that I could position more parallel to the axis of my iPhone camera lens. Here’s a post about the new lights if anyone is interested https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1060764/is-this-what-people-mean-when-they-say-have-the-lights-as-parallel-to-the-camera-lens-as-you-can#latest

Here’s my first attempt result with the manual focus and new lights:

And here’s the one I thought was the best last week with the autofocus and less flexible bar LED lighting shot through oil to both try and make the slab invisible to the camera and to even out the lighting

I think I still can do better, but what do you other people think. Am I on the right track with the manual focus and new lighting. I’m trying to figure out how to photograph difficult coins with my iphone and make the pictures the best they can be in terms of showing color, luster etc even through an NGC slab.

Thanks, in advance for any responses

ifthevamzarockin

Your first attempt this week looks better than your best last week. Looks like you're on the right track.

pmh1nic

I am no photographer so my opinion is more personal taste. The top coin reminds my of looking at a coin in hand with incandescent lighting where I rotate the coin and see the cartwheel luster. Some areas of the coin light up while other areas are dark. The second coins is more like look at a coin with florescent lightning and the whole coin shines. I don't know if this makes any sense but my preference would be the top photograph.

coinsarefun

Looks pretty good for an iPhone. Mine is a few years old but everyone says the pics come out superb!
I can’t even get to the crappy stage, so congratulations

koynekwest

I think image #1 is pretty good.

MsMorrisine

Does the app let you use a usb cable+computer w/monitor so you can focus better using the monitor rather than the iPhone screen?

The focus is way better but my untrained eyes feel like it needs a tad more focus

ricko

Both pictures are excellent, though the second one seems to have a sharper focus. Cheers, RickO

Jzyskowski1

I’m currently working my iPhone 7 to death but I feel like my pictures are pretty dang good. That said I believe you are on to something. Thanks and please keep posting. Thanks for the lighting link 🤓. One thing I have discovered is that even an inexpensive phone holder is worth having. $10 and up. A real blessing for these dang shaky old hands

Mr_Spud

For fun I just tried layering the 2 images on top of each other. If I make the picture with about 80% the top picture and 20% the bottom picture it allows the luster from the top picture to show and allows the lit up color to show through where the image was too dark in the top picture. I liked the result enough to want to share the technique. It actually looks pretty much dead on to the coin in hand. It’s not ideal but may be a way to get the best out of both for toned coins that are hard to photograph and get both luster and color to show in the same photo.

Here’s how I layered the pictures using the Photoshop Express app. You have to make the pictures you are blending exactly the same size and rotation or you’ll end up with a doubled die look. I had to resize the top picture from yesterday slightly and adjust the rotation one notch to get them to line up exactly.🌝

I’m running with this one for this coin. I’ll still do more experiments with other coins, but I’m happy with this for now

I ended up trying one more time with the manual focus on the same coin. I played around with the distance between the camera and the coin and moved the lights around. I think it came out pretty good. This is straight out of the camera with no editing other than cropping.

I’m just editing this post to add the new info rather than replying to myself so it won’t go to the top. I figure then it will be here for a reference in case anybody ever can use the info.

I also think I’m going to ask people on the forum across the street to let me know which image they prefer from the last 2 I just posted without explaining anything. After all, it is the NGC coins that I’m having the most trouble with. I’m torn myself, the one I just posted shows the luster better and is better focused, the layered one I posted earlier is lit up better and shows the color better but is flat looking.