more newps (new pictures, not new purchases!) with my iPhone 6

EVillageProwler · March 9, 2015 7:37AM

I was chatting with Zohar today about coins and imaging (I guess neither of us was busy with work!) and I showed him what I can do with my iPhone 6 and macro shots.

Here are two small coins. The first is an Offa penny at 17mm. The second coin is a sceat at what appears to be approximately 10mm diameter.

My setup is a copy stand, with one long halogen lamp with white bulb, and two desktop lamps (from Home Depot) with soft daylight bulbs. For my iPhone 6, I have a stack of DVD cases for stability and height. My coins rest on a white envelope. I've seen some folks use gray, or light blue, or black background for the coins. My copy stand can handle a real camera too, as long as it has a standard screw.

Comments please.

EVillageProwler · March 9, 2015 7:39AM

Each coin is done at 1500x750px and 1000x500px. Shown here are the 1000x500px images. They are a tiny bit fuzzy, but I can probably do better if I zoomed in a little bit.

Zohar · March 9, 2015 9:13AM

These are really nice. The iridescence on the second is outstanding.

EVillageProwler · March 9, 2015 9:16AM

Zohar - why don't you give your iPhone a try?

NiceCurrency · March 9, 2015 9:17AM

great images from a cellphone camera, nicely done

is the second coin of King Offa as well? or an anonymous issue or something? lovely color on it

brg5658 · March 9, 2015 10:20AM

The focus is pretty soft, but probably about as good as it's going to get with a phone.

The main limitations of phone cameras are that the size of the sensors are incredibly small (I mean, the iPhone6 has an 8MP sensor, but it's crazy small in terms of it's actual foot print/area), and the lenses are fixed aperture (so focus is meant to be at "infinity"), thus macro photography suffers.

I'm surprised how nicely the color was picked up on the 2nd coin. I bet that coin would just glow with professional images of the caliber of Mark Goodman (or others).

EVillageProwler · March 9, 2015 10:30AM

Brandon - thanks for the comments, but I struggle mightily macro shots and my iPhone 6 works much better in that regard than my other point and shoot types that I own. I need low cost and simple, so I think I will not want a higher end DSLR type. I wonder if I lowered the phone to the coin by a bit, maybe it'll get a sharper image. I need to play around a bit. This was just a first pass, so I'm hopeful.

One of my friends, who is an amateur photog, came over with his multi-thousand camera and lens, and also had some issues mostly due to his inexperience with imaging coins.

I'll practice more and report back.

EVP

brg5658 · March 9, 2015 10:46AM

If you move your camera/phone closer, you may have some problems with lighting. Maybe try the HDR function on the iPhone6 camera (I think it has one), as that would adjust your exposure to attempt to still properly expose the image even in low light.

I'm a Samsung guy myself, and just upgraded to the Galaxy 5 last month. It has a 16MP sensor, but suffers the same limitations as the iPhone camera I would suspect. You're really in a pickle once you add the plastic of a slab in between the coin and the lens -- but you may have better luck with these raw coins.

Still, even your first shots were better than 70-80% of the images I see on eBay, so there's something to be said for that.

Zohar · March 9, 2015 10:57AM

I don't have a setup here and really struggle with phone stability and reflection from slab. Here are two I am selling which I have tried to improve on.

1/2 Klippe "Storm" Taler

2 Klippe "Storm" Taler

EVillageProwler · March 9, 2015 11:14AM

<< <i>is the second coin of King Offa as well? or an anonymous issue or something? >>

No. It is:

ANGLO-SAXON, Primary Sceattas.

Circa 680-710. AR Sceat (1.21g). Series BIIIA, type 27. Mint in Essex or East Anglia. Crude diademed head right; three pellets before; all within serpent-circle / Crude dove standing right on cross; annulets flanking; all within serpent-circle. Beowulf 23 (this coin); Abramson B500; Metcalf 156; North 125 var. (obv. symbol); SCBC 777B. Superb EF, richly toned. Excellent metal.

From the Beowulf Collection.