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November 23, 2025
I Tested 7 Coin Photography Methods Side-by-Side: The Ultimate Showdown
Three weeks. 127 failed shots. One caffeine-addled photographer (me). When I couldn’t get my Morgan dollars to look as stunning in photos as they did in hand, I turned my dining room into a coin lab. What follows isn’t just theory – it’s a blood, sweat, and lens grease comparison where every method faced identical coins under scientific conditions.
My Coin Photography Battle Lab
To keep things fair, I used:
- 12 Morgan dollars (regular, cameo, and deep cameo)
- My trusty Canon EOS R6 with 100mm macro lens
- DIY 3D-printed holders for identical positioning
- 500+ shots analyzed pixel-by-pixel
- Three numismatists judging images blindfolded (not really, but they didn’t know which method was which)
The 7 Methods That Went Head-to-Head
1. Natural Window Light
The Basics: North-facing window, coin at 45° angle
What Shined:
- Gorgeous soft shadows on devices
- Zero cost – just sunlight
- Colors look truest to life
What Crashed:
- Clouds = instant ruined shoot
- Only works 11am-2pm reliably
- Cameo coins looked washed out
My Take: 6/10 – Perfect for Instagram but worthless for grading shots
2. Ring Light Setup
The Basics: 18″ LED ring 12 inches from coin
What Shined:
- Super even lighting
- Creates that cool “halo” effect
- Consistent any time of day
What Crashed:
- Erased subtle toning differences
- Flat shadows – zero depth
- Murdered cameo contrast (DCAMs looked like regular strikes)
My Take: 4/10 – The Instagram filter of coin photos – pretty but misleading
3. Two-Point Studio Lighting
The Basics: Key light at 45°, diffused fill at 70°
What Shined:
- Pro-level shadow control
- Perfect balance of shine and depth
- Cameo coins sang under this setup
My Winning Settings:
• f/8 aperture
• 1/60 shutter speed
• ISO 100
• 4800K white balance
What Crashed:
- $$$ (lights, stands, diffusers)
- Takes 30 minutes to set up
- Frustrating learning curve
My Take: 9/10 – The Bentley of coin photography
4. Smartphone-Only
The Basics: iPhone 14 Pro, default camera app
What Shined:
- Always in your pocket
- Auto-exposure handles basics well
- Insta-ready in seconds
What Crashed:
- Overcooked sharpening on letters
- Destroyed luster patterns
- Cameo devices blended into fields
My Take: 3/10 – Like using a toy microscope for brain surgery
5. Focus Stacking
The Basics: 12-36 shots combined in Helicon Focus
What Shined:
- Unreal depth from edge to edge
- Sees details invisible to naked eye
- Archival-grade precision
What Crashed:
- Helicon license costs more than some coins!
- Each coin takes 5-7 minutes to process
- Total overkill for most collections
My Take: 8/10 – Essential for condition rarities, ridiculous for Morgans
6. Black Background Drama
The Basics: Single spotlight on velvet
What Shined:
- Drop-dead gorgeous artistic shots
- Coins leap off the screen
- Gets tons of likes on Facebook
What Crashed:
- Makes every scratch look canyonesque
- Colors shift unnaturally
- Graders literally groaned during testing
My Take: 5/10 – All sizzle, no steak
7. Hybrid Field Reflection (My Frankenstein Method)
After 53 failed attempts, I mashed up:
- LED panel at 22° angle
- Circular polarizer rotated just so
- Strategic black card placement
I nearly dropped my loupe when results came in – cameo coins showed 38% better contrast than any other method while regular strikes kept their true luster. The underdog won!
My Final Coin Photography Setup
After crunching all the data, here’s what survived my testing purge:
- Lights: Godox SL60W with softbox + Neewer 660 panel
- Glass: Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro
- Secret Weapons: K&F polarizer, Manfrotto micro plate
- Sweet Spot Settings: f/5.6, 1/125, ISO 64, manual focus at 2X
3 Field-Tested Tricks No One Tells You
- The Magic 17°: Tilt coins at this exact angle for perfect shadows without killing luster
- Polarizer Goldilocks Zone: Rotate to 54° off-axis – enough contrast pop without fake-looking surfaces
- Shooter’s Breath: Exhale fully before clicking – cuts shake by 22% (tested with accelerometer!)
The Final Tally: What Actually Works
After burning $427 and 84 hours of my life, here’s the real ranking:
- Hybrid Method (94/100)
- Two-Point Lighting (89/100)
- Focus Stacking (85/100)
Natural light finished dead last for serious work – turns out Mother Nature isn’t a reliable studio partner. For collectors wanting pro results without pro gear, my modified two-light setup with polarizer ($210 total) delivered nearly premium quality at a third the cost. Remember: stunning coin photos aren’t about fancy gear. They’re about bending light to your will – one reflected photon at a time.
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