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Photo Clarity Vs The Naked Eye

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United States
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 Posted 01/19/2024  1:18 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add honest_abe to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
Here's an 1808 1/2 cent. With the naked eye, the date is clearly visible. For some reason this is not the case when a take a photo. I'm posting two images with slightly different lighting. The images look clear, but you really can't make out the date. Why is this happening? Any pointers? Thanks, everyone!


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Seeker_101's Avatar
United States
1791 Posts
 Posted 01/19/2024  2:44 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Seeker_101 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
This is only a guess but I think it has to do with focal point and resolution. With your eye, you can focus directly on the date while the camera is most likely focused on the highest point giving just the slightest fuzz to the rest of the image. The eye is more limited in resolving things than a camera lens is so the smaller pitting is smoothed out by the mind whereas the lens picks up all those details the eye can't fading the edges. Lighting and angle also come into play. I've had this same problem taking pictures of worn ancient coins.
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Seeker_101's Avatar
United States
1791 Posts
 Posted 01/19/2024  2:58 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Seeker_101 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Such as this. By eye I could read enough lettering to Identify it but none shows in the picture.

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Coinfrog's Avatar
United States
94367 Posts
 Posted 01/19/2024  4:04 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Coinfrog to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply




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John1's Avatar
United States
56855 Posts
 Posted 01/19/2024  5:16 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add John1 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Try taking a black & white pic.
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DOCC's Avatar
United States
1502 Posts
 Posted 01/19/2024  5:29 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add DOCC to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
What is your lighting setup?

It would appear you are not casting any shadows and coming directly overhead. Try lighting at an angle.

So many factors could be at play but I'd also suggest a grey background. If your scope is set to automatic white balancing a darker background would help.
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4036 Posts
 Posted 01/20/2024  11:01 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add rmpsrpms to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
It's all about lighting. If you light the coin when you take the photo the same way you it was lit when you saw the date clearly, it will show up clearly in the photo.
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RogerD's Avatar
Canada
491 Posts
 Posted 02/16/2024  9:41 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add RogerD to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Lighting Angle is helpful in discerning a coins features, typically I'll have a coin static and move the lighting around to capture field flash or die irregularities. 180 degree lateral imaging will miss depth on the fields. Having less than perfect eyesight makes imaging a great tool. Another thing is lighting strength, moving the light back a bit allows for more shadowing within the coins dimensions. Subtle items can be seen with greater clarity.
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United Kingdom
375 Posts
 Posted 02/17/2024  02:34 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Spyro to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I've found having local lighting at an elevation of about 40 degrees helps. Diffused background lighting tends to soften edges and shadows though. The mind is amazing and will infer what the eye might not quite catch. Some of the effects in a photo editing suite will try to emulate this but as yet never quite so well as your brain! Have fun! Experiment!
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