How Do I Get Perfect First Try Photos?

I'm not especially happy with my Canon T3i, but once I established a tripod setup, including lens distance from the coin, after much trial and error, I was able to get good photos on the first try. Here is a photo I took of the "Spoot" error on Civil War token Fuld-209/414.

Stabilizing the camera on stacks of books and using a delayed shutter release should help a lot. But results will typically vary from shot to shot, even with the same settings, with a point-and-shoot, especially on auto-settings. So you're on the right track by taking multiple shots and picking the best one.

You might look at getting a GorillaPod Original tripod (for point-and-shoot cameras).

For the above photo, the only lighting was indirect sunlight through a window (the key is indirect).

a lot of smart phones will out do point and shoots

check the iphone thread in this section,

the 4S seem to be the best, you can use the ear buds volume control as a shutter release, and can be had used on craigslist for $40 or less.

check the link in my sig, all done with an iphone. while not professional it is more than decent for archiving and selling.

for groups of coins you might want to use a scanner instead.

I likewise get frustrated from time to time depending upon the patina and reflectivity characteristics of the coin in question.

I'll never forget the time I needed to show the existence of all of the LIBERTY letters on the obverse headband of a Barber dime. No matter what adjustment I tried (even with five attempts) all of the letters just did not appear on my photos. I finally ended up holding the coin at an angle to the light source using an alligator clap on a stand which was a real pain in terms of time wasted.

Maybe in my example I should have practiced what I preach here in this thread since more than likely someone else has already gone through the learning curve for this same issue...

Therefore, for the forum to be of greater assistance I suggest posting both sides of the coin that you think is a bad shot.

From there members would be able to better comment on the best settings of your particular camera, for instance, or on lighting which tends to be one of the primary culprits in virtually all poor photos.