Coin Photos

Scary how different they look from one another.
Is the white on top of the first letter "L" in the word "Dollar" an ugly milk spot or an awesome luster shine ?

Ah - I see a fair amount of shake. I'd say the next thing to put on your list is a tripod. SuperDave mentioned a remote shutter release, but if you have a sturdy tripod, you may not need that. (I don't use a remote switch, and my photos are sharp enough for me...)

If you don't have a sturdy tripor or a remote shutter release, the trick is to get more light. We're limited by the apertures of our lenses, which generally don't lend them to low-light photography... If you can't get more white light, I guess you'll have to find a tripod!

When pressing the shutter release, try to keep your hand very still. This might mean supporting the camera on the bottom with your thumb or other hand.

Also, try to keep your settings consistent, once you figure out which you like the best. If your camera has a manual mode, that will be helpful! If not, try writing them down so you can see if your camera will shoot consistently. I have the benefit of an adjustable white balance, so I can set my camera to use the same white balance every time, which is pretty cool! A lot of cameras have that, but it can be tough to find in the settings.

ALLS I GOTTA SAY IS, L1011 - your photography has already come a loooooong way! =) Great job experimenting! Keep it up, and once your happy, keep your notes together so you can produce consistent results easily! :D