I have sometimes tried this technique for coins with a very shiny black
patina, which are difficult to photograph. Here are two examples from my
collection. I have used digital SLR cameras from Nikon and Canon, but I just keep them on automatic most of the time because I really don't know what I am doing. There is a custom setting that you can program but the instruction manual is as thick as a telephone book, and I have not
had the patience to study it. I just keep varying the background and flash angle until I get something that seems usable, but it is always hit and/or miss. V-drome