I
still have both
types of releases mentioned and a Linhof 4x5 view rotting in the attic. I sold my 8x10. Current digital cameras can be released by a wireless Bluetooth transmitter the size of a USB drive. Fifteen years ago I
had a wired release for my 'now antique' Canon DSLR that plugged into the fitting on the
side of the camera but wireless is much better. You can even trip the shutter using an app on a smartphone but the small releases are easier.
Now to the big matter on which we differ. No cell phone can take a photo the equal of cameras. To make up for the tiny lenses and sensors, cell phone cameras rely on heavy processing to add
fake sharpness and detail not recorded in the raw shot. However, many people most certainly do take better photos using their phones than if they used a camera that they never took the trouble to learn the controls. I am working on that but am nowhere near proficient. Also, I'd estimate a
good 99% of all photos taken of coins have no reason for being except to sell coins online or participate in discussion groups which limit the size/resolution of the images. That means that for many uses the cell images done well are more than
good enough for the purposes intended. I take coin photos with the same cameras I use for the other parts of my photo hobby (
birds,
insects,
flowers). I rarely make prints of coins. Most of my coins are
poor enough that they do not allow being blown up to huge sizes even if I wanted to hang a print on my wall. As a result, I only keep the full resolution shots of 'special' coins. The run of the mill, record shots now get
reduced in size to something allowable by Facebook. I have not tried the full 2048 KB size limitations for
Forvm but even the Facebook legal 2048 pixels (same number, different unit of measure!) on the larger
side is
plenty to make 4x6" prints or to view on a small computer screen. My sample here shows the 10mm tall coin
reduced to Facebook 'legal' size and a piece of the full resolution image tacked on at the bottom making a file just under half
Forvm limit at 1.1 MB. Why, then, bother with a camera capable of more? I do make prints for wall hanging of non-coin subjects like the full size but not highest
quality (due to the amateur photographer) of a sweat bee and mosquito on a daisy available on this link to the 3.48 MB original size image . The center of the daisy is about
denarius size but I have not tried to get a bug to pose on a coin.
https://pbase.com/image/173120210