Nikon D4 + Venus 60mm Super Macro f/2.8 — ¹/15 sec, f/8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Japanese 500-Yen Coin

After including the above photo on “Thoughts on the Venus/Laowa 60mm f/2.8 Super-Macro Lens” in February, it was pointed out to me that the coin includes some visible security features that I'd never noticed.

At the bottom of the zero in the middle, the lower-most horizontal line is flanked on each side by a letter “P”...

Nikon D4 + Venus 60mm Super Macro f/2.8 + 68mm extension tubes + 2x teleconverter, somewhat cropped — ¹/60 sec, f/8, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos

This shot was taken with an 8:1 macro setup that falls into the “stupid tricks” category, using extension tubes and a teleconverter. The accumulated chromatic aberration turns the cold monochromatic metal into a squishy field of splotchy color. But it was fun to try.

The other digits have two letters each as well: the other zero has “O” and “N”, and the five has “N” and “I”...

N · I · P · P · O · N

Together they spell “Nippon”, which is one way to write “Japan” in roman letters.

Then you have the hatchmarks that fill the two zeros. Depending on the angle of view and the angle of light, you might get just hatchmarks filling everything....

Nikon D4 + Venus 60mm Super Macro f/2.8 — ¹/60 sec, f/22, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos

... or you might get proper zeros with a center...

Nikon D4 + Venus 60mm Super Macro f/2.8 — ¹/60 sec, f/22, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos

... or you might get the phrase “500円” written top to bottom....

Nikon D4 + Venus 60mm Super Macro f/2.8 — ¹/60 sec, f/22, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos

The rear of the coin also has some of these kind of things, but they're much more difficult to see there.

I'd like to try taking these photos again more carefully, but I'll wait until I get a 500-yen coin in better shape than what I could find around the house the day I took these.