Some advice for a noob?

Discussion in 'Aquarium Photography' started by EllisJuan, Feb 1, 2014.

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  1. EllisJuan

    EllisJuan Feather Duster

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    I have Nikon D5000, a tripod, and the 18-55 kit lens. I can't really spring for a new macro lens right now. Anyone one to give me some tips for getting the most out of what I have now?

    Thanks
     
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  3. Vinnyboombatz

    Vinnyboombatz Giant Squid

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    That's a pretty good camera.If your shooting pictures of your tank you really don't want/need a macro lens. Photography is VERY complicated.
    That camera takes great shots on auto.lol my advice.Play with it and read a good book about photography.If your head starts hurting take pics on auto and call it a day.;D
    White balance is really a good place to start and is easy to adjust for taking pictures under reef lighting.
    Nikon imo has the best glass in the business and really a camera is only as good as its lens.You should be fine.
     
  4. EllisJuan

    EllisJuan Feather Duster

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    Someone else just suggested turning off the power heads...that should help with the blurriness. Thanks for all the great suggestions I will snap a few.
     
  5. EllisJuan

    EllisJuan Feather Duster

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    Also, is the less zoomed I am the better, shouldn't that give me a faster shutter speed?
     
  6. Va Reef

    Va Reef Giant Squid

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    what exactly are you trying to do? macro shots of corals, or a FTS or somewhere in between?

    Less zoomed is usually better because it allows for better shots and you can always zoom in later with computer editing programs.

    Also, I only turn off powerheads when I'm doing a top down shot. It doesn't mess up the shot if you're shooting through glass.

    I used my mom's Nikon D3100 with macro lens for some shots here, I can't remember the setting exactly, I'll look tomorrow, but I pretty much got it fine tuned by playing with ISO and shutter speed.

    Tripod is really handy, set it up on the tri pod and set the delay to 3 or 5 seconds so that when you press the button, the camera has time to re adjust incase you move it a little.
     
  7. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    The 18-55 will stop down as you zoom in. I usually try not to shoot with the aperture open all the way. In fact I usually try to shoot f8 or smaller (f9 +). Just get better shots with that. If you are trying to shoot fish in motion you will need to open up the aperture but I wouldn't open up all the way, maybe 1 or 2 stops from all open (f7?). Since the aquarium is well lit, you should be able to expose at 1/100 +. If the pics are too dark you can increase ISO. I think that camera will still provide good shots at ISO 400 & 800. The tripod will save many blurry shots. The delay is a great idea. I think I would probably zoom but I find that zooming all the way (55) doesn't yield the best shots. Probably 40-50mm would be your best bet.
     
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  9. EllisJuan

    EllisJuan Feather Duster

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    Well here are a few shots I took in manual mode. I think I needed a little more exposure time maybe?

    [​IMG]

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    [​IMG]
     
  10. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    Actually the exposure doesn't look too bad to me. Of you take a longer exposure there will be more motion. You can effectively increase exposure by raising the ISO. You can also adjust the white balance in the menu. Raise it to the highest (about 10,000) or set to cloudy.
     
  11. EllisJuan

    EllisJuan Feather Duster

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    Here are two more I took tonight with some different settings...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    Exposure looks better. Might turn of pumps for less motion.