You see the subject, now have at it!

I'll post more later - after my nap.

ooooOOOOO, good topic! I'm tired of seeing photos posted that look like they came from National Geographic while all my photos look ghetto when it comes to the actual photo...

I'm also having a hard time w/ the focus on my camera. I have the new Canon SD100 3.2MP. When I zoom in to where I want it, image gets all blurry. Also, I've been told just to take the pics in 640x480 to save film disk space. Also, since the image is being resized for posting, no need to take them in 1600x1200. What is the ideal setting if one exists??

Also, what exactly is the benefit of using Macro? Also, what is ISO speed? ALSOOOO.....(just kidding!)

I'm far from an expert but i've found a few tricks that have helped out dramatically.

First of all... white balance is VERY important. If you can stick a piece of PVC in your tank and use that to measure your white balance, it will help with coloration.

Second, a tripod and a remote that allows you to start taking pictures without physically touching the camera helps a lot with those blurry pics.

Third, rather than taking single shots, setting your camera on a continuous mode has worked out great for me. Last night I took around 250 pictures in this mode and came back with about 22 really nice pics that stood out from the rest.

I would also adjust the quality as high as possible. My camera allows up to 2048x1800 something. Nothing below 1024x768! You can always zoom and crop out the focal point of the image to reduce file size.

I'm hoping to see some other great tips because i'm really a n00b when it comes to this stuff.

I second the comment about white balance. It made a world of difference for me.

Unfortunately, it still was not enough to make for good photos from my Nikon Coolpix 2000. Thank god Nikon has the best macro mode around, as it's the only thing that saves that camera from being toss IN the aquarium.

Kracker:
ISO Speed is how long the camera exposes the picture. The higher the number, the faster the shutter speed, which means you can catch faster motion without blurring. Unfortunately, higher numbers also make for grainier photos and less depth of field, so it's a trade-off.

Macro is a setting the sets the focal distance to within inches of the camera, at the expense of depth of field. You can take incredibly crisp, clear close-up pictures, but anything more than a few inches away will be blurry.

In the aquarium, I tend to take most pictures in macro mode, except for the critters towards the back, in which case I have to use normal modes. But like I said, my camera sucks for aquariums, aside from macro mode.

And on that note, here are a couple shots I took the other day.

A macro shot of torch coral tentacles:


A normal shot of the torch from a distance (zoomed and cropped), using a high ISO to "freeze" its rapidly swaying tentacles.


Unfortuantely, I deleted a similar picture taken at low ISO, in which the tentacles came out really blurry from the motion. But here's a normal shot of a BTA w/ clown, taken at a low ISO. Note how blurry the clown is because of the high exposure time.

nice info fellas... and MKramer, your photos are very helpful! gonna take some pics tonite!

I just borrowed my friend's SONY T1, and OMG it has the best macro in any camera I have ever seen!

its just a damn shame there's no tripod attachment.

oh yea didn't really get a chance to take a picture of my corals, cuz I borrowed it mainly for taking pictures of some jewelry.

NO other camera I have ever used (never tried a Nikon) can capture the brilliance of diamonds like the sony T1 can. It has some sort of super macro.

Yea i know I haven't really used any professional cameras, but i'm really going goo goo gaa gaa for this sony t1. I'm going to get it as soon as it comes out, it's so slick.

You don't want to run to hight of an ISO, (for those of you who don't know what ISO is I think KrackerG asked) With film cameras you can buy diffrent speed films that can read light at diffrent speeds ISO is to simulate this, Using an ISO of 400 is fast enough for most cases, when you start to get into the higher ISO range you will be able to capture things quicker with less light but you will also start to pick up alot of grain.

When it comes to resolution shoot at as high as you can this way if you need to do any cropping or photo manipulation you are always starting at the highest quality from the start.

Tripod--good still need to get one, for now I just try to lean on something or set my camera on my knees and sit on a chair when i'm shooting my tank..

Adjust your shutter speed, and your apature to freeze the tentacles, and you will get a much sharper picture.

Also #1 Tip, Advice.. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH PHOTOSHOPING YOUR IMAGES. The second you take a picture with a digital camera your a digtaly manipulating your photos wether your saving them as jpegs which will automatically sharpen, or if by using diffrent white balances which will manipulate your colour.

And since this is an Open topic.. Here are some photos taken w/my 10d (i don't think i posted these yet on here)











What type of coral is this?




More photos

http://www.socalracers.com/tankpic/LATRIP/fullsize/

You done napping yet Orange Crush

digtal photography has been a hobby of mine for 5 years now some cameras are more focused as in the take pictures differently depending on the lens and the type of ccd imaging chip that is inside i use a older 3mp sony cybershop which has all the controls of a SLR camera but being digital it take photos best outdoors it has decent macro capabilty but i have an ever older sony camera that does an awesome job with taking pics of thing up close. you can find the macro power in the specs of a camera before you buy it my cyber shot has 6 inch macro power which means it can focus on somthing as close as 6 inchs and take clear pics is in macro mode my older sony takes pics up 1.5 inch which will let you get right up on something to take a pic
but cameras are getting better all the time

if you get a camera that has adj shutter and appapture and exposer you can play with these things to increase the qualty of your photos and a tripod always makes things clearer i do not know many people that can hold a camera perfectly still

photoshop helps fix minor color or brightness details easily

cameras....wow..... since i changed to a photography major with a graphic design minor i have spent way to much money on cameras and tripods.

anyway i have found that the most important part of you equipment is a good tripod. don't skimp here. the cheapy walmart ones wont cut it. sped about 60- 100 dollars and get a decent tripod so your camera will stay still, especially if you are using a macro mode. cable releases are also a good idea, if you camera can'tuse a cable release then use the timer on it when possible.

i know it all about the digital now days but what about the film? if you know what you're doing you can get emmaculate photos with film and scan them in to you computer or even scan them at walmart with their photo cd macine. so not haviong a digital camera is no excuse!

Greetings everyone,

I am new to this forum, and nano's for that matter.

I have a 120g reef setup and a new 12g JBJ NanoCube.

I had a question fyou Brahm. I have a 10D camera and a 100mm Macro lens (bought for reef tank photos). I also have the 550 flash (not sure if it is needed for reef shots).

Do you have any tips for me? ANything that might allow me to get some shots with as much color as your shots.

I am also interested in an easy way to post pictures to the forums and/or a web site to share them with everyone.

Thanks,

Sean

I'll hop in with more more suggestion as a Digital Camera fanatic, if your camera support RAW mode and you have a converter, use it, especially for a tank. RAW is a bit of a pain, as you HAVE to photoshop it after the fact (no sharpening, etc), but what it gains you is that you can set the white balance after the fact with no loss to the image. If you're shooting in jpg and you don't get the white balance right, you're pretty much out of luck.

-Dylan

hahahahahha big bear rules!

brahm: What camera is that?

Even if you have the digital on a tripod use the timed mode for every shot you can. Focus on what you want to shoot set the timer for 2 seconds or so then step back. This will pretty much gaurentee a cleat shot as long as you dont kick the tripod

I'm wondering if anyone here uses an Olympus Digital Cam...I have a D560 3.2 megapix...I can't get a clear shot of my tank to save my life. Macros just don't come out at all. Does snyone have experience with this cam?