William Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 I am considering buying a "decent" camera to take pictures of my aquarium (and I guess other things) with. I have hoping to spend under $500. I currently use and iPhone 7 as my camera. Link to comment
seabass Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 There are numerous options depending on what you want. I would consider any of the following Canon point and shoots (it kind of depends on if you plan to use it for anything else). All of these have manual settings which should allow you to take decent tank shots. I chose Canon because it's what I'm most familiar with; however, there are other brands which would work too. Used compact ($105): https://www.keh.com/shop/canon-powershot-s90-10-megapixel-compact-camera.html Used point and shoot ($182): https://www.keh.com/shop/canon-powershot-g10-14-7-megapixel-compact-camera-black.html Used budget point and shoot ($49): https://www.keh.com/shop/canon-powershot-sx130-is-12-1-megapixel-compact-camera-black.html New compact ($399): https://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B0167Q140U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489649061&sr=8-1&keywords=gx9+canon New zoom ($355): https://www.amazon.com/PowerShot-Digital-Camera-Accessory-Bundle/dp/B01EGCO7YC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1489649778&sr=8-4&keywords=sx720+canon Then there are mirrorless and DSLR cameras. There are lots new and used cameras for less than $500 (in either of these two classes). The ideal tank camera would probably be a current DSLR with a kit lens for full tank shots, and a 100mm macro lens for closeups. However, that will run you over your $500 budget. Link to comment
HIppieRose Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 I have a DSR no better then my iphone for pictures so far. Link to comment
seabass Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 7 minutes ago, HIppieRose said: I have a DSR no better then my iphone for pictures so far. In automatic mode, maybe. Link to comment
HIppieRose Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Most the time. Sometimes I use sports mode for trying to get fish pictures. I take a few hundred just to get a few good pictures and never like those so just use my iphone. Save the DSR for anything but fish. lol Link to comment
RCReef Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Which of these cameras will work well with LED lighting? Or are there recommended settings? So far, my pictures really don't look like the tank. I have an iPhone 7 and a Sony AX53 4K camcorder. Sorry about the partial hijack. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 I really enjoyed shooting with my Canon G9 years ago. DSLR type functionality with a pretty decent inherent macro. I will say, shooting in manual is a must for most cameras if you want to get stellar shots. When researching cameras, I was told a lot of professional photographers use the Canon G series as backup cameras. You can get a G12 for under $300 these days I'm sure. The newer G series are around $600-$800 though so you could potentially just get into a DSLR at that point, but you'd be hard pressed to take decent macro shots without buying a good lens and that would set you back quite a bit more. Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 It's more about having the right settings, the right techniques, and the right post processing workflow. Some tips I previously posted before: White balance is very important. I have a custom white balance set on my camera that takes away the blues. If your camera doesn't allow for a custom white balance, try the preset for Shady or Cloudy. You can also use post processing software like Adobe Lightroom to correct white balance. Turn off your pumps to reduce blurriness from water movement and coral movement. Don't shoot at an angle because water refraction will distort the image. Shoot perpendicular to your subject. You need a fast shutter speed to reduce blurriness. To compensate, you can bump up ISO or widen your aperture. If those are not possible, invest in tripod or be creative with how to steady your hands. You don't need an expensive DSLR for nice pictures. I have seen stunning pictures from iPhones and regular point and shoot cameras. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 34 minutes ago, ninjamyst said: It's more about having the right settings, the right techniques, and the right post processing workflow. Some tips I previously posted before: White balance is very important. I have a custom white balance set on my camera that takes away the blues. If your camera doesn't allow for a custom white balance, try the preset for Shady or Cloudy. You can also use post processing software like Adobe Lightroom to correct white balance. Turn off your pumps to reduce blurriness from water movement and coral movement. Don't shoot at an angle because water refraction will distort the image. Shoot perpendicular to your subject. You need a fast shutter speed to reduce blurriness. To compensate, you can bump up ISO or widen your aperture. If those are not possible, invest in tripod or be creative with how to steady your hands. You don't need an expensive DSLR for nice pictures. I have seen stunning pictures from iPhones and regular point and shoot cameras. Well put. I currently use my Samsung S7 Edge in manual and get some pretty decent shots keeping all these factors (tips) in mind. Link to comment
seabass Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 1 hour ago, TJ_Burton said: I will say, shooting in manual is a must for most cameras if you want to get stellar shots. +1 Even that $49 point and shoot I linked will allow for custom white balance and manual settings (but the $182 camera is much nicer). Of course there are other considerations besides manual settings (like sensor size, focal length, lens speed, etc); however, the proper settings can make or break a picture. Here are some articles which might help: https://www.nano-reef.com/articles/photography/ Also: Link to comment
seabass Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 1 hour ago, HIppieRose said: I have a DSR no better then my iphone for pictures so far. iPhone cameras have gotten much better. You can get pretty decent pics with one. The main problem for reef pictures is lighting (although they also have poor zoom lenses when taking vacation pictures). While the iPhone 7 shoots in RAW, which can be processed to correct white balance, I'm not aware of a smartphone that provides true custom white balanced jpg images. You can get around this by changing the spectrum of lighting (or providing supplemental daylight spectrum lighting). Sometimes it seems silly to invest a lot of money in a camera, as smartphone cameras have progressed so much. Link to comment
teenyreef Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 I've got a Samsung S7 Edge, and a Nikon D5500 DSLR. No matter what camera you use, one of the biggest things to help is to set LED lights with the whites much higher than usual. But even when I shoot in RAW on the cell phone and do post processing for white balance, the colors are never as good as with the DSLR. On the other hand, if I shoot in RAW with my ancient Nikon D60 and the kit lens, I can get pictures nearly as good as with my new DSLR. The other key difference is that all cell phone cameras have basically a flat depth of field, meaning stuff further away from your focus point is still mostly in focus. Sometimes that's really helpful for close ups, but it can make pictures look "flat". If I was just starting out, I'd get a decent cheap used DSLR with a kit lens, or a reasonable quality point and shoot, and don't spend more than a few hundred dollars. Learn on that camera because no matter what you buy you're likely to want to upgrade later. Used DSLRs hold their value well so you can easily sell it later and apply the money to one you know will work for you. Or if you decide it's too much bother you can get most of your money back out. Link to comment
teenyreef Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Also Dave Fason recently posted a nice tutorial here: Link to comment
LbulletM Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Taken with my Canon t5i (can easily find for <$500, I paid $550 new) with minimal post processing (only my first time ever trying). Taken with my Galaxy S6 in pro mode with no processing at the same time. Link to comment
machonachos Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Consider mirrorless cameras Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 On March 16, 2017 at 9:42 AM, HIppieRose said: I have a DSR no better then my iphone for pictures so far. I just spent the last 30 seconds trying to squash a non existent bug crawling on (in) my computer! Link to comment
fishfreak0114 Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 21 hours ago, Pjanssen said: I just spent the last 30 seconds trying to squash a non existent bug crawling on (in) my computer! It tricked me this morning too! Link to comment
LbulletM Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 On 3/28/2017 at 7:50 PM, Pjanssen said: I just spent the last 30 seconds trying to squash a non existent bug crawling on (in) my computer! Oh man. That is infuriating after noticing it. Link to comment
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