40 gallon Cadlights

[xxvietxjustinxx]

Here are some pictures of my three and a half old tank. I recently acquired the Sony NEX-5N for $420. Here are my most recent pictures. Constructive criticism accepted. Enjoy!

 

[jroovers]

:thumbsup: Very nice!

 

[Gwall30]

my gosh, every shot is like right out of a magazine. is this the CAD Lights 39G Professional?

 

[burnah]

great macros! do you turn off your pumps for those pics?

for me, the colors look a little bit washed out and cold. did you reprocess them? did you do manual white balance?

greetings martin

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

my gosh, every shot is like right out of a magazine. is this the CAD Lights 39G Professional?

Thank you for the compliment. This is a 39g professional, I believe. It is the one with the sump and overflow. To see my build thread, look here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2202055

great macros! do you turn off your pumps for those pics?

for me, the colors look a little bit washed out and cold. did you reprocess them? did you do manual white balance?

greetings martin

Yes, I did turn off the pumps for the pictures. Given that I shoot in RAW, I did process these pictures myself. I manually put in my bulb's kelvin temperature (14000k) and adjusted it slightly in order to depict the colors in my tank. I realize that there is a slight purple hint in some of the picture. I tried to correct that in my macro pictures. Can you define cold for me? Too blue? Thanks for the CC

 

[burnah]

focus and composition is good, but i feel they lack saturation. maybe its just the light thats different to what i would expect.

 

[Robb in Austin]

I think you need a bigger tank!

Great pics too!

 

[jroovers]

focus and composition is good, but i feel they lack saturation. maybe its just the light thats different to what i would expect.

Interesting comment, usually the criticism in post is that they are overdone saturation wise.

I think the WB in post using a K specific adjustment is the way to go. Anyway you cut it, sharp shots!

 

[burnah]

i agree that usually pics are oversaturated. your pics look very crisp and clean, i like them very much - don't misunderstand my comment. i just noticed that they look different from pics i've seen or have taken myself, could be the light. single metal halid? love how it creates that spotlight effect, way better looking pics IMO.

greetings martin

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

I think you need a bigger tank!

Great pics too!

Thanks! I wish I could get one but it's only 3 months old. I won't have a new tank for another two years or so...

Interesting comment, usually the criticism in post is that they are overdone saturation wise.

I think the WB in post using a K specific adjustment is the way to go. Anyway you cut it, sharp shots!

Thank you. I find that shooting RAW and using a specific K gives the most realistic pictures. I honestly can't stand the over saturated look; it makes corals look so unrealistic. As reefers, we know how corals look and we should take our pictures to depict them as natural as they look, not artificial with neon laser blues and greens.

i agree that usually pics are oversaturated. your pics look very crisp and clean, i like them very much - don't misunderstand my comment. i just noticed that they look different from pics i've seen or have taken myself, could be the light. single metal halid? love how it creates that spotlight effect, way better looking pics IMO.

I did not take your comment the wrong way. I appreciate the constructive criticism. Yes, there is a single metal halide but I'll be adding 2x24w t5's. Some pictures look nice with the spot light effect but some pictures look like crap; specifically this shot:

There are just too many shadows for my liking, hence why I'm adding 2x24 t5's. Funny how you always want what you don't/can't have. I'll be posting more pictures soon. My corals are very small right now so they don't look that impressive but in a couple of months, I think they'll be there.

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

Here is a quick update of my tank after RAP. Picked up the majority of my pieces before RAP from Crystal. Best deals EVER! Also got two pieces from Steve Garrett and three from Leo.

FTS

Left

Right

Tri color valida from Chefzilla77

Forgot the name but this is from Steve

Lime in the Sky and my TINY Red Dragon from Crystal

Sapphire Millie from Leo

Green Acro from Jeff at Fantastic Frags

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

Added some more sps.. been getting good coloration and growth lately

 

[jroovers]

Nothing wrong with more SPS IMO!!! Nice pics.

Pic 3, top left corner, Pink Lemonade perhaps? Looks like a really nice piece.

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

If you meant the bottom left corner, that's a Pink Lemonade. Although I'm not sure if it's the OG one.. the branches are very small.

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

Haven't done much with my tank. Corals have been getting good growth though. Should be upgrading within the next month. Bought a 10 eye mummy chalice for $40, steal of the month for me. Enjoy.

Right

Left

Subulata

Mummy Eye

Red Planet

Forgot, got it from Steve G.

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]