a little help with my g10
- Thread starter mojo~
- Start date
TitusvileSurfer
New member
I think they look pretty good! The 3rd one either missed the focus point or the weird angle through the glass warped the image.
mojo~
Skimmer Guy
all the above pics are un edited. I been playing around with software and tell me what you think. I just tried to clean up the images to make them a little more true to life. MAybe I am off a bit. I downloaded a trial of lighthouse 2 to see how I like it. So far so good but not sure how to convert a raw file with it. well tell me what you think. Thanks.
mojo~
Skimmer Guy
I also just realized I had the quality turned down to m2 which is about 5 MP compared to its 14.7mp rating. I l have to keep playing with it. And whithout breaking the bank what is some good software to use. I am really liking Lighthouse 2. its not priced too bad. Just dont want to break the bank.
Reef Bass
colors and textures
It's tough to match colors on subjects shot under high color temperature lights without setting the color temperature in software.
A substantial part of the art of digital photography is deciding on the right combinations of settings (ISO, fstop, shutterspeed, focus) to produce the image you're after. And those settings are interrelated, where changing one affects the others.
Keep playing with manual focus, ISO settings and shooting in Av mode. Experiment with settings. Crank the ISO up as high as it will go and notice how your shutterspeed is faster, but the picture gets noisier. Set the ISO down low and notice how your shutterspeed is slower but the noise / "grain" goes away.
Try picking a "medium" ISO and playing with fstops. Use the biggest f stop number and notice how more is in focus around the focal plane but a longer shutterspeed was necessary. Try the smallest fstop number and notice how your shutterspeed can be much faster but the distance from the focal plane in which items are in focus has decreased.
From the angle I'm seeing on the frag plugs it looks like you're not shooting straight through the glass. It is an annoying limitation, but it is really important. I remember looking at my not sharp, not clear pics going "Huh???" . Then a lightbulb went off over my head as I noticed my shot was at an angle, trying to get a better view of the top of the piece. I went back and shot the subject again, this time straight through the glass and the subject was sharp and clear. Try it yourself.
A substantial part of the art of digital photography is deciding on the right combinations of settings (ISO, fstop, shutterspeed, focus) to produce the image you're after. And those settings are interrelated, where changing one affects the others.
Keep playing with manual focus, ISO settings and shooting in Av mode. Experiment with settings. Crank the ISO up as high as it will go and notice how your shutterspeed is faster, but the picture gets noisier. Set the ISO down low and notice how your shutterspeed is slower but the noise / "grain" goes away.
Try picking a "medium" ISO and playing with fstops. Use the biggest f stop number and notice how more is in focus around the focal plane but a longer shutterspeed was necessary. Try the smallest fstop number and notice how your shutterspeed can be much faster but the distance from the focal plane in which items are in focus has decreased.
From the angle I'm seeing on the frag plugs it looks like you're not shooting straight through the glass. It is an annoying limitation, but it is really important. I remember looking at my not sharp, not clear pics going "Huh???" . Then a lightbulb went off over my head as I noticed my shot was at an angle, trying to get a better view of the top of the piece. I went back and shot the subject again, this time straight through the glass and the subject was sharp and clear. Try it yourself.
Reef Bass
colors and textures
Some specific suggestions on your newest pics.
Shots 1 and 2 are shot with a high shutterspeed (1/500), large aperature / low fstop (f4) and higher ISO (800). Your coral isn't moving much, so you could go much slower shutterspeed which would allow more light in, allowing you to drop your ISO (less noise) and / or decrease your aperature / increase your fstop to get more of the subject in focus.
The shutterspeeds used in shots 3 and 4 should have been sufficient to freeze motion, so I'm guessing the focal plane wasn't on the subject when you clicked the shutter release.
From these pics I would suggest working on shooting straight through the glass and using manual focus. To me having a sharp, clear image is step #1. Then be concerned with depth of field, image noise, etc.
Shots 1 and 2 are shot with a high shutterspeed (1/500), large aperature / low fstop (f4) and higher ISO (800). Your coral isn't moving much, so you could go much slower shutterspeed which would allow more light in, allowing you to drop your ISO (less noise) and / or decrease your aperature / increase your fstop to get more of the subject in focus.
The shutterspeeds used in shots 3 and 4 should have been sufficient to freeze motion, so I'm guessing the focal plane wasn't on the subject when you clicked the shutter release.
From these pics I would suggest working on shooting straight through the glass and using manual focus. To me having a sharp, clear image is step #1. Then be concerned with depth of field, image noise, etc.
Reef Bass
colors and textures
Focus is one item that cannot be created in post processing. If the focus isn't clear, it never will be. So getting that right when shooting is key.
Manual mode is a good way to shoot too! Av is a bit easier in that the camera will come up with a shutterspeed to match the aperature / fstop you've chosen.
I suggest starting with one pic of a subject that is easy to shoot again. Shoot it in as best focus as you can in Av or manual modes. Remember auto focus is often confused by the glass between you and the subject, so manual focus is a good idea. And stay perpendicular to the glass surface.
Also, cameras do have minimum distances required to focus. Don't put the lens 1" from the subject and expect auto focus to get it. Setting the camera in macro mode helps shorten the mininum distance.
If you are handholding (no tripod), keep your shutterspeeds faster (bigger bottom number) than 1/60. 1/100 would be better.
Hopefully your shot now is focused and steady. If it's not, try again. When you get one that is, post it and we can discuss the other elements of your picture.
As far as post processing software goes, it's up to you. I'm using Photoshop Elements. A lot of guys here use Adobe Lightroom. Others use Photoshop CS4. There are many options, including software that probably came with your camera.
Manual mode is a good way to shoot too! Av is a bit easier in that the camera will come up with a shutterspeed to match the aperature / fstop you've chosen.
I suggest starting with one pic of a subject that is easy to shoot again. Shoot it in as best focus as you can in Av or manual modes. Remember auto focus is often confused by the glass between you and the subject, so manual focus is a good idea. And stay perpendicular to the glass surface.
Also, cameras do have minimum distances required to focus. Don't put the lens 1" from the subject and expect auto focus to get it. Setting the camera in macro mode helps shorten the mininum distance.
If you are handholding (no tripod), keep your shutterspeeds faster (bigger bottom number) than 1/60. 1/100 would be better.
Hopefully your shot now is focused and steady. If it's not, try again. When you get one that is, post it and we can discuss the other elements of your picture.
As far as post processing software goes, it's up to you. I'm using Photoshop Elements. A lot of guys here use Adobe Lightroom. Others use Photoshop CS4. There are many options, including software that probably came with your camera.
TitusvileSurfer
New member
"ok I been trying to get the colors as close as I can to real without and software and been playing with the manual focus and iso settings."
Your trying to get the colors as close as you can without software? Just what are you doing to get the colors as close as you can? Color correction is software's time to shine. Don't be afraid of editing your pictures. It isn't cheating. Not editing your pictures is just lazy.
If you took some images in film, you don't edit them. You take the film to the camera store to get developed. Well...even with film, unless you went to a cheap store, the images were probably edited for you.
Well if you take a digital image in JPEG, the image is edited for you. You may not have edited it yourself, but your camera did after the image was recorded. So what is the difference? Whether you edit it (RAW gives a blank canvas) or the camera edits it (JPEG), the image is still edited. If you edit the image yourself (preferably with a RAW image), you can make much more accurate decisions than a camera which can only guess what the picture should look like.
Also you keep referring to "Lighthouse", which I have never heard of. Do you mean "Lightroom"?
Your trying to get the colors as close as you can without software? Just what are you doing to get the colors as close as you can? Color correction is software's time to shine. Don't be afraid of editing your pictures. It isn't cheating. Not editing your pictures is just lazy.
If you took some images in film, you don't edit them. You take the film to the camera store to get developed. Well...even with film, unless you went to a cheap store, the images were probably edited for you.
Well if you take a digital image in JPEG, the image is edited for you. You may not have edited it yourself, but your camera did after the image was recorded. So what is the difference? Whether you edit it (RAW gives a blank canvas) or the camera edits it (JPEG), the image is still edited. If you edit the image yourself (preferably with a RAW image), you can make much more accurate decisions than a camera which can only guess what the picture should look like.
Also you keep referring to "Lighthouse", which I have never heard of. Do you mean "Lightroom"?
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