Camera and Macro Lens

[SoloGarth]

I am planning on getting a new DSLR camera and macro lens for tank shots. Just wondering if anyone had suggestions or wants to volunteer what they use. I've see a lot of nice pictures on here.

 

[nightOwl]

I am planning on getting a new DSLR camera and macro lens for tank shots. Just wondering if anyone had suggestions or wants to volunteer what they use. I've see a lot of nice pictures on here.

SoloGarth -A few things to get some good shots would be the following:

1. Use a tripod.
2. Cut off all pumps and let the tank settle for a bit before shooting otherwise you have to edit out "snow".
3. Shoot in RAW if you can.
4. Shot in Manual mode if trying to show a stationary object.
5. Bring your ISO down to 100 or the lowest you camera can support.

I have shot on various cameras over the years from an Olympus C70-UZ to my Canons (Rebel Xsi, T4i, and now 70D). A good macro lense helps but is not necessary. I brought a 100mm f2.8 just for tank photography. Some of my early shots that were decent were done with a tripod and some magnifying attachments. Top down boxes are great to give a different perspective. More than anything be patient and master your camera. You can use any photo editing software that works for you. Once you do that you will be surprised what you can achieve. Blues and purples are still hard for me but I just need more practice. Any questions feel free to ask.

Hope that helps

 

[SoloGarth]

Thanks yeah I have done a lot of reading and have taken a lot of pictures. I currently have an Olympus Pen but the macro lens for it (micro 4/3) is around $500. I was looking at either the canon t5i or a Nikon D5300 (this one seems the better of the two). Maybe work with the kit lens for a while before deciding on a macro (or other prime) lens. One thing I am not happy about is the new trend Adobe has taken with charging customers who use photoshop on a monthly basis. But the last time I "purchased" the program was photoshop 7 so perhaps it's time.

 

[toothybugs]

Talk to the guys in the Photography forum. Lots of good stuff there.

 

[nightOwl]

Thanks yeah I have done a lot of reading and have taken a lot of pictures. I currently have an Olympus Pen but the macro lens for it (micro 4/3) is around $500. I was looking at either the canon t5i or a Nikon D5300 (this one seems the better of the two). Maybe work with the kit lens for a while before deciding on a macro (or other prime) lens. One thing I am not happy about is the new trend Adobe has taken with charging customers who use photoshop on a monthly basis. But the last time I "purchased" the program was photoshop 7 so perhaps it's time.

SoloGarth - I am a Canon guy but in the end it does not really matter what camera you use as long as you understand how it works. A good macro lense is worth it FYI as you have already noticed Phototgraphy is another expensive hobby...lol. The monthly Abobe subscription is a good money maker for them...lol. I have an old version of CS5 that i hardly use. It might make sense for a professional but for the average user I think its a waste of money. I mainly use Lightroom for my processing and have found unless I am trying to get super creative I don't need Photoshop. If you are a Mac user there is a program called Affinity Photo that will give Photoshop a good run. I have been using it lately and its pretty good.

 

[nickdo]

Thanks yeah I have done a lot of reading and have taken a lot of pictures. I currently have an Olympus Pen but the macro lens for it (micro 4/3) is around $500. I was looking at either the canon t5i or a Nikon D5300 (this one seems the better of the two). Maybe work with the kit lens for a while before deciding on a macro (or other prime) lens. One thing I am not happy about is the new trend Adobe has taken with charging customers who use photoshop on a monthly basis. But the last time I "purchased" the program was photoshop 7 so perhaps it's time.

I've Nikon D80, Canon 6D(full frame), olymplus epl3.

From my experience,
Nikon for nice great contrast picture.(VIVD photo with pure black background), you can't get that from canon directly.

Canon is great for low contrast picture.

olymplus is not good at all in coral shooting.

Get DSLR has "white balance shift".(my old nikon don't have), then u can get a nice correct white balance picture directly without photoshop(actually I hate PS, many ppl PS picture incorrectly and white balance is totally wong with yellow hue)

the following pictures was shot by canon 6d(from camera directly, just crop)

lps shot under kessil blue light with white balance shift, you can get a nice natural vivd coral picture.(but i think nikon will be better.)

 

[SoloGarth]

I've Nikon D80, Canon 6D(full frame), olymplus epl3.

From my experience,
Nikon for nice great contrast picture.(VIVD photo with pure black background), you can't get that from canon directly.

Canon is great for low contrast picture.

olymplus is not good at all in coral shooting.

Get DSLR has "white balance shift".(my old nikon don't have), then u can get a nice correct white balance picture directly without photoshop(actually I hate PS, many ppl PS picture incorrectly and white balance is totally wong with yellow hue)

the following pictures was shot by canon 6d(from camera directly, just crop)

lps shot under kessil blue light with white balance shift, you can get a nice natural vivd coral picture.(but i think nikon will be better.)

Haha yes that is what I'm seeing with my Olympus. I just picked up a Nikon D5300. It is amazing how much better it does with pics of the tank. The auto white balance using a non balanced pic of the tank worked perfectly.

Wow those shots are great. I've used ps for a long time but I definitely see what you are saying if the camera can get it right there is no need (or little for post processing). I'm going to try out the processing software that Nikon provides.

Next thing to get is a top down camera adapter like the one from Avast.

 

[SoloGarth]

Talk to the guys in the Photography forum. Lots of good stuff there.

I didn't even know there was a photography forum on here. Should have looked more prior to starting this thread.

 

[SoloGarth]

Camera and Macro Lens







Experimenting with photo posting on here. Wanted to try out the way you are image hosting nickdo. My first attempt was using the full size image. Thought I broke the Internet for a second there haha.