Canon Power Shot.

J

JohnDinSD

New member
I just bought the Canon Power Shot SD770 IS to take pictures of my aquarium. I attended a club meeting where we discussed aquarium photography and it was mentioned that you should be able to take great pictures with a point and shoot.
Well, I ain't taking great pictures and I am not sure if it is my total lack of knowledge in this area or weather this camera is a poor choice for this application.
I cannot get the colors right even with manual white balance and the areas of light and dark seem overly enhanced.
I think I probably need to read more and practice more, but I have fifteen days to return the camera so I would like to know if this is a good choice.
Thanks.
 
I don't care for this camera for reef tank pictures. I could have told you just with the model number you would have problems with colors. Reef tanks are artistic subjects and require artistic cameras if you expect artistic results. Beyond using a high quality rig, the majority of beautiful coral shots featured through out reef central are also edited with Photoshop or similar software. A DSLR is always preferred but these "point and shoot" cameras would work worlds better:

Canon Powershot G10
or
Canon Powershot SX10 IS

As always we are physicists, not psychics, and can't tell what you are doing wrong from a paragraph. They say a picture is worth 1000 words:

OhRege.jpg
 
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Yeah sorry, I just don't see that happening with a reef tank.
Take the PowerShot SD770 IS for example. You can read and practice all you want...but it won't really matter. The camera calls all the shots. You can't tell it how you want the picture to come out. It just looks at your metal halide lights and thinks to itself, "We must be at the park with the kids on a sunny day". The camera sees your tank but it doesn't actually see a fish tank at all in its little brain. It sees something totally different, and it's the boss.
 
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I have a Samsung S1050 and I'm getting decent tank photos with it. It's got a full manual mode, gives me control over aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and even focus should I so choose. It's no DSLR, but for $130 I think it does okay. In "Super Macro" the minimum focusing distance is 1cm, so if you can get that close to any of your corals you can get killer macro shots.

9a70307d.jpg


2ba0c3c9.jpg


86dfe357.jpg
 
If the S1050 only had an uncompressed format I would call it one heck of a cheap reef camera. It's still pretty good though, much better than the SD770 above for a reef.
 
Yep...that is really the only thing, I wish I could shoot in RAW. I haven't really run into any post issues editing the JPEG's thus far, though admittedly I don't do much but crop and maybe a smidgen of sharpening. Especially since discovering the custom white balance yesterday...for some reason I had been thinking that Auto was the one that would "calibrate" to a white piece of paper. I had always been frustrated with how poorly the white balance presets represented my tank...I don't know why it took me so long to find it...lol

I also have a cheap $25 tripod that I use. The head is pretty much garbage, which makes it kinda hard to get the camera level for full tank shots. It keeps it pretty steady though, and I usually use the 2s timer for reef shots.
 
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I got bored and wondered what this one would look like with more contrast. Hope you don't mind.
Untitled-2copy.jpg

Untitled-1copy.jpg

I think I went a little overboard and actually prefer the original now that I see them side by side.
 
Not at all. I could probably do a lot to improve my final product in post by just messing around in the Levels, but it's very rare that I have a shot that I feel is worth the trouble :D I've taken something like 145 pictures of the tank this month and only a small percentage of that are shots that I would admit taking :lol:

So thankful that I'm shooting digital...I couldn't afford film and developing at this rate.
 
Yeah people complain about the cost of the cameras but they are really such a bargain. Your not paying 10 cents every time you press the shutter anymore. You only pay to get a picture developed unless you really want it done, and you still pay less per shot than film. If your really serious, just buy a nice printer. It is a lot easier and cheaper than a dark room.
 
I think you will be happy with it. Read your owners manual and Google Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO.

check out this thread as well.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1509051

The main thing to pull from this thread is the 5.6x crop factor.
1) Notice the focal length or "mm" the lens is set to. (say 10mm)
2) Multiply that number by 5.6. (56)
3) Round this number down to the next shutter speed stop or 1/3 stop. (1/60)
4) Make sure your shutter speed is at least 1/60. If your shutter speed is too low, move the Aperture up (lower number, ex: f/5.6 to f/4) or move the ISO up (higher number, ex: ISO 100 to ISO 200) (1/125 would be even better than 1/60)
 
Yes we would like to see examples! Especially Magga Pie as he may buy one to. Don't be afraid to take it out of the box while the wifey is away. You can put it back in neatly. If you want to impress her with vast knowledge in the coming weeks, we may have much work to prepare you!
 
I like it. Not as complicated as I thought. I can take some great outdoor pics, but my aquarium pics still look like crap. I have allot of practicing to do. I really do like the camera though, changing modes and settings is not that difficult one you start to play with it. If I could just learn to take a picture..haha.
 
Titusvile, I went to the thread at the link above. Very helpful.
So should I take the camera back a third time and get the G10. Do you think they would let me do that?. I was with a friend from my local reef club this evening and she was showing me some tips. She had mentioned RAW and the disadvantage of not having it. I am confused about the terms optical verses digital zoom. How much of a disadvantage would the G10 lens be compared to the SX10.
Regarding editing programs, for a Mac, Photoshop or Aperture? Would Elements be OK?
Thanks.
 
The G10 is a better camera, reef or otherwise, unless you are shooting something very far away. The G10 is a much better camera for reef tanks, but it is of course more expensive. I am passionate about the importance of RAW in a reef tank, especially if you want to shoot actincs.

As I mentioned in that thread above, the SX10 IS is meant more for football than reef tanks. All of that zoom really isn't worth much concerning a tank. Optical zoom is zoom with the lens, and this is what the SX10 IS does best. Digital zoom is zoom but manipulating the camera file. Digital zoom is crap and you should never - ever - use it. If you can see or hear the lens moving in and out of the camera as you zoom in or out, your good.

As I mentioned in that thread above, Elements is the consumer Photoshop and is probably all you need compared to the Jam-Packed professional "CS". Aperture is a neat little program but I think Elements will be more than enough, at least in the here and now. A year or two down the road you can always buy the next version of Aperture and/or CS when they come out. Every one of these programs have Mac in mind first, and were adapted for the PC so your good there. =)

If you are curious about Aperture, you could always download a free trial at...where else...Apple's web page! Short of a thumbs up and a wink from Steve Jobs himself, I don't think it gets more Mac friendly.

Whether you can take your camera back or not is up to who you bought it from. If you tell them you will buy a G10 if they take the SX10 IS back, then I think they would comply. I think the SX10 IS will do a good job with a reef tank. It certainly has a its charms. If your wife like shooting birds, the SX10 IS give the G10 a good kick in the pants. If you have a kid that plays sports the SX10 IS again (most likely). Each camera has its own strengths and each was build for a different purpose. If you are taking pictures of a tank, or family at Christmas, or really anything that doesn't take place 50 yards away, the G10 wins. If you are taking pictures of a deer 1/4 mile away, bust out the SX10 IS as the G10 won't even see it.
 
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