DSLR's and Lenses

[marcgrantphoto]

I see a lot of questions on here about which lens, close-up filters, extension tubes, etc. so I wanted to address that with what I know.

There are only 3 things that affect image quality with a competent photographer.

1. Image sensor - a full frame sensor is going to be higher quality than a cropped sensor. Keep in mind too that the number of megapixels has zero to do with image quality. For example, NASA has a million dollar 1 megapixel camera.

2. Light - if you're lighting isn't good and camera set properly you're not going to get good images.

3. Glass - Pro glass will always outperform consumer glass. You're going to spend some money but the build quality, the actual glass itself are going to blow you away. If you're in doubt about this, rent a professional lens some weekend and give it a spin.

Canon's lenses that are pro are designated with an "L", for example, 70-200mm f/2.8L. It has a fixed aperture of f/2.8 and only changes when you change it on the camera so if you're at 70mm or 200mm you're at the aperture you set it at. On a consumer lens, your aperture may be f/4.5 to 5.6 so when you're at 70mm, your aperture is f/4.5 but when you zoom out to 200mm, your aperture changes to f/5.6. What's this mean? The larger the number the smaller aperture opening so from 4.5 to 5.6 your aperture is closing down and allowing less light mean you have to change our shutter speed or the shot will be under-exposed.

Even glass such as Sigma makes excellent lenses at about half the price of a Canon or Nikon. Again, stay with a fixed aperture if you can afford one.

I don't have my tank set up yet but I'm working on it. I do have some photos of what I love to do. Enjoy.

 

[Misled]

Hey Marc!!! :wave: See you've found the place!!! :lol:

 

[BrianB421]

Great article! I just picked up the Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG for my Canon T3i. I'm really excited to get some better shots of my tank!

Short of having a very basic understanding of the fundamentals of photography (I took a class in college 8 or 9 years ago), I am very much a novice. Do you have any recommendations for improving my skill set?

 

[marcgrantphoto]

Hey Jesse.... Yes I did. Thanks for directing me here. I wish I had some reef photos to post. None yet but all in good time. I love what I do and am here to help anyone who has questions.

 

[marcgrantphoto]

Hey Brian... I have a friend who is a Sigma rep and he was the one to test the new Sigma 18-35 f1.8 lens. It's the worlds first 1.8 zoom. Not sure about it's macro capabilities (minimum focal distance is 11") but I'm sure it'll do a great job. I'm looking forward to getting mine.

I'm new to the forum and don't know my way around that well. Do you have a gallery here that I can view?

Marc

 

[BrianB421]

Hey Brian... I have a friend who is a Sigma rep and he was the one to test the new Sigma 18-35 f1.8 lens. It's the worlds first 1.8 zoom. Not sure about it's macro capabilities (minimum focal distance is 11") but I'm sure it'll do a great job. I'm looking forward to getting mine.

I'm new to the forum and don't know my way around that well. Do you have a gallery here that I can view?

Marc

Not yet but I should soon. I've been shooting with the kit lens that came with my Cannon 600D (T3i). I will need to jump on a photo sharing site and then link them here. I'll keep you posted. Have fun around the site. Reefing and photography are fun hobbies to mix!

 

[marcgrantphoto]

Not yet but I should soon. I've been shooting with the kit lens that came with my Cannon 600D (T3i). I will need to jump on a photo sharing site and then link them here. I'll keep you posted. Have fun around the site. Reefing and photography are fun hobbies to mix!

Thanks Brian. I'd like to see some of your work. Once you start using a pro glass lens, you're going to see a night and day difference in photo quality and sharpness. Rent one from your local camera store first and see what works best for you. Canon makes a great 100mm f/2.8 Macro that's not pro glass but it's darn close.

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L Non-IS lens. This lens is 12 years old and still works like a charm.

 

[BrianB421]

Those are some incredible shots, Marc! Can't wait to upload my own!

 

[marcgrantphoto]

Those are some incredible shots, Marc! Can't wait to upload my own!

I'm looking forward to seeing them, Brian. Are you on Facebook? I have a lot on there as well as my personal site. Great way to share photos.

My Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/marcgrantphoto

My Personal Site:
http://www.marc-grant.com

 

[Clamagore]

I couldn't agree more about lighting. It's the single greatest factor by a mile. After all, photography is entirely about recording light. Good lighting and a prosumer-grade camera will trump mediocre lighting and professional camera every time. One only needs to look at David Hobby's work on his Strobist blog. He can produce stunning images with a pocket camera and a few flashes.

With regard to your points regarding sensor size and resolution, it's not so cut and dry in my experience. Like so many things in photography, it depends. For most users, full-frame cameras and/or high resolution cameras offer virtually no advantage. For others, they can be indispensable tools.

In good lighting at lower ISO values, a full-frame camera won't dramatically outperform a state-of-the-art crop-sensor camera. In low lighting at high ISO values, it's often a different story. On the other hand, full-frame cameras are better suited to limiting depth of field with the proper lenses and technique, while crop-sensor cameras can help maximize it"”it depends what you're trying to achieve. Full-frame cameras also allow the user to take the greatest advantage of the best lenses. Cropped sensor cameras are usually paired with lower-performing lenses, but a system that's smaller, lighter, and less expensive might be preferable for a 10-mile hike through the woods.

Many landscape photographers report that high resolution DSLRs are the new medium-format cameras. Years later, I'm still very happy with my 12MP D700, but I know full well that many of my landscape images would look noticeably better had they been shot with a 36MP D800. The portraits I've taken with an 85mm f/1.4? Not so much. All else being equal, higher sampling rates are often beneficial, just as they are with digital audio. They can also mostly eliminate the requirement for an anti-aliasing (blurring) filter in front of the sensor.

The most important factors in photography"”assuming the user has a competent device"”are mostly related to creativity, skill, and experience. I embarked on the salt water aquarium hobby only a few months ago and I can see that it's not much different. The equipment part is easy. What you do with it is far more complex. I started shooting film about 15 years ago and I'm nowhere near running out of room for improvement.

 

[IslandCrow]

I couldn't agree more about lighting. It's the single greatest factor by a mile. After all, photography is entirely about recording light. Good lighting and a prosumer-grade camera will trump mediocre lighting and professional camera every time. One only needs to look at David Hobby's work on his Strobist blog. He can produce stunning images with a pocket camera and a few flashes.

With regard to your points regarding sensor size and resolution, it's not so cut and dry in my experience. Like so many things in photography, it depends. For most users, full-frame cameras and/or high resolution cameras offer virtually no advantage. For others, they can be indispensable tools.

In good lighting at lower ISO values, a full-frame camera won't dramatically outperform a state-of-the-art crop-sensor camera. In low lighting at high ISO values, it's often a different story. On the other hand, full-frame cameras are better suited to limiting depth of field with the proper lenses and technique, while crop-sensor cameras can help maximize it"”it depends what you're trying to achieve. Full-frame cameras also allow the user to take the greatest advantage of the best lenses. Cropped sensor cameras are usually paired with lower-performing lenses, but a system that's smaller, lighter, and less expensive might be preferable for a 10-mile hike through the woods.

Many landscape photographers report that high resolution DSLRs are the new medium-format cameras. Years later, I'm still very happy with my 12MP D700, but I know full well that many of my landscape images would look noticeably better had they been shot with a 36MP D800. The portraits I've taken with an 85mm f/1.4? Not so much. All else being equal, higher sampling rates are often beneficial, just as they are with digital audio. They can also mostly eliminate the requirement for an anti-aliasing (blurring) filter in front of the sensor.

The most important factors in photography"”assuming the user has a competent device"”are mostly related to creativity, skill, and experience. I embarked on the salt water aquarium hobby only a few months ago and I can see that it's not much different. The equipment part is easy. What you do with it is far more complex. I started shooting film about 15 years ago and I'm nowhere near running out of room for improvement.

Great follow-up to the original post. I think you hit everything I wanted to expand upon. A lot of us like to get caught up in the equipment, and I'm certainly not one to say that quality equipment is not important, but high dollar cameras and glass will never make up for proper lighting and photographic technique. That said, if you know you're going to put in the time and effort to become a skilled photographer, that quality glass and state of the art sensor really is going to make a difference in the final product. Of course, the camera you buy now is going to be far from state of the art in a couple years, but that sweet Canon 100L macro is still going to be a sweet piece of glass ten years from now (though I'd still get the non-IS version for my purposes).

 

[marcgrantphoto]

Full frame means bigger pixels and bigger pixels collect more light (photons). More photons means more clean image compared to the relatively constant amount of electrons making noise. (Yes, I'm simplifying, but it's why bigger sensors are quieter and cleaner.)

Fatter pixels catch more light, so the larger camera doesn't have to amplify them so much for the same ISO sensitivity. This means that even though we wind up with the same exposure, noise and crud aren't amplified as much, leaving us with a much cleaner images without having to cheat with wimpy noise reduction filtration. There is simply less noise.

These are technical facts, not just my opinion but I appreciate everyone chiming in. That's how we learn.

 

[Clamagore]

I hear ya, Marc. It's not that I disagree with the physics, but engineers seem to be able to coax rather impressive results out of crop sensors, especially with whatever DSP magic they're up to these days. My old D200 and D300 unfortunately reveal the shortcomings of their small sensors, but newcomers to the game are lucky to have such high performing DX cameras at their disposal.

I'm really looking forward to the challenge of photographing corals and fish in my tank, and I'm sure you are too. I've never really thought about shooting through glass and water, but it's sure going to be an awesome learning experience! Top-down seems to be where it's at, but that's going to require a port-hole of some kind to take the warped surface of the water out of the equation. I know from spending time staring into shallow frag tanks that corals are absolutely mesmerizing to look at. And the work I've seen from other photographers who love their aquariums is really inspiring. I wish I started this hobby sooner.

 

[marcgrantphoto]

I hear ya, Marc. It's not that I disagree with the physics, but engineers seem to be able to coax rather impressive results out of crop sensors, especially with whatever DSP magic they're up to these days. My old D200 and D300 unfortunately reveal the shortcomings of their small sensors, but newcomers to the game are lucky to have such high performing DX cameras at their disposal.

I'm really looking forward to the challenge of photographing corals and fish in my tank, and I'm sure you are too. I've never really thought about shooting through glass and water, but it's sure going to be an awesome learning experience! Top-down seems to be where it's at, but that's going to require a port-hole of some kind to take the warped surface of the water out of the equation. I know from spending time staring into shallow frag tanks that corals are absolutely mesmerizing to look at. And the work I've seen from other photographers who love their aquariums is really inspiring. I wish I started this hobby sooner.

You will get it all figured out. I'm a 100% natural light shooter and haven't shot a strobe for almost 10 years. I've shot through the glass before with no problems as long as the glass is clean. There's nothing like seeing something crawl out of your rock after 6 months or so. To me, that's the beauty of a reef.

 

[Reef Bass]

Full frame means bigger pixels and bigger pixels collect more light (photons). More photons means more clean image compared to the relatively constant amount of electrons making noise.

Yup. I've had a powerful hankering for a full frame sensor for years and finally picked up a full frame 6D. It is SO much less noisy than my crop sensor 50D! HUGE difference.