Frustrating Fish,Noob Picture Taker--Advice needed

[JamesHolt]

Got the DSLR's out gonna have another go at them, havent had time lately to mess with anything fun..
Been trying to get a good picture of this one, but he isnt co-operating..
Quick little B%&&^%*..

Best one yet,, need to do more reading on my settings
I meant to bring them with me so I could post my settings but left both at the house..

D90 & D200 Camera,, Lens is Sigma Zoom 28-90 1:3.5-5.6 Macro
Would the D90 or D200 be better for shooting the aquarium?? (lit by 2 175w 20k MH)

 

[TrenchToast]

Turn your ISO up to it's highest for "action" shots. they might come out a little grainy but that can be corrected in photo editing software. I have an Orchid Dback as well. They are slippery little suckers.

btw: Mine is usually most calm just before feeding. It usually swims pretty still while waiting to be fed. could make for a prime time to take some shots.



Once you've taken some shots with your ISO at it's highest you can start dialing it back till you find that magic setting that you get clarity, good lighting, and sharp edges.

As for which camera to use, I'd say the D90. The D90 has and ISO that can go up to 3200, where as the D200 can only go up to 1600.

 

[JamesHolt]

thanks..
I bought him as a yellow tail damsel, hard to tell what he is from my picture..
He comes out to eat but does the ZIP, bite, ZIP, bite,, and then back into the rocks..
Got two days off to try though...

 

[rickztahone]

As TrenchToast mentioned, you want to bump your ISO up. Since 3.5 is your largest aperture, I would suggest shooting somewhere around that aperture for a faster shutter speed. 3200 ISO can be very limiting depending on your actual tank lighting.

 

[JamesHolt]

I didnt get a chance to try anything on my days off, just waiting for the weekend now...

 

[3dees]

try shooting at the highest frame rate. shoot 5 or 6 frames at a time and you will probably get at least one good image. my camera is usually set at ISO 800 and lens at 8.0 with shutterspeed at about 1/60th. not like the days of film. shoot, shoot, and shoot more. you can also try hanging a flash or two over the tank.

 

[JamesHolt]

only flash i have is the built in one,working on getting more camera stuff

 

[rickztahone]

try shooting at the highest frame rate. shoot 5 or 6 frames at a time and you will probably get at least one good image. my camera is usually set at ISO 800 and lens at 8.0 with shutterspeed at about 1/60th. not like the days of film. shoot, shoot, and shoot more. you can also try hanging a flash or two over the tank.

I believe you could possibly open up your aperture to 5.6 and get that little extra shutter speed to freeze a fish. I can see some motion blur in your pics, but only slightly which means you could benefit from a faster shutter speed. With that being said, your shots are really nice, and you have some beautiful fish. The flash suggestion is a great one. Flash photography opens up a lot of opportunities for better shots.

only flash i have is the built in one,working on getting more camera stuff

Do not use the on board flash, that never works out well in aquarium photography. You are better off bumping up your ISO and dealing with a grainy/noisy photo, than a straight on flash photo.

 

[3dees]

I'm getting lazy in my old age. I usually shoot with two Nikon SB-600 overhanging the tank on a boom light stand. these were all hand held. my lens is 2.8 but it won't do much for depth of field. with flash I can shoot at f11 for more dof.

 

[rickztahone]

I'm getting lazy in my old age. I usually shoot with two Nikon SB-600 overhanging the tank on a boom light stand. these were all hand held. my lens is 2.8 but it won't do much for depth of field. with flash I can shoot at f11 for more dof.

yeah, I've shot at 2.8 and it is almost impossible to nail focus. I actually have shot with my 58 1.2 and that didn't turn out that bad, but because I nailed critical focus. Shooting with twin flashes is definitely much better and easier. I have been struggling lately with bare bulb flash though because the modifiers I use on my actual photoshoots are too large to go above the tank. I need a better way of diffusing. Tried the usual DIY's but still looking.

 

[3dees]

this is my flash set up. nothing special. older pic from my discus days a couple of years ago.

 

[JamesHolt]

The Banner reps came this morning to do a demo, he had some really nice led strips with him, very bright soft light,, I am gonna see if I can borrow a few from him to see how they help out for pictures...

 

[rickztahone]

this is my flash set up. nothing special. older pic from my discus days a couple of years ago.

That is a beautiful wilds setup! Are you a member on Simply?

 

[rickztahone]

The Banner reps came this morning to do a demo, he had some really nice led strips with him, very bright soft light,, I am gonna see if I can borrow a few from him to see how they help out for pictures...

Only thing to be mindful of with constant light is the white balance. Try to take a picture of a white object under the lighting you are using to set your white balance later in post.

 

[JamesHolt]

Only thing to be mindful of with constant light is the white balance. Try to take a picture of a white object under the lighting you are using to set your white balance later in post.

I have the plastic lens cap you shoot through once all the lights are setup and running... I just have to get in the habit of doing it each time..

I am gonna keep all my posts in this one, will be easier to follow I think..

 

[rickztahone]

I have the plastic lens cap you shoot through once all the lights are setup and running... I just have to get in the habit of doing it each time..

I am gonna keep all my posts in this one, will be easier to follow I think..

ah, I see, you are the one from the other thread as well

I can give you pointers here as well. I asked about a tripod on the other thread, but lets keep it here to follow easier.

 

[JamesHolt]

I do have a tripod, also have a frame that I can bolt to the 80/20 to support a camera as well

 

[3dees]

That is a beautiful wilds setup! Are you a member on Simply?

yes I am, or was. I still look now and then. I loved my wilds but way too much maintenance. I won some awards for this set up. in the end it was just too much for someone with back problems.

 

[rickztahone]

I do have a tripod, also have a frame that I can bolt to the 80/20 to support a camera as well

I tripod helps greatly. With a tripod you want to use your timer setting on your camera. This way, when you hit the shutter, the camera will wait a few seconds (depending on what you set it as) before it takes the shot. This eliminates the chance of you accidentally moving the camera a little and messing up the shot. With that being said, this technique is almost useless with fish. Corals will be fine. However, if the corals have particulates that sway, move quickly, you will still need to up your shutter speed. A tripod allows you to dial back your ISO. You want to avoid raising your ISO because it adds too much grain (or noise) to shot. Focus manually via the lens and the images may come out sharper than you letting it decide where the focus is.

 

[JamesHolt]

I have a remote trigger coming
Might as well post what lenses and cameras I have,,it may help..
Nixon Cool pix l100
Nixon D70 (I thought it was a d90 earlier,but it's not)
Nixon D200 with battery grip..
Nixon AFI Nikko 70-300 mm 4-5.6
Sigma zoom 28-90 mm 1:3.5-5.6 macro (this is what I have been using for aquarium)
Quantaray AF LD 55-200 mm 1:4-5.6 macro (never tried this one in aquarium)
Sigma zoom master 1:3.5-4.5 35-70mm multicolored
12mm,20mm,36mm extension tunes with electronics
And a tripod...
Took a bunch of pics today, whittled them down to about 10,, can't post till I go back to work Saturday (no internet,,uploading via cell takes all day)