I need to take some shots of my tank for my reefclub meeting and am a bad photographer. I have a Nikon Coolpix - what settings should I use - any of the presets like "museum" or "indoor party" - should I use flash? I want to take shots of tanks with halides as well as actinics - please help!
help please Nikon Coolpix
- Thread starter susan2626
- Start date
TitusvileSurfer
New member
First off you posted this thread 3 times and probably won't get much of a discussion because everyone will be spread out. All "Nikon Coolpix" says to me is that this is one of those cute thin cameras with a big LCD on the back. I'm sure it looks hip at a party and all but...if you want to draw the color and speed out of reef tanks I'm not so sure. I have no idea what "Museum" or "Indoor Party" actually does vs. eachother. As most all presets of those types, I probably wouldn't recommend any of them. If you have "A" or "S" or "P" or "M"...those are the settings photographers use. Of course, you would have to understand what those settings do and how they interact with one another. If your camera doesn't have those settings...then...there really isn't much more you can do but snap a picture and take what you get.
TitusvileSurfer
New member
Just taking a *wild guess* on those presets:
Museum - High ISO, no flash, medium aperture ~f/5, slow shutter speed
Indoor Party - High ISO, flash, wide aperture, fast shutter speed
That is just my guess
Museum - High ISO, no flash, medium aperture ~f/5, slow shutter speed
Indoor Party - High ISO, flash, wide aperture, fast shutter speed
That is just my guess
TitusvileSurfer
New member
If you have a sports preset....use that for fish.
If you have a "macro" preset....use that for coral.
If they are pictures on a little turn wheel, the sports would look like a guy running and the "macro" would look like a flower. I put macro in quotes as it isn't really macro at all...but its a quick fix preset for general closeups.
Again though, I wouldn't recommend using either as opposed to A, S, P, or M...but if your camera doesn't have A or S and does have "Sports"...use that.
If you have a "macro" preset....use that for coral.
If they are pictures on a little turn wheel, the sports would look like a guy running and the "macro" would look like a flower. I put macro in quotes as it isn't really macro at all...but its a quick fix preset for general closeups.
Again though, I wouldn't recommend using either as opposed to A, S, P, or M...but if your camera doesn't have A or S and does have "Sports"...use that.
TitusvileSurfer
New member
The skinny on the Nikon Coolpix 2100:
Introduced in 2003, now discontinued
mega pixels: 2 (ouch)
ISO settings: Auto 50-800 (expected)
Optical Zoom: 36mm-108mm (that is in 1/3.2" sensor size terms of course)
Digital Zoom: 4x (do NOT use digital zoom!!) I'll say it one more time for clarity, digital zoom will hurt you way more than it will ever help.
Manual
IS (or VR): No (ouch)
Normal focus range: 30cm
Macro focus range: 4cm (I don't know how to switch from one to the other but your going to want to switch to macro focus range and get about 5cm away from your subject)
-----------------
Prognosis:
Set your camera to "macro" mode, get as close to your subject as you can, and for pity's sake don't use digital zoom. You only have 2 mega pixles to work with so make them count! Don't include a lot of background and extra tank mates if you can help it. Just focus on that one fish or that one coral, and try to fill the whole frame with it. Use your optical zoom freely (when you hear a motor and the lens moves a little). Do NOT use digital zoom (where the LCD on the back suddenly cuts the corners off). Play with flash if the pictures are coming out fuzzy but I think it is better if you don't bother with it. There isn't much else you can change. Good luck!
Introduced in 2003, now discontinued
mega pixels: 2 (ouch)
ISO settings: Auto 50-800 (expected)
Optical Zoom: 36mm-108mm (that is in 1/3.2" sensor size terms of course)
Digital Zoom: 4x (do NOT use digital zoom!!) I'll say it one more time for clarity, digital zoom will hurt you way more than it will ever help.
Manual
IS (or VR): No (ouch)
Normal focus range: 30cm
Macro focus range: 4cm (I don't know how to switch from one to the other but your going to want to switch to macro focus range and get about 5cm away from your subject)
-----------------
Prognosis:
Set your camera to "macro" mode, get as close to your subject as you can, and for pity's sake don't use digital zoom. You only have 2 mega pixles to work with so make them count! Don't include a lot of background and extra tank mates if you can help it. Just focus on that one fish or that one coral, and try to fill the whole frame with it. Use your optical zoom freely (when you hear a motor and the lens moves a little). Do NOT use digital zoom (where the LCD on the back suddenly cuts the corners off). Play with flash if the pictures are coming out fuzzy but I think it is better if you don't bother with it. There isn't much else you can change. Good luck!
