starting point for settings:
* USE A TRIPOD!
* use aperture priority mode (Turn dial on top of camera to "A")
* F11 (turn dial on back top right of camera to increase and decrease)
ISO 100-400
* set ISO to 100 (press button on lower left next to screen and arrow over then up to ISO and select 100)
* if you have a remote trigger, use it, if not turn the tab on the top of the camera to the right of the circle that has "M A S O GUIDE AUTO...). This way you can focus, click and let go - in 10 seconds the camera will take a picture. this will prevent the blurring from pressing the button.
* use autofocus for starters
* no flash
* turn the lights in the room off around the tank to prevent glare
* make sure the camera is pointed straight at the glass (not sideways or up/down)
post up a picture afterward and we'll go from there! try to just resize and save - hopefully all the metadata will stay attached so we can see the settings.
I'm short on time, so here is a copy/paste of two post from a while back:
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relative to the aperture - as the f-stop (aperture) increases (decreasing the amount of light) the depth of field is increased - this means that you have more of the coral in focus front to back. This becomes VERY apparent in macro photography where the depth of field is VERY shallow. There is a lot of physics behind this with collimation of light which i don't claim to understand. what's important at the newbie level is that the larger f-stop has a greater depth of field. the compromise is that less light comes in which means you need a longer exposure time. The nice thing is that our cameras are smarter than us (at least me) - by selecting aperture priority mode you are letting the camera compensate for the decrease in light by allowing the camera to select the shutter time. I like to start at F11 and move from there - if it's a large piece like the last pic you shot you might need to go higher.
the 8 second shutter time - I was struggling with this for a bit - the cause is your lights. the true-lumens don't put out a lot of light, as such your (smart) camera is doing what it needs to in order to get enough "image" onto the senor. if you shoot with your regular lights on (T5 or halide) with the same setting you will notice the shutter time dramatically drop. You can keep shooting under the true-lumens (as I'm sure they look great!), just keep in mind that any movement during that 8 second period is recorded and will show as a blur.
You can compensate for this by increasing your ISO (sensitivity to light) - the higher number increases sensitivity which will decrease the shutter time. again the compromise - as the number goes up the picture gets grainy. I try to stick to 100 as the pictures are sharp, the colors rich, and zooming and cropping isn't an issue. If you go up, my experience is that 400 is the furthest you can go.
Try to keep shooting the same piece so you can plot your progress. IT might benefit to pic a piece closer to the glass that is smaller (say 2" round max) for learning.
stick with the 28-135mm for now, preferably the 18-70 kit lens if you have it (I believe that's the canon kit lens).
tripod!
aperture priority mode
F11
ISO 100-400
I have had to reduce my exposure a bit (adjustable on the camera) at times. I shoot under LEDs (reefbrite), these LEDs are super bright. I don't believe you will have the same issue, though only trial and error will tell!
give that a shot and post a picture!
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white balancing:
always shoot raw & with a tripod. Stock 18-55 will focus at about 11" out. Set camera to Aperture priority mode, set F11 to start with
- take a picture of a stock grey card which is a neutral gray in your tank. I picked up the card at a photo store and had it laminated
- turn off pumps!
- take pictures of some corals (aperture priority mode, start with F11, Iso 100)
- download the NX2 software from Nikons site (60 day trial)
- color balance against the card (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzvPVgRNk6k)
- copy settings
- open raw pictures of corals and paste settings (it's in the you tube link)
- adjust as needed
- save as JPG with another name
- post really cool pictures
