Please help with my Flash/No-Flash Problem...

[Psyire]

Hello,

I'm new to this photography thing, as I just got a decent camera in January. I've been using it a bit and can't seem to take a decent shot without the flash. I am using a Canon S2 IS and my tank is lit with 3x 250w 14k Metal Halides. I would like to be able to take a good picture that shows the right colors without using the flash and a ton of photoshop work.

Here is a good example:

My 2 Marble Seastars
===============

No Flash, No Photoshop:

No Flash, after Photoshop:

Flash, No Photoshop:

Flash, after Photoshop:

As you can see the no flash pictures are always washed out in blue. They don't look this blue at all IRL, and the only way I can bring out the correct coloring is to use the Flash and then add the blue back in with photoshop.

There must be another way??

 

[21Reefman]

My friend got a new canon elph and it has an underwater setting. He has VHOs and the pics are always blueish even with my 20D, we put his camera on the underwater setting and it adjusted the white bal to correct the blue pics looked way better.

Another option that you can use is a long exposure time part with tank lighting and a fill flash, just to get the warmth.

 

[gregr]

Sounds crazy but try the flourescent wb setting with the flash.
Have you tried a manual wb?
Not that it will address the color issue but did you use a tripod for the posted pics? Were you shooting straight into the tank (not angled from the side at all)? The reason I ask is the pics look a tiny bit oversharpened and I was thinking there may have been a little softness because of an angle or too slow shutter speed. Just a couple thoughts
Greg

 

[zorics]

white balance??
I thought the No Flash, after Photoshop looks very nice!

 

[Bmpower007]

Nice Pics

 

[gregr]

lol- I thought they looked nice too

 

[Psyire]

Thanks for the tips & comments guys.

I was told about a handy little program for reading the exif info of a picture. This will help me out a lot because before I would never know what settings were used on the pictures. (because I would select only 1 or 2 of 25+)

Here are the settings of my Camera when I snapped the above pictures:

ExposureTime : 1/30Sec
FNumber : F6.3
ShutterSpeedValue : 1/30Sec
ApertureValue : F6.3
ExposureBiasValue : EV0.0
MaxApertureValue : F3.2
FocalLength : 11.10(mm)
ExposureMode : Manual
WhiteBalance : Auto
Easy shooting mode : Manual
Contrast : Normal
Saturation : Normal
Sharpness : Normal
MeteringMode : Center-weighted
Focal length of lens : 6-72(mm)
White Balance : Auto

And to answer some of the above questions:

I haven't tried Manual WhiteBalance because I'm not too sure how yet. I didn't use a tripod and I did shoot the picture from a 'slightly' off angle. I had to in order to get more of the 'white' star in the picture.

 

[Psyire]

Well it's definately the manual white balance setting. This setting changes my pictures dramatically. I can take full tank shots that look like I am running 10K lights instead of 14K. That's a pretty dramatic difference. So now I just have to burn through a few more sets of batteries and get the 'manual' part figured out.

Can't believe the difference...