setting up a panasonic fz8

[cj7eagle]

I just bought the panasonic fz8 to try and get better pics of my fish and corals. The problem is i know very little about photography, or how to set up a camera. Everytime i try and take a pic of a coral on macro, it gets very blurry when i zoom.

Can anyone give me an idea on how to set this thing up. There are tons of options and setting and i really have no clue where to begin.

Thanks.

 

[michaeldaly]

The user manual is the best place.

Tips:

Make sure the flash is off
Set the camera to macro mode
Use a tripod if you can

 

[BlueCorn]

This link:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/gr/index.php

and this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=333197

are both great places to start.

 

[cj7eagle]

looks like a lot of great info. Thanks for the links!

 

[reefman23]

I have that same camera. I have heard that if you are using a tripod you should turn off the image stabilization. I gues IS with a tripod can cause blurred photos.

HTH,

Jesse

 

[djc1026]

It doesn't really have a macro mode. It has an Auto Focus Macro setting. This setting lets you use the max optical zoom of 12x from about 6' away. Thus you can get a macro type picture without being right on the subject. Any closer and the camera won't focus. Lessening the optical zoom will lessen the focusing distance. With no zoom, you can be about 5cm from the object. Read the manual about the minimum focusing distance to better understand this. I'm not a great photographer by any means, but here are some shots with my FZ8:

Dave

 

[cj7eagle]

great looking pics! i think i just need to practice and mess with the settings some more. Thanks!