What is the Best point and shoot camera for taking pictures of our corals and fish

[Dkuhlmann]

I'd like some suggestions for the best camera to take pictures of my corals and fish. We all know the issues with trying to get good color out of our pictures but the blue lighting in our tanks makes it pretty much impossible with many cameras.

I've seen some threads in the past that were awesome and were a point and shoot camera but for the life of me can't remember what the camera was.

I'm not wanting to break the bank but get a reasonable priced and quality camera. Any and all suggestions are much appreciated.

 

[proenca]

few things :

- what is your budget ? my bank is different from yours and vice versa

the problem with point and shoot is the lack of control - they usually tend to shoot JPEG which negates one of RAW files most usefull features for tank shots : white balance. adjusting the white balance of a picture, you can adjust the tint - your lights tint the picture blue and you can counter it. most point and shoot I know do not support this

without knowing your budget, I would recommend buying.. used one camera that is at a fantastic price now ( And you can find mint examples of it ) is the Fuji XPRO1. It has RAW mode, great lens selection and you can buy a good manual macro lens and buy a 15$ adaptor and you will be golden

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Well like anything else I would like to get something that will work well for just my tank pictures but I don't want to become a professional photographer

I'd like to keep the budget and buy used but would like to keep it at about $200 or less if possible, if not I can go more. I would even be happy with an outdated camera that still works just isn't made any longer which happens a lot with tech products

I've read threads from others here that had pretty cheap cameras that did an outstanding job, I just can't remember what they were.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Nobody has any suggestions?

 

[Misled]

Just look for a Point and Shoot camera that shoots in RAW. Canon has the G series that does. Most other brands have one or two that do. You won't be able to do really close macros, but you'll be able to get the colors right.

 

[Reef Bass]

What Jesse said. Your budget is the limiting factor blocking interchangeable lenses that would enable true macros. Best to prioritize getting colors right (RAW).

Point and shoots often offer a macro mode which allows the camera to focus on closer objects. If you can play with one (at a Best Buy, for example), you might try putting something on the counter, such as your keys, and seeing how close you can get or how full you can fill the frame with them before the camera won't focus. A dedicated macro lens will have better optical quality and likely be able to fill the frame with the subject more completely, but this could give you an idea of the p&s macro mode abililty before you put down any money.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Thanks guys, I'll check the Cannon G series as well as other that shoot in RAW. I'm not really interested in macro shots but just to get good color would be a HUGE plus. Take a look at my link and you will see why I want something to do better than my cell phone which does better than my Kodak easy share ZD8612IS, Which would probably take better pictures if I knew how to do the settings properly.

If you have any suggestions on the settings of my Kodak please tell me. I have no clue how to take pictures with it other than on AUTO

Anyway here's my thread. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2540376

 

[woodnaquanut]

I scanned thru your pics. I saw very few in focus. Are you using a tripod? Turning off the pumps? Shooting perpendicular to the glass? Using a remote shutter release/self timer? Cleaning the glass REALLY well?

A new camera won't help with any of these things.

It also looks like you are doing extreme cropping instead of using a macro. New camera might help a small amount here but there is no way to get a really crisp full frame pic of a tiny frag without a good macro lens.

A new camera won't fix the color issues. Get a photo editor like Lightroom and learn how to use it.

Good photos are like good reef tanks. It's not all about the equipment. It's the skill of the photographer/reef keeper. The only way to get that skill is to work hard learning and experimenting.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

John I'm pretty much guilty of all of the above. But I was told by Jesse that I need a macro lens as well as a camera that takes pictures in RAW, which mine does not. I can't even change the lens on my Kodak ES so yes I did need a decent camera to start with.

The only thing I have done right is to clean the glass and shoot some perpendicular to the glass, but honestly could be better. I'm wanting to learn photography as it seems like a great hobby and one that I've certainly got time for.

I just ordered this camera Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi400D10.1-Camera17-85mm Canon Zoom/Macro Lens from a guy in the selling section that had it listed. I paid him yesterday and it's being shipped from PA to Iowa today.

So I now have something decent to start with and will most certainly get a tripod which I have seen is paramount in taking quality pictures. The anti shake can only do so much to take out human error and well I do shake too much

Thank you for your post and I am going to be here learning all that I can. Now that I've got a camera that will do better on the color I can work on my skills. I also picked up some magic erasers and will clean the snot out of my tank glass today while I'm waiting for my camera to arrive. I'll also get the photo editor Lightroom that you suggested, and see if there are any local photography classes or groups, Kinda doubtful as I live in a very rural part of Iowa.

I've gotten a lot of inspiration by seeing the beautiful pictures that you all have taken in this forum. I do thank you all for that and look forward to becoming a decent photographer in the future.

Dave

 

[Misled]

I'm sick, so I didn't read all of your post, now I gotta do this again. First, you need a camera that shoots in RAW to adjust the white balance,(color). The macro lens is to be able to get very close. The one you got isn't a true macro, but it will get you started.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I got it today Yah I realized it's not a true macro but it sure does take much better pictures than my other one did.

I've got to go get a few things, mainly a tripod and the cable to attach the camera to my PC.

Thanks for your help Jesse. I also got the program Lightroom WOW that's quite the program, I'm still looking for a good tutorial for it. Do you have a suggestion for a good one?

Also what do you suggest for a decent macro lens that will work on my new camera?

 

[Member No. 1]

Dave,
Look here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR0W_CKWZHY

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Thanks Pete, Do you know of any others? I've got a downloader for Youtube videos and I will save them to my HD

 

[Member No. 1]

Thanks Pete, Do you know of any others? I've got a downloader for Youtube videos and I will save them to my HD

Dave, once on the page I linked to, look at the right side of the page, there are links to more, and it goes on and on. I've looked thru a bunch, some better than others. They all pretty much say the same thing. Just pick one that you find easy to understand and follow.
I was in the same boat as you a few weeks ago as I finally got a good camera. After a few days viewing videos I have a pretty good understanding of what I need to do with LR & PS to make my pictures look good. I'm sure I'm only scratching the surface with regards to what LR & PS can do, but for me, and what I want, I'm good for now. Just keep taking a ton of pics at different camera settings to see what the different ones do. You can always delete them later.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Thanks Pete, ya I know about the additional videos on the right side of the page and I'll check them out. Just thought I'd ask of any others that are known to be good.

SO tell me what you think about this macro lens, It has good reviews and reasonably priced. Found a few good deals on Ebay.

Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 for Canon 272E

And what about this Wide angle macro lens

Macro Wide Angle Lens for Canon Eos Digital Rebel XTi w/18-55 MARK II