Pics inside my husband's 180 reef

[Lego&Jacub]

A couple weeks ago I got myself a Canon T2i... and ever since have been trying to get some clear photos (this is my first DSLR... so it's a learning experience).

Here are the latest batch, taken handheld last night, with my 50mm 1.8. Let me know what you think, or how I can improve the pics.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/0848c.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/0854c.jpg

100% crop of the one above... finally some clarity is starting to show up!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/0854c100.jpg

One of the hippos
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/0856c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/0862c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/0864c.jpg

One of the clowns
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/0867c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/0872c.jpg

Thanks for looking,
Sandra

[Recty]

A couple weeks ago I got myself a Canon T2i... and ever since have been trying to get some clear photos (this is my first DSLR... so it's a learning experience).

Here are the latest batch, taken handheld last night, with my 50mm 1.8. Let me know what you think, or how I can improve the pics.

In general, they are good picture, especially since you just started shooting a week ago.

But, since you asked for tips...

Use a tripod. Especially for coral pictures, use a tripod. If you havent tried it yet, you'll be amazed how much better your pictures turn out. It's harder to use a tripod for fish pictures but if you can manage it, it will help.

When you're taking coral pictures, you'll get more clarity/sharpness if you let the pumps sit off for a couple minutes. Having a non moving subject really helps and some corals even extend their polyps further when the flow stops, so you'll get even better shots. Combine this tactic with tripod use and you'll be blown away how much your sharpness increases.

On your desjardini tang shot, that would have been about perfect except the eye is out of focus. Getting the eyes in focus (and in the case of corals or anemones, the mouth in focus) makes the shot a lot more pleasing to our brains. If that tang had the eye in focus it would be a great shot.

The regal tang, it looks to me like your white balance is off. There are a couple ways to fix that, I can elaborate more if you cant find it. Also it looks to me like you're not shooting straight at the glass, the out of focus background and the fish itself look like you're shooting at an angle, you can see a fuzziness that is caused by diffraction. Whenever possible, and it gets more important as you get closed to the aquarium glass, shoot straight at the tank. That means moving sideways with your camera instead of angling sideways, which is a pain in the neck when photographing fish but you'll get more pleasing results for sure.

Is that a dendro? It's a nice shot, I think if the mouth was in focus it would have been a great shot.

The clowns are blurry. It's hard to say why on the first one, it looks like the focus just wasnt nailed down, but with the second one it definitely looks like motion blur. Use a higher shutter speed to slow the fish down and get a nice crisp image. I typically have to shoot a least 1/160th of a second and preferably 1/250th of a second shutter speeds to get good fish shots.

Again, you're doing very well for only owning the camera a couple weeks :)

[kilroy217]

In general, they are good picture, especially since you just started shooting a week ago.

But, since you asked for tips...

Use a tripod. Especially for coral pictures, use a tripod. If you havent tried it yet, you'll be amazed how much better your pictures turn out. It's harder to use a tripod for fish pictures but if you can manage it, it will help.

When you're taking coral pictures, you'll get more clarity/sharpness if you let the pumps sit off for a couple minutes. Having a non moving subject really helps and some corals even extend their polyps further when the flow stops, so you'll get even better shots. Combine this tactic with tripod use and you'll be blown away how much your sharpness increases.

On your desjardini tang shot, that would have been about perfect except the eye is out of focus. Getting the eyes in focus (and in the case of corals or anemones, the mouth in focus) makes the shot a lot more pleasing to our brains. If that tang had the eye in focus it would be a great shot.

The regal tang, it looks to me like your white balance is off. There are a couple ways to fix that, I can elaborate more if you cant find it. Also it looks to me like you're not shooting straight at the glass, the out of focus background and the fish itself look like you're shooting at an angle, you can see a fuzziness that is caused by diffraction. Whenever possible, and it gets more important as you get closed to the aquarium glass, shoot straight at the tank. That means moving sideways with your camera instead of angling sideways, which is a pain in the neck when photographing fish but you'll get more pleasing results for sure.

Is that a dendro? It's a nice shot, I think if the mouth was in focus it would have been a great shot.

The clowns are blurry. It's hard to say why on the first one, it looks like the focus just wasnt nailed down, but with the second one it definitely looks like motion blur. Use a higher shutter speed to slow the fish down and get a nice crisp image. I typically have to shoot a least 1/160th of a second and preferably 1/250th of a second shutter speeds to get good fish shots.

Again, you're doing very well for only owning the camera a couple weeks :)

what he said! haha...

[Whisperer]

What is the 5th pic?

[Lego&Jacub]

Recty... thanks SOO much for all the tips and suggestions you offered!! I am going to keep trying until I figure it all out! I'm considering getting a 60mm 2.8 macro lens... but am wondering how much better I can do before I go that route!

Thanks again everyone, for the kind comments and the help!!
Sandra

[JustinWong]

Pictures are amazing!

[dfixallman]

Great Pics !!!

[Lego&Jacub]

Thanks again everyone... I aim to keep trying, so I can improve the quality!!

Whisperer... as far as I know #5 would be a "rock anemone"... but I'll admit, the tanks are my husband's gig... so I'm not positive on that.

Sandra

[snorvich]

In general, they are good picture, especially since you just started shooting a week ago.

But, since you asked for tips...

Use a tripod. Especially for coral pictures, use a tripod. If you havent tried it yet, you'll be amazed how much better your pictures turn out. It's harder to use a tripod for fish pictures but if you can manage it, it will help.

When you're taking coral pictures, you'll get more clarity/sharpness if you let the pumps sit off for a couple minutes. Having a non moving subject really helps and some corals even extend their polyps further when the flow stops, so you'll get even better shots. Combine this tactic with tripod use and you'll be blown away how much your sharpness increases.

On your desjardini tang shot, that would have been about perfect except the eye is out of focus. Getting the eyes in focus (and in the case of corals or anemones, the mouth in focus) makes the shot a lot more pleasing to our brains. If that tang had the eye in focus it would be a great shot.

The regal tang, it looks to me like your white balance is off. There are a couple ways to fix that, I can elaborate more if you cant find it. Also it looks to me like you're not shooting straight at the glass, the out of focus background and the fish itself look like you're shooting at an angle, you can see a fuzziness that is caused by diffraction. Whenever possible, and it gets more important as you get closed to the aquarium glass, shoot straight at the tank. That means moving sideways with your camera instead of angling sideways, which is a pain in the neck when photographing fish but you'll get more pleasing results for sure.

Is that a dendro? It's a nice shot, I think if the mouth was in focus it would have been a great shot.

The clowns are blurry. It's hard to say why on the first one, it looks like the focus just wasnt nailed down, but with the second one it definitely looks like motion blur. Use a higher shutter speed to slow the fish down and get a nice crisp image. I typically have to shoot a least 1/160th of a second and preferably 1/250th of a second shutter speeds to get good fish shots.

Again, you're doing very well for only owning the camera a couple weeks :)

All of these are excellent suggestions. You might also compose with a point of interest (e.g. eye, mouth, etc) at one of the power points in the frame.

[Lego&Jacub]

Updated with new photos from tonight... (I'm listing common names)

Rock Anemone
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1235c.jpg

Clown Fish
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1257c.jpg

Sailfin Tang
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1263c.jpg

Coral Beauty (I know this one isn't very clear, but he is extremely ellusive and difficult to capture)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1270c.jpg

Damsel
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1286c.jpg

Bird's Nest
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1291c-1.jpg

Elegance
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1299c.jpg

Orchid Dottyback
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1303c.jpg

Sandra

[Brett9917]

Much better!!!

I know Recty already said it, but turning off your pumps will make a difference. All those particles in the water should settle. Also, don't forget to clean the glass before you start taking shots...
Your photography has improved, but just things specific to aquariums! :D

[Lego&Jacub]

Thanks Brett!! lol on the cleaning the glass b4 you take pics... I was snapping away, and then said "holy moly... look how dirty the glass is!". So some were thru dirty glass, then the some thru clean-ish glass. I can't seem to get it totally clean.

My hubby was asleep, or I would have asked him to turn off the pumps too. And I *really* need to dig out my tripod... I'm just tooo lazy. All my photos are handheld.

I can't wait to get a macro lens. I also found extension tubes... so am looking into that option as well. But as always, it all comes at it's own pace lol!!

Thanks for the tips!!
Sandra

[Lego&Jacub]

I had hubby clean the tank front for me... and I also set up on tripod for the first time with this camera. Here are the results.

Frogspawn
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1427c-1.jpg

Sun Coral
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1428c-1.jpg

Baby Bubbletip... this started as a tear from trying to move one!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1429c.jpg

Another Bubbletip (we have like 3 or 4 running around lol)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1452c.jpg

Zoas
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1430c.jpg

More zoas (I think)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1446c-1.jpg

Unidentified, but we liked it (if you know what it is, let me know!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1436cc.jpg

Closer
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1436c-1.jpg

[Lego&Jacub]

A few more...

Bubble Coral
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1441c.jpg

Leather of some kind
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1442c.jpg

Torch
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1443c.jpg

Toadstood
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1445c-1.jpg

Star Polyps
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1449c.jpg

Also unidentified... but love it!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1448c-1.jpg

Elegance (this is a big boy)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1453c.jpg

Paly?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1465c.jpg

Candycane in Feeding Mode
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1474c.jpg

[Recty]

You're definitely improving and since you're not doing this with a macro lens you're doing very well.

Toadstood? A new coral?

I think you might be cropping just a little too much, some of the pictures are starting to look grainy like they are being digitally zoomed in on.

If you're using a tripod now, take the pictures with the 2 second or 10 second timer. What this does is let the camera stop doing the small shakes caused when you press the shutter button. You'll get even clearer pictures.

I'm not sure what you're shooting at for ISO, but I would try to keep it very low, under 200 if possible which it should be if you're using a tripod and the pumps are off.

[Lego&Jacub]

lol... did I name it incorrectly? that's what my hubby calls them.

Thanks for the advice! I've definitely been trying to keep the iso low... I'll have to look at what level I used last night.

I'll try the timer... but I'm on the hunt for a remote shutter release button. One thing I have to watch out for is our Sailfin Tang... he's a camera hog lol!!

Can you explain what you mean by "cropping a little too much"? What I've been doing is using the "stretch" feature in paint to reduce the size of the pictures to 25-50% of the original and then taking a crop of that reduced image. The bubble coral pic is actually pretty cool when you're looking at the detail of the full-sized image... but of course, then you don't see the whole coral... so I wasn't sure what to do with that one.

Thanks again!
Sandra

[rezaktp]

Great so what is your secret settings:

ISO?
Shutter speed?
F stop=
White balance ?
Tripod, yes or no

We are all dying to know the secret!!!!!

Sorry but I am a Nikon DSLR man!

[Brett9917]

l
Can you explain what you mean by "cropping a little too much"? What I've been doing is using the "stretch" feature in paint to reduce the size of the pictures to 25-50% of the original and then taking a crop of that reduced image. The bubble coral pic is actually pretty cool when you're looking at the detail of the full-sized image... but of course, then you don't see the whole coral... so I wasn't sure what to do with that one.

Most digital cameras, including most cameras on cell phones, have a higher resolution than pretty much any computer monitor so most software and internet sites will resize the picture to viewable frame for you. This means when you crop the image it actually appears to be zooming in, and opposed to making the image smaller. When you crop down to 100% (meaning that you cropped the image so that the image you are viewing is in full resolution) you can start to notice individual pixels. I think what I am trying to get at is, only crop out the distractions, and so your image is framed properly, then let photobucket determine the proper size.

I am sorry if this didn't make sense, I am just finished taking a final which I pulled an all nighter for. I realized my brain hurt half through this... :hmm3:

Great so what is your secret settings:

ISO?
Shutter speed?
F stop=
White balance ?
Tripod, yes or no

We are all dying to know the secret!!!!!

Sorry but I am a Nikon DSLR man!

Some tips for shooting aquariums? Tripod = a must. If you aren't shooting with a macro try to keep your Fstop between f/8- f/11. ISO as low as possible. Shoot with "aperture priority" or "A" on your mode dial and let the camera figure out shutter speed. And adjust white balance on the computer... Also, shut the pumps off and let the tank rest for about 5 min or so before you start shooting so the corals settle down and the "Marine Snow" settles too.

[Lego&Jacub]

Great so what is your secret settings:

ISO?
Shutter speed?
F stop=
White balance ?
Tripod, yes or no

We are all dying to know the secret!!!!!

Sorry but I am a Nikon DSLR man!

Oh, sure... I can post that tonight. I'll let you know what I used last night, as those are the best pics so far. But I can tell you that I'm using my canon 50mm 1.8 prime lens, and a tripod.

[Recty]

lol... did I name it incorrectly? that's what my hubby calls them.

Thanks for the advice! I've definitely been trying to keep the iso low... I'll have to look at what level I used last night.

I'll try the timer... but I'm on the hunt for a remote shutter release button. One thing I have to watch out for is our Sailfin Tang... he's a camera hog lol!!

Can you explain what you mean by "cropping a little too much"? What I've been doing is using the "stretch" feature in paint to reduce the size of the pictures to 25-50% of the original and then taking a crop of that reduced image. The bubble coral pic is actually pretty cool when you're looking at the detail of the full-sized image... but of course, then you don't see the whole coral... so I wasn't sure what to do with that one.

Thanks again!
Sandra
Well, I imagine he calls them a toadstool, not a toadstood :)

The timer helps a lot until you get your remote release. The remote release is very nice once you do get one, I use it for tanks and for night time star pictures.

I'm not sure if you're planning on spending any money in the photography hobby, but you'd probably benefit from picking up a copy of the latest version of Adobe Elements, it's around $100. You could also use GIMP for free. I wouldnt use Paint for my photo editing.

It's hard to explain cropping too much in text... if you were in person I could do it much better. It basically looked to me like you were taking a picture, say it's 2000 pixels wide by 1500 tall, and then just cutting out the center portion of it, say a 800 x 600 pixel image, then enlarging it back up to around 1000x700 again or something like that.

[Lego&Jacub]

[QUOTE=Lego&Jacub;18062081]I had hubby clean the tank front for me... and I also set up on tripod for the first time with this camera. Here are the results.

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/160
ISO - 400
Frogspawn

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/80
ISO - 400
Sun Coral

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/125
ISO - 400
Baby Bubbletip... this started as a tear from trying to move one!

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/200
ISO - 400
Another Bubbletip (we have like 3 or 4 running around lol)

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/50
ISO - 400
Zoas

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/80
ISO - 400
More zoas (I think)

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/60
ISO - 400
Unidentified, but we liked it (if you know what it is, let me know!)

[Lego&Jacub]

[QUOTE=Lego&Jacub;18062084]A few more...

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/160
ISO - 400
Bubble Coral

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/160
ISO - 200
Leather of some kind

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/200
ISO - 400
Torch

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/200
ISO - 400
Toadstood

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/200
ISO - 400
Star Polyps

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/200
ISO - 400
Also unidentified... but love it!

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/200
ISO - 200
Elegance (this is a big boy)

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/200
ISO - 400
Paly?

F-Stop - F2
Shutter - 1/320
ISO - 400
Candycane in Feeding Mode

[Lego&Jacub]

I've tried to up the F-stop but can't get enough light. I still have a lot to learn... but the learning is fun! Hope that helped.

[Recty]

Using a tripod you dont need those high shutter speeds, especially since you're turning off you pumps so your subject, the corals, arent waving around.

Put your camera onto Av mode, set the f stop to something higher like f/8 and let it do the rest, the camera will slow the shutter speed down accordingly and you'll come out properly exposed.

I'm not saying you need to always shoot at f/8, just giving you something to try.

[rogerwilco357]

nice fast improvement with the fish and center eye shots keep up the good work

[Lego&Jacub]

So here's a couple taken last night, using Av mode. We didn't turn the pumps off... it was late and I just wanted to snap a few. But it was pretty cool to try the 2 sec timer function... works like a charm!

All of the following photos were taken using F8, ISO 200.

Exposure - 1/8 second (I look forward to trying this one again, with him in feeding mode)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1515c.jpg

Exposure - 1/10 second
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1516c.jpg

Exposure - 1/8 second (really like this one!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1520c.jpg

We tried this rock anemone with the overhead lights at various positions, and this photo turned out the best. The lights were over me (not the tank) and the "utility" light that we have over the tank (for maintenance lighting) was turned on. At any rate it brings out the phosphorescence.
Exposure - 1/5 second
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1527c.jpg

[dzfish17]

Those are some great pics. I just bought the wife a new camera. I cant wait to start using it. Good job.

Dave

[gjh289]

Looking good. I enjoyed following along.

[Lego&Jacub]

Thanks to both of you! Trying new settings/etc. has been really interesting so far. And I'm stubborn lol... so I'll keep practicing until I figure tank photos out!

Dave... congrats on your new camera... looking forward to the pics!

Sandra

[robs.mark]

Hey! The first one what looks like a flower is a clove coral, and the sps is pocillapora.

[CarolinaGuy]

Really beautiful pic. Aren't digital cameras great to work with, instant results and you can take as many pics as you want and just throw them away if their not good. It's the best. The pics make you want to see the entire tank. Please take a few so we can see it.
Keep up the great work.

[Lego&Jacub]

Thanks guys! CarolinaGuy I actually did take some full tank shots the other day. The front side pics turned out, but the back ones did not. I'll get some better ones in a day or two and post the results. Thanks for the interest!

Sandra

[Lego&Jacub]

Got some new pics tonight that I'm happy with.

Sailfin... too bad I chopped off his tail.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1820c.jpg

I just like this one b/c it shows his teeth and some things on his forhead I'd never seen before.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1854c.jpg

New frag (anyone know what it is?)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1859c-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1741c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1752c.jpg

Another new frag (anyone know what it is?)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/IMG_1779c.jpg

Happy New Year to all! :celeb1:

[XaznKewLguyX]

Nice pics..

[blaten]

The coral that you weren't sure about is called a blue sympodium. Also, great pics, I love the detail.

[a44007]

try the highest #F stop you have, most lenses are 22-30. and put the ISO at 100, or called low 1. then put the shutter speed at/around 1 second, oftenly called " 1" " on your camera.
good luck!

[Lego&Jacub]

O'kay... will give that a try! My tripod should be able to be picked up by the end of the week... lookin' forward to giving it a go too!!

[Brett9917]

Be careful with those high F stops though, some lenses can lose their crispness after F/14 or so I have noticed. Also, I second might be not enough light at ISO 100 and F/22. Just leave it on Aperture priority and let the camera figure out the shutter speed.

Oh you are on a Canon, I mean Av.

[Lego&Jacub]

I tried the higher shutter speed last night on our red cap and an acro. Was definitely having troubles. And to boot, I have to use the 2 second timer as I don't have a shutter switch yet, and the fish ALL wanted to be in the photo lmbo!!! Will try again soon.

[Lego&Jacub]

These very belated pics are for CarolinaGuy... sorry it took so long to get full tank shots for you! They were taken quick and dirty... but hopefully they give you an idea of what the tank looks like. I did take pics of the "back" side as well, but the drive is not working at the moment... will post when it is again. Hope you like!

Sandra


These are taken looking right to left on the "front" side of the tank.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/EOS075C.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/EOS076C.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/EOS077C.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/mybinkybuddy/EOS078C.jpg

[CarolinaGuy]

Sandra, my wife's name also. Thanks for the full tank pics. Very nice and your photography is getting better with each day. Keep up the good work
Thanks Again
Jim
CarolinaGuy