Photography...

[Plecc]

nice one,

Great pic.

You can always download a free photo editor to do final tweaks to the gamma and brightness.

 

[cheesy feet]

... Thoroughly read the manual first.DSLR's take a lot of getting used to apparently.

Ive had the camera for a year or so but have only used it for taking pictures of bands (which is alot easier haha).

Im guessing the hardest thing is getting the fish to stay still? haha

Cheers

Ah I see...But have you read the manual -seriously lol.Admin on a reptile forum got his old dslr out (that he hadn't used for 4 years) and even with a professional working with him all day he couldn't get perfect pictures...And the professional is going to read the manual as 'all are different'.
Higher shutter speed should stop the fish blurring.

 

[BadBadger]

Also, for fast moving fish, use a remote flash positioned above the tank. This way you'll get crisp clear pictures of any fast movers. For close up shots use a good quality macro lens. The kit lens is decent for photography in the air ie: portraits, outdoor shots etc.

All ive got is a fish eye lens (ironically), how much does a decent macro lens cost?

Cheers

 

[Socks]

I do it at night,with the tank lights on and everything else in the house dark,no flash.It's alot easier to focus and get clearer pictures with 0 reflection.

 

[drobbyb]

They are pretty expensive. Usually as much or more than the dslr. You can get them used in some camera shops to save you a few hundred bucks.

 

[snowflake311]

It's ok to use a flash. I use 1/4 flash or a full flash. Check to see if you have flash settings. I use my auto setting because it's normaly right on point. I know how to adjust the f stop and shutter speed but I find the auto works great.

Here is a photo I took on auto setting with a 1/4 flash.

here is another

once again auto setting but a differant flash setting.

just get to know your camera and just play around with it. If you have a spot light or extra light you could add to shine on the tank that would help. When you use a flash you need to take the photo on an angle. If you do it straight at the tank your going to get a glare.

 

[ellena]

If your shutter speed is so slow you need to use a tripod, the fish will just be a blur. It's getting the balance between shutter speed and ISO, so you capture the fish and the shot is bright enough but not too grainy. Free noise removal software can save many a picture
All lights off except the tank light works well. If you have a hotshoe flash, opening the tank lid and bouncing the flash off the ceiling also works well.
Focusing on the while they're moving is just luck I think!

 

[BadBadger]

If your shutter speed is so slow you need to use a tripod, the fish will just be a blur.

Yeah i've got the tripod out haha
The pictures are getting better with each shot but still not quite there. Trying different levels of flash, shutter speed and the 2 different macro settings. This could go on a while
Im enjoying picturing the common plec as he just sits there quite happily but the rest arent to happy with the camera in there faces haha
Any chance the flash will stress them out if im taking too many pictures?

Cheers

 

[always4lora]

For fast moving ones you can use the sports mode on the Olympus 520-e i have as you can take lots of pictures in a row you'llget one out ten right i find but works for me just need to use a few cards. For my Bichir's which are a little lazy in the day i stick the camera to macro mode, turn of the flash, use no zoom at all and put the camera lense against the glass. Works well

 

[BadBadger]

For fast moving ones you can use the sports mode on the Olympus 520-e i have as you can take lots of pictures in a row you'llget one out ten right i find but works for me just need to use a few cards.

Ahhh good idea... I'll give it a go. Any other setting with it?

 

[jmkgreen]

Fish are one of the most difficult subjects to photograph. They're worse than children!

You'll need a fast lens and a flash. If your flash is close to the lens point your camera at a slight angle relative to the pane of glass in front of you - it might sound obvious but it's a little trick that works wonders.

I've had some pretty good results with a 105mm prime at around f1.4 iso100 160th/sec. I've not been doing much in the past year or so however - must get my camera out again (a 350D)! Oh and the number of megapixels you have has nothing to do with the quality of the picture - that's down to your lens and the sensor...

Bear in mind that light does not travel through water very well, hence with taller (24in) tanks it's generally recommended to go for T5 lighting to ensure the substrate gets sufficient light. That's true also for the camera lens which literally has completely different dynamics to that of the human eye.

If you want to get serious there are plenty of one and two day courses - I went on one in Reading a few years ago. Well worth it!

 

[Rex740]

It's ok to use a flash. I use 1/4 flash or a full flash. Check to see if you have flash settings. I use my auto setting because it's normaly right on point. I know how to adjust the f stop and shutter speed but I find the auto works great.

Here is a photo I took on auto setting with a 1/4 flash.

here is another

once again auto setting but a differant flash setting.

just get to know your camera and just play around with it. If you have a spot light or extra light you could add to shine on the tank that would help. When you use a flash you need to take the photo on an angle. If you do it straight at the tank your going to get a glare.

Hey Snowflake311, I can't ignore it, what fish are those in that first picture?