Napoli's Photos - Give me some pointers.

[NapoliNewJersey]

Ok I use a CanonDigital Rebal XT and a Canon 100mm Macro Lens. I usually just use the P setting at max resolution/quality and Auto Focus. I would like to hear some posters comment on what settings they use with a similar set up.

Here are some of my pictures that I consider good enough but not great.

http://web.mac.com/mikescotto/iWeb/Site/SPS & LPS_files/IMG_3594.jpg



I really need to upload some new pics to my site cause I think these are alot worse than some of my better ones but they are all on my other computer and I just took a lunesta so by the time I fishnish typing this i'll be asleep.

Tell me what you think and tell me some of your ideas on how you take pics. Lighting and even cleaning shutting pumps ... all that stuff.

 

[revhtree]

They look good and here are a few things I do.

Turn off all the pumps, PH's, ect. so there is NO movement of the corals. Use a tripod, set our camera to AV mode then use a remote or the timer to snap the pic.

Touch up in PS and your good.

This is the most simple way to make a quick difference IMO.

 

[Pitcom]

Actually i never shut off my pumps or anything, I'm pretty lazy that way. I personally like the tv setting on 200 or 400 iso. Shutter speed set anywhere from 1/60 to 1/125. If its just actinic lighting than it needs to be 1/10 all the way to 1/3" dependant on where your coral is situated. Type of lighting really makes a difference i've found ie color of bulbs. I think its a set ap at 5.6.Manual focus for the 100mm lens works way better than auto IMO. One of these days I'm gonna get a pod and turn off the pumps like rev and surfn reccommend. I dont really touch up my photos either. The most i will do is bumnp contrast to 2 or adjust the rgb brightness if the pic comes out too dark in the cannon editor. Its the only software i have, when i save to jpeg format from raw, I use microsoft paintbrush. Believe it or not, paintbrush can turn a 7 mb picture into 350kb and it still looks just as good.

 

[surfn]

in addition to what everyone else said, i'll run down some things.

-switch the focus on the lens to MF (manual focus). focus manually using the focus ring on the lens.
-keep the ISO down to 100 as much as possible.
-go into Av mode (aperture priority).
-set the f/stop to f/9 as a good starting point, you can go up to as much as f/13 or f/5 in each direction.
-use the 10second self timer. it will count down the seconds until it actually takes the picture, this limits the camera shake when you press the button which can cause blurriness in the pic.
-in the custom functions on the XTi menu, turn "mirror lock" to ON, and turn "long exposure noise reduction" to ON.
-turn all pumps off
-use a tripod
-make sure the lens is perpendicular to the glass, if you try to shoot at an angle to the glass it will distort the image and make it harder to focus.

-as far as other settings, i use center weighted exposure, and i use the manual AF point. i just select the center one, and then hold down the shutter button half way while turning the focus ring on the lens. when something comes into focus over that middle AF point, it will blink red and beep at you so you know its in perfect focus.

i don't like using the auto focus for macro work, and the auto AF points b/c it will randomly select whatever it wants to focus on, instead of exactly what i want to focus on.

 

[Pitcom]

This I gotta see....

Try it, every picture i have online here is converted through paint.

 

[revhtree]

in addition to what everyone else said, i'll run down some things.

-switch the focus on the lens to MF (manual focus). focus manually using the focus ring on the lens.
-keep the ISO down to 100 as much as possible.
-go into Av mode (aperture priority).
-set the f/stop to f/9 as a good starting point, you can go up to as much as f/13 or f/5 in each direction.
-use the 10second self timer. it will count down the seconds until it actually takes the picture, this limits the camera shake when you press the button which can cause blurriness in the pic.
-in the custom functions on the XTi menu, turn "mirror lock" to ON, and turn "long exposure noise reduction" to ON.
-turn all pumps off
-use a tripod
-make sure the lens is perpendicular to the glass, if you try to shoot at an angle to the glass it will distort the image and make it harder to focus.

-as far as other settings, i use center weighted exposure, and i use the manual AF point. i just select the center one, and then hold down the shutter button half way while turning the focus ring on the lens. when something comes into focus over that middle AF point, it will blink red and beep at you so you know its in perfect focus.

i don't like using the auto focus for macro work, and the auto AF points b/c it will randomly select whatever it wants to focus on, instead of exactly what i want to focus on.

Great Info! Also you can get a cheap remote and it will snap the pics at 2 seconds instead of 10. You can also get remotes that will snap it when you push the button.

 

[surfn]

Great Info! Also you can get a cheap remote and it will snap the pics at 2 seconds instead of 10. You can also get remotes that will snap it when you push the button.

the 40D has a 10sec and a 2sec feature.

but yeah, i do need a shutter release cable. thats on my list of must buys coming up, as you need one to take pics of fireworks.

 

[Pitcom]

It was kind of retorical, there is no way that you can have anywhere near the quality of a 7meg image compressed down to 350K without MAJOR compression (loss), it's not just my opinion, it's math.

I can understand that it's possible to your eye they look the same, but they aren't.

Isnt that the point, to still look good to the eye? All i know is when i look at the 7 m pic and the paint saved one on my system, i see no noticeable difference, until it gets blown up.

 

[revhtree]

the 40D has a 10sec and a 2sec feature.

but yeah, i do need a shutter release cable. thats on my list of must buys coming up, as you need one to take pics of fireworks.

Well even pressing the button sometimes will throw you out of focus if you hit it just right so IMHO the remote is a good addition. My remote has no cable it's really a remote but it will not focus. You must focus first then click. I think with the cable you will be able to focus. My shots are focused before hand!

BTW my remote was cheap like $30ish I believe.

 

[revhtree]

Maybe I can change it to 2 sec, I have never checked. LOL! Who needs it anyway dang it!

 

[surfn]

You can't change the timer to be as long as you want? I can change to 2 seconds or 10 seconds as presets and then anywhere in between 1 and 30 seconds if you want to set it.

nope, my presets are only 2 and 10sec. on the XTi is only 10sec i'm pretty sure.

although, if you pair up mirror lock with a 10sec delay......i think there is a bug in the software b/c it actually does it from 2sec.

 

[NapoliNewJersey]

Thanks guys, I'm going to put all this info to good use this weekend and I'll post my progress.