450d tips?

[Ducati916]

Hi chaps

recently got a 450d with the canon 18-55 lense and also a Tamaron 70-300 zoom lense. now im no expert but have had a few DSLR's, i cant seem to capture any nice shot, some of the pics ive seen on other members tank threads are so sharp and clear but mine are just average and no better than my wifes £60 point and shoot job.

ive been using the camera set on auto but with flash off when taking pics of the tank with halides on, i dont have a tri-pod yet.

i just dont seem to capture the true quality of the tank

any tips for me guys

this is a typical shot

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/karting4/777/IMG_1087.jpg

thanks

[Reef bloke]

Hi mate,for handheld the shutter speed is too slow at 1/40 sec.You need it set to at least 1/125. I see you have used f5.6,you could try opening the aperture a little so you can select a faster shutter although you will decrese the depth of field slightly of course.
You could also try increasing the iso but as you are using 800 in that shot you are almost at the limits of bringing extra noise into the shot.
Try sticking the cam into shutter priority,set a shutter speed of at least 1/125 then adjust the iso and aperture to achieve correct exposure.
A tripod is of course your best bet with the pumps shut off so the coral doesnt sway.
Have you done a focus test on the camera to rule out back/front focussing?

[Ducati916]

cheers for that.

no not done a test as camera is new, how do i do that?

ps how can you tell what iso etc i was set at..

cheers

[Reef bloke]

To do a rough focus test,set your camera up on solid surface in daylight,place 3 AA batteries one in front of the other about 10mm apart on a diagonal at about 20 feet away.Make sure you set a fast shutter and set the aperture for a narrow depth of field f2.8-f5.6 then autofocus on the centre batt.Also set the centre focus point as if you leave all focus points on the camera may choose to focus on another object and not the one you are pointing it at.The centre focus point is also the most accurate having vertical and horizontal contrast detection.
The resulting image should have a pin sharp centre battery,if it focuses on the battery in front its front focusing ,behind then its rear focusing and needs calibration.

I checked your exif info using photoshop mate but the canon software should be able to give the same pic info.

all the best Tony

[Ducati916]

thanks ill try that.

heres a few more with a faster shutter, a bit better i think. had pumps running and held in hand, think ill get a tripod.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/karting4/777/IMG_1307.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/karting4/777/IMG_1306.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/karting4/777/IMG_1303.jpg

[Alastair]

A tripod makes a big difference.

[wez130]

I'm guessing the 18-55 lens you have is the newer IS version? Ifso, then use the IS, you'll get sharper shots if you use aperture priority (Av mode on the dial) stop down to F/8 or even F/11, but then you will probably need a tripod as mentioned. Also, shoot in RAW, that way you can change the white balance manually to get the right colourcast.

[Ducati916]

whats IS, the anti shake thing? if so then yes its on. cameras a few months old so should have the latest lense. ive been meaning to look into shooting raw


thanks for the tips lads

[Reef bloke]

I.S will only help prevent camera shake,it doesnt help if the subject is moving faster than the shutter speed.So it will help at the user end but if the corals are flapping about and the fish are swimming up and down the tank they will still be blurred.
Those pics look a little better mate,faster shutter?

[Ducati916]

yes the above were at a faster speed.

been using Raw and got a few better shots, although they seem to have converted to jpeg on there own and lost a bit of quality.

TV 1/125. ISO 400. f3.5

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/karting4/777/IMG_1328.jpg


http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/karting4/777/IMG_1333.jpg

[Reef bloke]

that looks much better than the first pic