Latest Pics

shaggydoo541 · #1 10/09/2007, 07:57 PM

Well I shot a few more pics the other night and other than being a tad dark I like how most of them turned out. Let me know what you think. I used a d200 with 105mm lens.

FUA · #2 10/09/2007, 08:09 PM

I don't know the lens or other photography technical stuff but I do know those are some awsomely detailed pics.

Brian24 · #3 10/09/2007, 09:20 PM

I absolutely love you pictures especially the mandarin.

shaggydoo541 · #4 10/10/2007, 04:11 PM

Thanks for the replies. I was actually trying to get the blenny pic and that one is my favorite but got bored when he was off behind rocks etc so I took pics of a few other things too. Then my mandarin started showing off so I had to get a couple of that as well.

payyourtoll · #5 10/10/2007, 04:35 PM

sick

kevinl · #6 10/10/2007, 08:45 PM

I like #3
I have a D50 and just got the 105 VR
I know the VR no good for these shots, but I can't wait. I have to clean the glass first! "in the tank - not the len's" LOL

shaggydoo541 · #7 10/10/2007, 10:52 PM

I like #3 too. I was lucky to catch him spitting out sand like that. It turned out well. I think you will really like your 105. I don't know how much the vr portion really helps (since all my lenses are VR) but considering I shot all these by hand I doubt it hurt any as I am super shaky, I can barely eat soup

shaggydoo541 · #8 10/10/2007, 11:08 PM

Here are a few more I haven't shared before. Enjoy

melev · #9 10/11/2007, 06:45 AM

Very nice pictures.

I like how you can see the clowns scales. Why does its eye look like that?

The blenny shot would have been better if the mouth area was in focus, imho.

The mandarin shots are beautiful.

shaggydoo541 · #10 10/11/2007, 10:01 AM

Thanks melev. I have no idea why the eye looks like that on the clown... it was THE hardest fish to shoot because it was black and my camera wouldn't autofocus and for a clown it sure swam all over the place constantly. On the blenny I actually wanted just the eyes in focus so you were drawn to them, but I will have to try and shoot some with the mouth in focus too.

shaggydoo541 · #11 10/11/2007, 10:01 AM

Whoops double post!

Rosseau · #12 10/11/2007, 10:13 AM

Great shots! The mandarin blowing sand around is great...

kevinl · #13 10/11/2007, 05:43 PM

Hey shaggy,
What I have learned in the photo end with the 105, VR should be turned off at a shooting distance of under 7' . Some one commented on how you can see the scales on the clown, but eye was clowded.
That is the DOF, very sharp focus on the point of the scales, but as you can see the fin on side is out of focus - this would be a very shallow depth of field. And one more thing that has helped me was use manual focus when shooting macro. True this is very hard on moving subjects - I tend to set a focus spot and wait for subject to enter the focus path.
This DSLR hobby has become as addictive as my saltwater hobby!
BUT I LOVE "EM BOTH!!

shaggydoo541 · #14 10/11/2007, 08:12 PM

Taking pics is fairly addictive I'll admit to that. I'll have to try turning off the VR. I turn it off when I'm shooting on the tripod but I didn't know it was worthless within 7'. I find that hard to believe just because who uses a macro lens further than 7'? But I'm always experimenting so I'll definitely give it a go. I'm not patient enough to set a focus spot but one day I'm sure I'll give that a shot as well. On most of my shots lately I've tried narrowing the dof just to focus on one thing. I used to set the highest fstop possible and was never as pleased with my pics as when I picked an fstop small enough just to focus on what I wanted. But with that said next week I may decide that I love the highest fstop possible... I really don't have a clue as to what I'm doing anyhow.

melev · #15 10/11/2007, 11:02 PM

When I shoot in macro mode, I shot at f/2.8

If the area is wider than a couple of inches, I adjust the camera to f/4.5 or more.

thor32766 · #16 10/12/2007, 09:44 PM

Sweet shots!!!!

shaggydoo541 · #17 10/16/2007, 12:12 PM

Melev - What is the max fstop you have found to be useful? I used to just set to highest fstop possible because I thought the more in focus the better, but I have found above the teens really does not help my macro picture taking any and in fact I think I actually get worse shots.

melev · #18 10/16/2007, 02:01 PM

It depends on the subject, but my usual setting is f/2.8

If I'm shooting an end-of-tank shot to show the full length of the reef, I set it to f/11 and focus on the front third of the livestock. Everything behind it is in focus that way. The shutter speed is a bit slower, so some fish may come out blurry if they move too quickly.

jim70 · #19 10/17/2007, 07:19 AM

very beautiful pics

dougie · #20 10/18/2007, 05:31 AM

very nice.

KurtsReef · #21 10/18/2007, 06:10 AM

Mandrin looks well fed

shaggydoo541 · #22 10/22/2007, 12:06 PM

Yes the mandarin is getting fat again. I had a scare where I had to treat my tank with interceptor and all his food died so he started to really look bad and thin down. But I raised some pods and brine for a while and he has pulled through and is now just eating from my tank alone with no more raising any pods or anything.

shaggydoo541 · #23 10/23/2007, 12:15 AM

Well I was in Denver last weekend and snapped a few pics of their aquarium over there. The acrylic is so thick on many tanks that picture taking is next to impossible but I was pretty pleased with the shots below. Enjoy and let me know which one is your favorite.

aaron L · #24 10/24/2007, 02:00 PM

great pics

shaggydoo541 · #25 10/26/2007, 04:08 PM

Thanks Aaron, I didn't think anyone liked this batch from the aquarium.