Nikon users, please help

[Marko9]

I went out and got a D40x and 105 macro lens last week. That is about the last bit of fun I have had since buying it. I did not expect to take expert pictures right away, but c'mon.

What camera settings do you shoot at? Any tips for this rookie? Websites? Anything...

I can get a great focus through the camera, but it comes out nothing like I am seeing through the finder. Always a small blur here or something else there.

I used to look at all of these amazing photos and think that they were so nice; little did I know exactly what it took to get a great shot.

Thanks in advance for your time.

[TroyT]

To help settle out the blur try using a tripod. I have the same camera but I do not have that lens. I shoot more portraits and candids. Stay out of the point and shoot settings. If your lens has a large aperture (f2.8 or smaller) I would try shooting in aperture priority otherwise shutter priority or manual.

These settings may help you understand what the camera is really doing. Adjust your ISO and WB to the conditions you have to work with. I typically underexpose the shot and adjust the final shot in Lightroom. I shoot in RAW.

HTH

[Der_Iron_Chef]

With print film, a large part of the outcome occurred in the darkroom. The same, I've found, is true with digital photography. Get a good editing program (Photoshop is what I use) and really learn how to use it. Not, as some people suggest, to manipulate the photos into some crazy and unrealistic portrayal that's completely unlike the original subject, but to accomplish the sames things photographers used to accomplish in the developing process.

[VoidRaven]

Marko9....sent you a PM.

But here is one site many folks here on RC like:

http://www.ximinasphotography.com/lessons/index.html

[maroun.c]

Well before you jump to purchasing Photoshop lets begin with seing some of your pictures so we can help you better.
General guidlines:
For Fish pics
-Try to use the S mode and specify a shutter speed of 1/100 (the invers of the focal length you are using which is supposed to handle the handshake of the 105 lens (1/focal length 105 does not exist so 1/100 should be fine)
-If you bought the 105 VR. Vr will allow to go slower than this 1/90 1/60. slower than this or you'll get a lot of blurry fish as you have to consider subject movement too. Start with smaller apertures (larger numbers) till you learn how to nail the focus then you can go for larger apertures which give you limited depth of field and nice effects. This also gives you more light so the ability to get faster shutter speeds but it gets a bit of getting used to to nail the focus.
-For now you have a fast shutter speed and a small aperture (5.6-8) which will result in dark photos unless you have very intense lighting. so you compensate by upping your ISO (600-800) would be the maximum on my D70s before I sart to get a lot of noise. guess your D40 handles High ISO better so experiment with more if you need to. Another option would be to use a flash bounce it up a bit and have it at an angle to avoid reflections. push your camera on the glass (make sure your front element does not protrude and hit the glass) this give you stability and ensures reflections don't get in.
- Tripod would be a good thing to use as it eliminates handshake. It takes a bit of getting used to for tracking moving fish.
For Corals.
flash usually washes colors off so try to avoid using it.
Experiment with different apertures to decide on the DOF you like best on each picture.
Tripod is a must
minimize water flow to minimize blurring
use slower shutterl with lower ISO to ensure noise free pics .
Tripod is a must unless for those 1:1 macro shots.

Expereriment with those recommendations and post some pics.

[Marko9]

Thank you for everyones feedback. I do have a manfrotto pro tripod. I also have an older version of photoshop, but have no idea how to use it. I did buy the 105 vr lens.

I will need to learn how to adjust my camera, but I will try to get some shots up by the end of the weekend.

[Morbidious]

Marco,
I have the same camera and lens and I have the same troubles that you have.
What I see in the camera and what the end result are pretty far apart. My photos are
very blurry. I have a few dvd's from Nikon that I have yet to watch so if I learn anything
I will pass it on.

[ssbreef]

You should have got yourself a canon!


















LOL Just joking! Practice makes perfect. Keep reading about photography and practicing. Before you know it your pics will be nicer than everyone else’s!

Cheers

[surfnvb7]

i'm willing to bet you guys are getting blurry pics even though its focused, due to a very narrow depth of field set by a very small aperture.

increase that aperture to something like f/9 to f/13 (you will need a tripod)

[Marko9]

I learned about aperature last week and my pics look a lot better. I also got a remote shutter release and expodisc. My pics still need some work, but they are getting better everytime I pull the camera out

[Morbidious]

Thanks for the tip!