Few more

Red Skirt Zoos (this one looked much better in the viewfinder)
[IMG]http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c113/Poppy828/IMG_0099.jpg[/IMG]

Pocilipora
[IMG]http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c113/Poppy828/IMG_0098.jpg[/IMG]

Hammer
[IMG]http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c113/Poppy828/IMG_0097.jpg[/IMG]

I hope you enjoy your camera I am looking at this time myself.. I must say though those shots you took can look much much better than they do with your camera may I give you a link I think you will enjoy and learn alot. PHOTOFORUM lots of great help on the beginners forum good luck.

I am certain they can look much much better than they do. That was my first attempt at using the camera and a macro lens. I have much learning to do I know.

Thanks for the link

Wow! Stunning! They really suck. :)

Okay, lets see if I have anything constructive.

First, your DOF is too shallow. The foreground and background is blurry in most of them and just a small portion of the center is in focus. Your going to need to stop down some. Try f8-f11. Aperature priority. You need a tripod if the shutter is slower than 1/125 of a second. Boost the ISO to 800, see if that helps.

Your Zoos and Hammer look like they were moving. Shut off your pumps and let things settle. It will help with motion blur.

Use a tripod and timed shutter release.

When funds allow, get an off camera flash and a shoe cord. The Canon 220EX is a nice little flash and only costs $128. With the shoe cord you can hold the flash above the tank. Makes some nice effects and will solve alot of lighting problems.

But for now, work on getting sharper picture. Its all technique. It took me months to get decent.

Tip: Learn the functions of ISO, f-stops, and shutter speed. Then shoot on the manual mode only for a month. It will teach you all about your camera. It will also train you to always check settings in the viewfinder before you snap.

Mike

I guess tactfulness is not in your arsenal :)

I appreciate the tips and as mentioned, I am new to this camera/macro stuff. I used a tripod, but there is some small movement in the mount from the camera to stand. I am sure that played a small factor in my issues among many others.

I have a ton to learn without a doubt.

I think it's a good start. IME, shooting with a macro lens is much harder than shooting with a regular lens because the depth of field. One thing I do is shoot in AV mode (aperture value) and set it to about 8-10. That tends to get much more in focus. The problem is, the shutter has to stay open very long sometimes, so I must use a tripod.

Also, I using the timer feature is nice. That way, your camera doesn't shake while you hit the button to take the photo. Here's a photo I took today:
[img]http://www.shrugsoft.com/coral/images/scolymia.jpg[/img]