# 20 gal IM Nuvo - My adventure learning photography



## goobafish

Very new to reefing, and also extremely new to photography. My friend gave me his old DSLR a few years ago, and I finally took his advice and sprung for a Macro lens. I know nothing about photography, so I am learning as I go. I will post pictures as I learn, that way I can follow my progress in photography and hopefully you can enjoy the pictures!

I just got my macro lens yesterday, and I do not have a tripod, extender or any other accessories yet. Any tips are appreciated!

Here are some of the decent ones I've snapped so far:


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## zenins

Thanks for sharing 

Awesome results ... try adding more light to the top of the tank when you are taking photos


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## goobafish

zenins said:


> Thanks for sharing
> 
> Awesome results ... try adding more light to the top of the tank when you are taking photos


Thank you. I will try that. Does any type of lighting work, or is it better to be reef lighting? Desk lamp?


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## goobafish

I picked up a par 38 full spectrum to hang over the tank, and it seems to be working well. My tripod came, I am anxiously waiting for my extension tube and close-up filters so that I can shoot things further back in the tank. Here are some under the new lighting:


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## cwbspotter

*Awesome*

Beautiful pictures! I loved those chalices! Is beautiful to see the tentacles coming out from the little one. How big those tentacles can extend?


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## TBemba

I'm following along. Just bought the same tank and welcome the feedback you are posting.

The corals look amazing, so why the light change?


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## goobafish

Thank you! I didn't replace the lighting, it is additional. The lack of spectrum on the IM lights was frustrating me despite them being great for growth. I moved them to either end of the tank and hung the par 38 in the middle.


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## TBemba

goobafish said:


> Thank you! I didn't replace the lighting, it is additional. The lack of spectrum on the IM lights was frustrating me despite them being great for growth. I moved them to either end of the tank and hung the par 38 in the middle.


So now you have to wear shades? 

But seriously, what issues with the spectrum have you discovered? What potential issues?

Thank again


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## goobafish

Well the IM lights aren't full spectrum lights. They only have blue and white LEDs. I can't speak for the difference that makes for coral growth, but coral is far more visually appealing under full spectrum.

Also I noticed the two IM lights don't provide enough coverage, leaving a small gap in the center and corners, three would fully cover the area of the tank.

I have the IM lights on a separate timer, if I find that it's too much light for the coral I can shut off either for a few hours a day.

To be entirely honest I went to purchase the tank with no intention of buying the lights, hoping to do more research first as a new reefer, but was advised by the store owner that they were very good light in that price range, which they seem to be. I would now, after having some experience have gotten a different more customizable fixture.


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## noy

Nice photos.
What is the camera/macro lens you are using?

If I can offer some suggestions - some of these are a question of aesthetics.

1) some of the shots seem to be shot in a high ISO setting - so you are getting some distortion in the form of lack of sharpness. When you get tripod you can set the aperture you want (aperture priority) and fix the ISO setting to something your camera can handle and let the camera adjust the shutter speed. This works well on stationary subjects (i.e. not fish).

2) try underexposing your shots. This is isolate your subject a bit more (generally will make the background darker - depending on where the light is coming from. For example your aussie acan shot - the colour detail on the coral is a bit washed out at the top because of over exposure whereas at the bottom you can see great detail on the algae on the rockwork (who wants to see that). If you underexpose that about 1 f-stop (play around with it - take a few shots at different exposures to see what you like) you should see better detail on the coral and less on the rockwork. I tried to duplicate the shot using PS to show what an underexposed shot would look like.

3) Some of your shots seem to be shot using a flash (first 2). The flash seems to be directly on the subject. Try mounting the flashing so the light comes from the top of the tank and you will have to play around with the angles to eliminate shadows. If this is a shoe flash (mounted on the top of the camera) I generally find these not to work so well.

You seem to have the white balance of the photos captured really well - so that is a great start. 

If you add lighting you will have to account for the white balance on the light. Desk lamps etc.. are often 2-3K whereas aquarium actinic lighting is 10-20K. Mixing is a bad idea. Your camera should have a white balance setting - you can adjust it accordingly if you are shooting jpegs. Most serious photographers shoot in RAW and use photoshop or some other post-edit tool to fix the white balance there.


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## goobafish

Thanks a lot!

I am using an Olympus E-410 with a 35mm macro, and I will be getting the 50mm shortly. I have no accessories yet besides the tripod, so I haven't had the chance to try an external flash, extender lens or macro filters.

Thanks a ton for those suggestions, I will give them all a try next time I shoot. I am just learning proper ISO settings, so I am varying them greatly and then taking the same shot. Unfortunately because I didn't have the tripod, and now am just getting used to positioning it, the best pictures that came out are not the ones on the lower ISO settings.

I also have stopped using flash unless shooting fish or leaving the flow on and shooting moving corals. I am not sure if this is correct, but I have no external flash.

I have also been shooting RAW and adjusting white balance after reading some articles, it really helps the end result. I need to read more about my camera and it's settings and adjust them a little.


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## goobafish

Really need to work on using the non-macro lenses, finding it very hard to get a tank shot. The lights are making things really nice, and I am trying to be more conscious of white balance.


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## goobafish

Tried shooting some fish in interesting positions using the flash, was tricky.








10x filter:


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## TBemba

Great picks.
I like the wrasse


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## goobafish

TBemba said:


> Great picks.
> I like the wrasse


Thanks! I found the wetmorella nigropinnata after looking for a few months, and accidentally stumbled upon the wetmorella albofasciata the next day at Big Als' midnight madness sale. Was a great weekend.

I am very surprised at how well the two get along in such a small tank, I had another tank prepared for the 2nd wrasse but there has been absolutely no fighting (both my semi-aggressive clown goby and my percula clown no longer touch any other fish) in the tank since I added the wetmorella.

One day I will actually see my griessingeri goby and hopefully be able to take some pictures.


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## goobafish

My griessingeri goby in my pico tank got a couple friends today


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## Crayon

I am so jelly!😳
I've been looking for a gressingers goby for over a year, and you just happen to stumble across one?
Not fair!
Congrats on it and the wetmorella, those are nice additions.


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## goobafish

Crayon said:


> I am so jelly!&#55357;&#56883;
> I've been looking for a gressingers goby for over a year, and you just happen to stumble across one?
> Not fair!
> Congrats on it and the wetmorella, those are nice additions.


Thank you. 3 now . I absolutely love them!


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## Crayon

goobafish said:


> Thank you. 3 now . I absolutely love them!


3‼‼‼‼‼
If they were candy, you would get in trouble for not sharing.
Where did you get them?


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## goobafish

Crayon said:


> 3‼‼‼‼‼
> If they were candy, you would get in trouble for not sharing.
> Where did you get them?


Carl the fish guy!


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## goobafish

With my clown gobies in a new home, I am finally able to house some SPS. Had a great time at the MAST auction and came home with some really cool frags, apparently all belonging to "notclear" . I also visited "sweet ride" and got to see his gorgeous and innovative SPS tank, and grabbed one of his frag packs. This is what's opened up so far, very happy.


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## goobafish

My friend let me borrow two of his macro lens', this is the 50mm, am gonna try out the other later tonight. I need to get one of these.


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## zenins

Good job on the photos

Thanks for sharing


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## goobafish

zenins said:


> Good job on the photos
> 
> Thanks for sharing


Thank you!

Got really frustrated with my cheap tripod and got something more sturdy so it doesn't feel so sketchy with the lenses on it.
My friend let me try out his 35-105 macro zoom lens, was really tricky to work with, will need some more practice.


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## Cichlidrookie

Beautiful pictures.....love your monti and ric.


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## goobafish

Thanks! Going to try some tonight now that I have a little experience with the lenses'


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## goobafish

Very jealous of my friends 35-105 zoom macro lens. Let me shoot this guy in my 20 gallon.


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## goobafish

Going to have to return this macro lens this week, but I think I might buy the same one, really love it despite my inexperience taking pictures.


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## goobafish

Looks like my old trusty camera has seen its last productive day. It started freezing for 30 seconds or so between shots last week, and decided it was time to retire my almost 10 year old camera.

I decided to switch mounts and grab a Cannon rebel t2i to learn how to use before saving for one of the great macro lenses they make for this mount. I came across a cheap used telephoto macro. Now I am learning to use the camera itself, which is much different, and this massive new type of lens. So far I am loving the pictures it takes. I am shocked that a $60 lens can produce pictures like this, especially with me not being familiar with the settings.

The first three are from March at Fragbox. Gorgeous corals, and some grow like crazy in my tank, the "hypnosis palys" was a single polyp 2.5 months ago.


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## Jaysan

damn, those are some neat photos!!!


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## TBemba

any chance you could get some close up photos?


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## Cichlidrookie

Awesome colours on the pics. 

Do you have an updated FTS?


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## goobafish

TBemba said:


> any chance you could get some close up photos?


Close ups? Not really my thing. 



(This rainbow anemone may only be 1/2 an inch in diameter...)



Cichlidrookie said:


> Awesome colours on the pics.
> 
> Do you have an updated FTS?


Thanks! Yeah, just made a ton of changes. Finally living the life free of Bryopsis . Sorry, not particularly good at taking "normal" pictures.


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## goobafish




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## kwsjimmy

*nice*

Great shots, sweet rides tanks simply amazing. What tripod did you get


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> Great shots, sweet rides tanks simply amazing. What tripod did you get


Thanks!

I got last year's version of this one:
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=161_1328&item_id=074392

They put it on clearance a couple months ago.

I am going to grab a real macro lens this weekend for my Canon, can't wait .


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## kwsjimmy

*gear*

Nice, I usee Fri pod on travel a lot ,I have a benro carbon , and another carbon one, I find that if I want more stability I use the weight hook and hang some wehit on it, makes it 10x more stable. When I'm out that would be my camera bag, or 8lb weight that I have for it. What macro lens are you looking at? Take a look at Henry's outlet, ive found some pretty good lenses their in the past.

Sad to say I shifted to mirror less slr on the Sony brand and am awaiting their new 90mm macro ro he released next month.


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> Nice, I usee Fri pod on travel a lot ,I have a benro carbon , and another carbon one, I find that if I want more stability I use the weight hook and hang some wehit on it, makes it 10x more stable. When I'm out that would be my camera bag, or 8lb weight that I have for it. What macro lens are you looking at? Take a look at Henry's outlet, ive found some pretty good lenses their in the past.
> 
> Sad to say I shifted to mirror less slr on the Sony brand and am awaiting their new 90mm macro ro he released next month.


I think I'm going to treat myself to the Canon 65mm macro they have there.


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## kwsjimmy

*macro*

The e65 2.8 ,bamazing lens btw


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> The e65 2.8 ,bamazing lens btw


When I saw Henry's had a student discount, and remembered my younger brother is also coming back from university this weekend, I think it sold me. Looks incredible


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## kwsjimmy

*lens*

I have used it , yea the 1-5 optical magnification is great esp for tank shots.


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> I have used it , yea the 1-5 optical magnification is great esp for tank shots.


Good to hear. Its a hard decision between that and the Canon 100mm, Sigma 180mm ect. lots of good macros for the mount.


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## goobafish

Always a pleasure to grab corals from Marsh @ Fragbox!


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## goobafish

While the lens I wanted to buy sold while I was enroute to the store, my good friend came through with an amazing birthday present, a Canon 100mm USM Macro . Now i've gotta figure out how to work this wonderful beast.


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## kwsjimmy

*shots*

Awesome SHOTS!!! Try limiting the max iso or set a lower iso should give you less of a grainy image, if you try a good low ISO like 500 or below you may want to try a tripod, should make a real difference.

heres one with my 55mm 1.8 zeiss lens that i just took this evening , waiting for the new sony 90mm macro,

LED lights at 20Kspectrum at 8%


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> Awesome SHOTS!!! Try limiting the max iso or set a lower iso should give you less of a grainy image, if you try a good low ISO like 500 or below you may want to try a tripod, should make a real difference.
> 
> heres one with my 55mm 1.8 zeiss lens that i just took this evening , waiting for the new sony 90mm macro,
> 
> LED lights at 20Kspectrum at 8%


Thanks! That looks really awesome.

I am shooting on Av, I set aperture but it automatically matches shutter speed, and the ISO is on auto. I always shoot with a tripod (I shake a lot ), and have started using a 2 second timer to reduce the shake. I will try setting the ISO myself and see how they come out. Not only am I new to the Canon mount and settings, but I am pretty new to DSLRs in general. It is taking me a little while to learn what each of the settings does functionally.

I also shoot with variable lighting, using the Radion presets I programmed. This allows me to switch the lighting depending on where the coral is in the tank to get glare off of it. I also occasionally use a very powerful arcteryx flashlight as my flash.


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## kwsjimmy

*shooting*

Good start A mode is good, thend go in hang the iso to like 500 and take pictures like you normaly do. Let the camera do the rest of the math.

I have shak y hands as well so I have the sony a7m2 it has in body image stabalization so with the Sony odd len' it's a 5 axis stabalization.. works amazing. Color and lighting is fun just remember every time you change the light spectrum you need to re white balance and it should be on something white in the tank

If you want a sharper image maybe also try a higher Aperture like f8 - f11


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> Good start A mode is good, thend go in hang the iso to like 500 and take pictures like you normaly do. Let the camera do the rest of the math.
> 
> I have shak y hands as well so I have the sony a7m2 it has in body image stabalization so with the Sony odd len' it's a 5 axis stabalization.. works amazing. Color and lighting is fun just remember every time you change the light spectrum you need to re white balance and it should be on something white in the tank
> 
> If you want a sharper image maybe also try a higher Aperture like f8 - f11


I wish Canon had in-body stabilization like my Olympus, but it doesn't seem to make a massive difference for me because of the tripod. I need to get a much heavier tripod (mine is for travel), and a slider plate/micrometric adjustment meter. Its really hard to move my tripod back and forth to take the pictures with a bigger lens on it.

While I do re-adjust the white balance, I often forget between lighting modes. I was told that it doesn't matter what the camera setting is because I am always shooting it in raw and editing the temperature afterwards. Is that true?


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## kwsjimmy

*photos*

yes and no. I think it's much easier to get a closer color by white balancing and less light room or photoshop editing. I get that from my under water photography as a scuba instructor I think.

I use a tripod like this

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-camera-camco...ty/1052985975?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

It has a weight hook to hang something like a camera bag to give it so.e weight . It also has a nice arcs Swiss ball head that makes camera movement easy And add a arcs Swiss l bracket like this.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/151116154513?nav=SEARCH

Then the camera is quick release on the tripod and it's really easy to maneuver for shots.

Which olympiad do you have. I have a busy who had lots of olympus 4/3 lens he used on his em-1 and omd that he's looking to sell


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> yes and no. I think it's much easier to get a closer color by white balancing and less light room or photoshop editing. I get that from my under water photography as a scuba instructor I think.
> 
> I use a tripod like this
> 
> http://www.kijiji.ca/v-camera-camco...ty/1052985975?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
> 
> It has a weight hook to hang something like a camera bag to give it so.e weight . It also has a nice arcs Swiss ball head that makes camera movement easy And add a arcs Swiss l bracket like this.
> 
> http://m.ebay.com/itm/151116154513?nav=SEARCH
> 
> Then the camera is quick release on the tripod and it's really easy to maneuver for shots.
> 
> Which olympiad do you have. I have a busy who had lots of olympus 4/3 lens he used on his em-1 and omd that he's looking to sell


I had a E-410 is my friends backup camera, that I have returned to him. He shoots on an OMD. He worked for Olympus, so he has quite a few lenses which I got to try. If they have any high-end lenses I am sure he would be interested in any he doesn't have.

I really want one of these:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._454_454_Micrometric_Positioning_Sliding.html

I tried setting the ISO manually for some macros and it seems to work much better. The timer also helps a ton.


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## kwsjimmy

*pix*

awesome pix... I love the anemone... they call me the anemone whisper. . Somehow I have 7 in my 20g fusion


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> awesome pix... I love the anemone... they call me the anemone whisper. . Somehow I have 7 in my 20g fusion


7! I dont think my tank could take it, way too much coral.

Picked up a used very heavy duty tripod and a cheap 2-way adjusting plate. Makes a big difference for ease of use.


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## Marz

How do you guys get so close? Take the pic, then use software to crop and zoom in the area?...these pics are wonderful.


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## goobafish

Marz said:


> How do you guys get so close? Take the pic, then use software to crop and zoom in the area?...these pics are wonderful.


Thanks!

Actually about half the pics I post are uncropped and take up the whole frame of the shot (the 3 last pictures I posted are not cropped). No pictures are zoomed. I get close with a prime macro lens, focusing at 1:1 or as close as possible, moving the tripod to focus the camera rather than using the focus ring. I am right up against the glass taking the shot.

This last set of pictures I was trying out an LED lens-mounted light/flash. They were all shot at night, and I had to shoot straight on and directly against the glass in order to avoid the massive reflection from the light, even at its lowest power.


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## kwsjimmy

*shots*

great shots!! they just keep getting better! a few things to try,

IMG_8927 was taken at 
iso 200
f/8
1/2 exposure

try doubling the exposure and cut the fstop in half... , the slighlty longer shot at f/16 should be a littel sharper... but either way.. awesome images.

Ive been thinking about making a Macro Ring LED Light,

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-48-LED-Macro-Ring-Light-for-SLR-for-10/

but im planning on using cool white / royal blue and uv leds,


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> great shots!! they just keep getting better! a few things to try,
> 
> IMG_8927 was taken at
> iso 200
> f/8
> 1/2 exposure
> 
> try doubling the exposure and cut the fstop in half... , the slighlty longer shot at f/16 should be a littel sharper... but either way.. awesome images.
> 
> Ive been thinking about making a Macro Ring LED Light,
> 
> http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-48-LED-Macro-Ring-Light-for-SLR-for-10/
> 
> but im planning on using cool white / royal blue and uv leds,


Thanks, I will give that a try. I keep watching videos on exposure and it's starting to sink in .

That's cool, those LEDs should be great for coral shots. I just bought a $35 ring (5500k) to try it out, as I had no idea how using it against the glass would work.

So far it seems to be useful, but limiting due to the reflection. Your lens either needs to have a long focal range or your subject needs to be directly in front of the glass to avoid the massive reflection caused by the LEDs even when they aren't bring.

The 2 way adjusting plate is just incredible. It gives me so much flexibility and precision where before I was forced to lift the tripod and my camera/lens to slightly re-position it to get focus, now I can move subject to subject with no problem, and I have far fewer way out of focus shots. Mine looks like this:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41SAmPHdUTL._SY300_.jpg


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## noy

goobafish said:


> I think I'm going to treat myself to the Canon 65mm macro they have there.


if you are talking about the MP-E 65 mm lens i would recommend you stay away from it unless you want expand to other areas of macro photography (not aquarium shots). I've researched this quite a bit and decided (for me) that it really was too limited.

The working distance is about .8 inches to 12 inches (it does not go to infinity). That basically means at each magnification there is a very limited working distance between you and the object. Your subject has to be between .8 inch to 12 inches away - period.

Also, the focusing ring allows you to pick the magnification and you focus by adjusting the distance between you and the subject. It means you have to get a focusing rail to focus your shots. You can't focus by moving your tripod back and forth in any practical sense - the adjustments are just too minute.

The best macro lens and really the only one you need is the 100mm/F2.8 (for aquarium shots). There are 2 models - the regular EF ($700) and the "L" (about $1,000).


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## goobafish

noy said:


> if you are talking about the MP-E 65 mm lens i would recommend you stay away from it unless you want expand to other areas of macro photography (not aquarium shots). I've researched this quite a bit and decided (for me) that it really was too limited.
> 
> The working distance is about .8 inches to 12 inches (it does not go to infinity). That basically means at each magnification there is a very limited working distance between you and the object. Your subject has to be between .8 inch to 12 inches away - period.
> 
> Also, the focusing ring allows you to pick the magnification and you focus by adjusting the distance between you and the subject. It means you have to get a focusing rail to focus your shots. You can't focus by moving your tripod back and forth in any practical sense - the adjustments are just too minute.
> 
> The best macro lens and really the only one you need is the 100mm/F2.8 (for aquarium shots). There are 2 models - the regular EF ($700) and the "L" (about $1,000).


I've done a ton of research as well. I still plan on buying the MP-E 65, it is definitely the ultimate macro lens within the ranges you are talking about. Many of the nicest coral shots come from it. Also, if you see my post above, that is the distance I shoot at, I already have the macro rail, and focus as if I am using a MP-E 65. I am basically practising for when I eventually have it. I am using the 100m f/2.8 USM right now.

Yes, the 65mm is extremely limited in range, but because it is the range I almost always shoot at and already have the 100mm for multi-purpose use, it would serve to get some great shots that I can't get with the 100mm.


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## goobafish

http://s34.photobucket.com/user/goobafish/media/Reefers Anonymous/IMG_9050.jpg.html


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## Bullet

Great pics 
Thanks for sharing


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## goobafish

Bullet said:


> Great pics
> Thanks for sharing


My pleasure, loving getting lost behind the camera. Lets me sit down and really appreciate the tank.


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## goobafish

Cut some frags, as my tank is getting overgrown, so I got to move them around. Just got an extension tube, playing around with some 2:1 in some of these.









Sexy shrimp!


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## kwsjimmy

*Pix*

Awesome bta


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> Awesome bta


Thanks! It's splitting I'm pretty sure, so I had the camera on it all day to try to capture it.


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## Bullet

Awesome shots !


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## Marz

excellent shots. Love the colors


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## noy

great shots - very nice!


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## Cichlidrookie

Man close up of that sexy shrimp is SEXY. lol.


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## goobafish

Cichlidrookie said:


> Man close up of that sexy shrimp is SEXY. lol.


Haha, thanks! That one was with a full extension tube, 2:1. It is insanely hard to focus at that magnification for me, especially because they rock back and forth, that was the best focused of over 100 pictures :/.

Also, the anemone split. It took 2 days but half of it eventually walked away from the other half.


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## goobafish

It literally walked away from itself, and now the halfs are far apart. So cool.


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## goobafish

Looks like my camera flash scared my new clown into one of my nems. I got to film them meeting for the first time


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## goobafish

Picked up a new lens! Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro. I really like how stable this shoots, I seem to get better focus.

I am also renting the 65mm for the weekend. Is anyone going to the BBQ bringing gear/would like some corals shot?


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## fesso clown

Very nice photos!


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## goobafish

fesso clown said:


> Very nice photos!


Thanks! Nice meeting you today, I will have to snap some shots of the frags I got from you when they are acclimatized.

Playing around with the 150mm






I love the framing the 150mm gets. These are no edits or crops:


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## goobafish

I'm at 5 anemones now. They really seem to love my lights, and they change colors through the day. Sorry a lot are the same subject matter, I just tend to learn through repetition, I promise I will shoot my other tank next time .

If anyone has the choice between the Canon 100mm USM and the older Sigma 150mm, I would certainly go for the Sigma lens if tank macro work is your only consideration. The working distance is much more comfortable and it is more appropriate to shoot towards the back of the tank. I would love to try the 180mm.


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## goobafish

Took a few online college photography courses to figure out some camera basics. I love being able to shoot manual, gives me a lot of control over how my pictures come out. That being said, the ones shot the way I want them to be sometimes come out worse than the shots exposed differently .


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## TBemba

Appreciate the posts. Look forward to seeing them.


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## goobafish

TBemba said:


> Appreciate the posts. Look forward to seeing them.


Thanks!

Grabbed a few new anemones, and I am in love with the color. I am hoping to get many better shots than this, but this one really shows the color in my tank very well, and highlights the brightness of the yellow tips.


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## Bullet

Beautiful pics !
Thanks for sharing


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## goobafish




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## goobafish

Was having so much fun with the macro lenses that I decided to go all out. Sold the majority of my gear and grabbed a Canon MP-E 65mm Macro. I feel like it will take a while to get the hang of, but it really captures some amazing things.


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## goobafish

A pod at 8x magnification:


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## Cichlidrookie

goobafish said:


> A pod at 8x magnification:


Wow they actually look like glass flies. Thanks for the pic, I always wondered what they look like.


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## goobafish

Cichlidrookie said:


> Wow they actually look like glass flies. Thanks for the pic, I always wondered what they look like.


No problem! I am going to try to take a picture of as many zooplankton as I can and try to identify them. As far as I can ID, the subject is a gammaridean amphipod, and there is a juvenile tisbe copepod on the top right.

Can anyone ID the green coral where a polyp looks like it is eating? I can't see it at all with the naked eye, and its a hitchhiker from my live rock.


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## goobafish

This mushroom is half the size of a dime. This a 5x magnified shot of its mouth. Look at all the bugs crawling!


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## PaulF757

Wow, thats a sweet camera lens, very nice pics, i wish i had one to do the same to my corals.

Very Jealous right now.


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## TBemba

PaulF757 said:


> Wow, thats a sweet camera lens, very nice pics, i wish i had one to do the same to my corals.
> 
> Very Jealous right now.


I'm twice as jealous, of the camera and his photographic ability and all his sweet corals and his ability to keep them looking so great.

I'm not even going to start about how he can keep a mandarin goby so fat 

Dave don't stop showing us these pictures!


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## goobafish

Thanks guys! Glad to come by and shoot your corals sometimes  its nice to get some variety.

Funny you mention that because yesterday I was checking out their bellies, and i've noticed the massive difference in their stomach size. They were sunken when I got them, and now they all look swollen . They just pick at the tank/wall all day.


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## goobafish

Finally have a lens capable of taking a full tank shot, really shows you how small everything is.


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## Cichlidrookie

Beautiful FTS. I love the IM Fusion. 

How did you get your montipora on the false wall?
Do they grow well on there?


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## goobafish

Cichlidrookie said:


> Beautiful FTS. I love the IM Fusion.
> 
> How did you get your montipora on the false wall?
> Do they grow well on there?


I just put superglue on the monti an submerged it and held it straight against the wall. It's growing very well, and one piece has incrusted further up the wall.


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## goobafish

After a brief foray into M4/3 with Olympus EM5 MKII, I traded it in for a Canon 70D. Amazing camera. First reel I got to take with it:


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## kwsjimmy

*pix*

great pix.. yea photo is just as addicting as reefing..... im contemplating selling my sony a7m2 for the new a7r2


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> great pix.. yea photo is just as addicting as reefing..... im contemplating selling my sony a7m2 for the new a7r2


Thanks! That would be a really nice upgrade . I don't know much about the lens lineup for e-mount, or else I probably would have taken a good look at Sony, besides Olympus its the only company left that does in-body stabilization.


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## kwsjimmy

*Sony*

Surprisingly sony makes most of the sensors on the market. . Your canon has a sony sensor.. hahha.. the sony ibis ( in body image stabalization) is amazing...works well... the lens line up.. is a bit small for now all the good lenses are zeiss and $$$. But the great thing is their are adapters to use almost every lens on the market. ...


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> Surprisingly sony makes most of the sensors on the market. . Your canon has a sony sensor.. hahha.. the sony ibis ( in body image stabalization) is amazing...works well... the lens line up.. is a bit small for now all the good lenses are zeiss and $$$. But the great thing is their are adapters to use almost every lens on the market. ...


Well I may seem fickle, but after 2 days of using the 70D I couldn't stand the controls and I returned it. It was unbelievably frustrating to have to use the touch screen to change things like exposure and wb, or go to the main menu while shooting. I looked at the Sony's but the price for the body I would want to get was out of my range for now.

I was so impressed with the EM5 MKII except for it's size, that I decided to go with the OMD E-M1. With dual autofocus systems I can adapt anything I want to it, it has IBIS, and the lenses for the mount are quite reasonably priced. It also helps tremendously that it adapts perfectly with 4/3 lenses, as my best friend has a full 4/3 pro lens lineup, including 3 macro lenses between us. I am really excited to see what this camera can do, as it is such a perfect size, and has great controls.


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## kwsjimmy

*Cameras...n body's. .. n lens...*

Hold out till Xmas. Price drops... look at the sony a7 , no ibis .. but it is full frame and the prices are rediculously low... the a7m2 that I have is amazing... pro series body... definately but it is pricy.... the 70d is still aps-c . Go into henrys and play with bodies. .. get accustomed to what you plan to use and what buttons you can program
. I am a huge fan of mirror less. Really the question is aps-c or mirror less and budget... that would dictate what direction in body.


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## TBemba

Did you get it at Costco? http://www.costco.ca/Olympus-OM-D-E...l-Camera-Body-–-Silver.product.100160576.html

So if you buy this camera can you even take pictures with it or do you need to buy a lens.

I was thinking of buying this camera for my son' birthday

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B009B0MZG2?keywords=Camera&qid=1436920387&ref_=sr_1_1&s=photo&sr=1-1

I know nothing about cameras buy Amazon is having a huge sale on the 15 tomorrow and I'm looking for a deal


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> . I am a huge fan of mirror less. Really the question is aps-c or mirror less and budget... that would dictate what direction in body.


Do you mean DSLR or mirrorless? Both can have 4/3, apsc, or full frame sensors. I'm not certain you actually have to decide like that if you aren't a true professional. Budget, features and lens lineup seem like the deciding factors. The big one for me is full kit cost. To get a proper Canon kit that is stabilized, plus the specialty macro lenses ends up costing a pretty penny. M4/3 and old 4/3 lenses are great quality, a fraction of the price, and all stabilized by the olympus cameras.



TBemba said:


> Did you get it at Costco? http://www.costco.ca/Olympus-OM-D-E...l-Camera-Body-–-Silver.product.100160576.html
> 
> So if you buy this camera can you even take pictures with it or do you need to buy a lens.


I got it at best buy, I cashed my Aeroplan miles in for a load of gift cards. If you buy the camera you can get the 40-150mm lens for 99$. It doesn't come with a lens.


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## kwsjimmy

*New macro lens..*

Just thought I would share some new macro lens reviews.....

http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Sony...lanar-T-100mm-f2-ZF2-Nikon-Optical-excellence


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> Just thought I would share some new macro lens reviews.....
> 
> http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Sony...lanar-T-100mm-f2-ZF2-Nikon-Optical-excellence


Very cool. Looks like an incredible lens.

I just picked up the Olympus 65mm macro today. So far I am a little shocked that the working distance was measured from the sensor rather than from the optic, at 1:1 it has the same working distance as the Canon MPE 65 at 2x magnification, which is a little bit crazy. I can only go 9cm deep into the tank from the tip of my lens. The quality of the lens is great and it seems like an amazing all-around prime lens, but as far as macro functionality goes I am really hoping it is just my inexperience with the mount and the lens.

I am probably going to try to find some macros with longer focal lengths for old mounts and adapt them onto the E M1.


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## kwsjimmy

*Lens*

Can't wait to see some new images with the new lens.. I would aube though a 90-105 macro might have been better.... in terms of minimum focus distance for good usable images...


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## goobafish

kwsjimmy said:


> Can't wait to see some new images with the new lens.. I would aube though a 90-105 macro might have been better.... in terms of minimum focus distance for good usable images...


I am definitely going to pick one up. My friend has a Sigma 105mm for 4/3 that I can borrow, but it is currently in for repair. This one is going to take some getting used to.


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## goobafish

I was cleaning my apartment and found a screw-on teleconverter that came in a kit I bought when I first started. It would only fit on my Olympus 35mm 4/3 macro, so I tried it on. I strained out some extra zooplankton after filling this week's orders and have had it on my desk in a white box waiting for extension tubes. Hopefully the extension tubes with the 60mm will do a better job than this.

This is the concentration that goes into the bottles I produce, but I put it into a mason jar so I could shoot through the glass instead of plastic. The thickness makes it hard to focus all the way to the back.

The pods that are very visible are Tiger, Pseudodiaptomus and you can probably make out some Acartia. The little specs of white are Tisbe copepods and Rotifers.


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## goobafish

Getting the hang of the new macro lens. Got another on the way, a 180mm Sigma macro. Very excited to try it, as I have never had that focal length before.


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## goobafish

What a treat, I have never had any of my griessingeri in full light besides when they were in the bag. If you own one of these you know how rarely you see them in the tank.

This morning I woke up and looked over and he was up against the glass. I grabbed my camera and took some handheld shots and I even got to full 1:1 macro on it!:


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## teemee

awesome pics! heard you got some new ones


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## goobafish

teemee said:


> awesome pics! heard you got some new ones


Thank you! Yes, they are so cute .

Paid Marsh a visit @ FragBox. He has some awesome stuff on a great sale while he renovates. Can't wait to see what he does with his display!

Some gems:




I picked up a Sigma 105mm macro for Canon EF with broken autofocus, and I attached it with a dumb adapter to my E M1. Works fantastic


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## goobafish

Went to the zoo today. Wish I could get a picture this clear of a fish in my tank 





Really love using the EM 1. The mirrorless cameras' ability to adapt any lens to it is incredible, you can use absolutely anything. The picture of the Rhino is using a film lens that is over 50 years old which my mom found at a garage sale, and I thought was going to be garbage. It is a 38-85mm f/3.5 Elicar lens for Canon FD mount, that has macro (albeit not great) through the whole zoom range. Also, with the E M1 it has 5-axis image stabilization as long as I manually program the focal length into the stabilization system, so I didn't use a tripod. I have constant hand shakes, and even with my problem the camera seems to compensate.


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## goobafish

This guy just arrived today at my office from Japan. 

180mm f/3.5 Sigma Macro lens for Canon EF.

I can't wait to give it a try on the tank, it feel like its going to open up a lot of new material, that I just couldn't reach with my other lenses.

Couldn't wait so I tried it on a $20 bill, with the aperture at f/3.5 until I get it on my Canon at home.


Queen's hair:


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## Cichlidrookie

Is this a photography forum. Lol

Does not matter your pictures are awesome?
Keep taking and keep posting. 

Maybe you should give out lessons on Aquarium Photography, my iPhone 4s is just not cutting it.

I have a canon rebel 2Ti but too lazy to load pics and then post on photobucket and then forum. 

I also have no idea how to use the functions on it like aperture and all my pictures are blue. 

Thanks for posting pics I really enjoy them.


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## goobafish

Cichlidrookie said:


> Is this a photography forum. Lol
> 
> Does not matter your pictures are awesome?
> Keep taking and keep posting.
> 
> Maybe you should give out lessons on Aquarium Photography, my iPhone 4s is just not cutting it.
> 
> I have a canon rebel 2Ti but too lazy to load pics and then post on photobucket and then forum.
> 
> I also have no idea how to use the functions on it like aperture and all my pictures are blue.
> 
> Thanks for posting pics I really enjoy them.


Thanks! I like sharing what i've learned because there was so little information about it to get started. Happy to give a walk-through any time. Your pictures are blue due to the fact that the automatic white balance is kicking in and its not sure how to colour under your lights.

Actually all the pictures from page 3-9 of this thread are taken with a Canon T2i. I still have one, and I have 2 macro lenses for it. If you ever want to give them a go and learn a bit about the settings you're welcome to swing by.


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## goobafish

Playing around with the Sigma 180mm. The over the tank shots and fish shots are with the Olympus 60mm.











With the 180mm, I can use a lot of extension tubes and still go quite deep into the tank at maximum magnification, but it looks rather silly.


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## goobafish

New inhabitant! Also visited the Frag Cave for their awesome sale this weekend.


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## goobafish

Been trying to get this first shot right for some time. I love the depth of field you can get with this sensor.


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## goobafish




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## goobafish




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## goobafish

I am now able to go underwater, which is lots of fun. Going to take some practice through. Its amazing how much easier it is to photograph than through glass.


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## goobafish

The whole family seems to get together when the pumps go off:


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## kamal

really nice pictures but that last one


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## goobafish

kamal said:


> really nice pictures but that last one


Thanks . Still working on it.


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## goobafish




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## goobafish

I've started planning and collecting equipment for a much larger display tank, which is really exciting. 

I am looking at ~84"x24"x20" tall, 175 gallons. I picked up some equipment, lights and pumps, and now have to figure out where I am going to get the tank, and if its going to be Starphire or Acrylic. I understand that Acrylic is much (44%?) clearer than glass, and refracts much less light. Would probably be much easier to take pictures in an acrylic tank.

Does anyone know a good site/software/ap to plan a reef tank top to bottom?


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