# Sony A6000 aquarium photography



## Marz

I am always envious of the photos that each and everyone here seems to be able to take. I am wondering if someone has had experience or can direct me to a decent site that will give me some pointers on how to take some photos...my plan is to post as I go along in hopes that I can get better at this


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## kwsjimmy

*a6000*

Great camera,, i have the a6000 and the a7m2... by far i like the a6 most of the time.. invest in a tripod... thats a must..and a good macro lens.. if you want to take advantage of the fast auto focus use a sony 30mm macro .. its fairly cheep or the 50mm prime.. works amazing as well for macro.

i would also suggest this grip

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Metal-Quick-...963?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item419068900b


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## Marz

How do you deal with the blue? Can you use the aquarium setting for white balance? I will look at both lenses- very much appreciated!


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## kwsjimmy

All depends on how you shoot and what kind of light you are using. Start shooting in apateur and try some manual white balancing and see how it goes from their. If you are by a Henry's camera go and playbwoth both lenses in store and shoot away to get a better feel for both lenses. I use the 24 prime but it's $$


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## Marz

I think I will give them a shot. Just looking at pricing now.


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## Marz

@kwsjimmy - great suggestion on the lens. I was able to get the Sony 30mm f3.5 lens today as it was on sale. I have been wanting a Macro lens for awhile and the tank just made me want it even more. Here are some quick shots that I took - yes I know I need practice  but boy I can't believe I didn't pick one up earlier.

I am still fighting with Algae, but I will win this battle at some point!

Thanks again!!!


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## kwsjimmy

*macro*

Awosome shots, try white balancing , how's the lens? I'm waiting for the new everyone mount feedback 90mm 2.8 macro 1.1 lens .


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## Marz

Thanks. I will try the white balance on the weekend when I have more time. I struggle with the settings to get the pictures to show what I see. 

I couldn't justify the cost of the prime and this was on sale.

I have never (up until now) owned a camera that took such great default pics.


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## kwsjimmy

*shots*

What shooting mode are you using? Try A mode for aperture. And play with shooting on the low side like 2.8 . Do a white balance , that will help with the camera seeing the colors that you see from the tank lighting. Also try using focus peaking and start manually focusing.


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## Marz

I played around a little today as I haven't had much time to really figure this out. Adjusted the EV settings and have different pictures based. The darker pictures were at EV -1 and the brighter (more true color in my tank to be honest) were at EV +1.

Thoughts?

EV -1


















EV +1









bonsai needs more light, but this is where it is encrusting


















EV +.5


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## goobafish

Great pictures! How close are you having to put the coral to the front of the tank to get those shots? If you aren't moving them, are you shooting at less than 1:1 and cropping?

Because I am a little odd, I learned photography for the sole purpose of macro shots. I apparently use my camera and it's settings much differently than most camera-users who try macro. Problably due to the fact that I did a lot of research on using the Canon 65mm. Not sure if these tips will be helpful, but it is how I have been doing things:

Shooting true macro means shooting at a 1:1 magnification, with your lens fully focused (1:1 on the focus ring). The closer to 1:1 (or greater if using extension tubes) the larger your subject will be in your picture frame, giving you the finest details.

Here's an example. The first shot is shot at 1:1 (true macro), the second I have an extension tube and my magnification is closer to 2:1. The first has only been cropped horizontally a bit, and the second is un-cropped. What you see is what I saw in my viewfinder.




I pretty much exclusively shoot with prime macro lenses at 1:1 magnification, I never touch the focus ring. I move the camera back and forth until I get my desired focus, either by moving the tripod or by using an adjustment plate on the tripod head. This is also requires a different mindset when framing shots; you may not be looking to shoot a specific scene, but rather getting to perfect focus and framing your shot based on what looks interesting at that magnification. This is much easier with a tripod head/slider that allows you to move the camera side-to-side.

It may be easier for you to shoot in RAW and edit the white balance in post-processing while looking at your tank. I find this is a much better way to mimic your tank's lighting and removes a setting you would otherwise need to adjust and keep in mind while shooting. It may just be my camera/my eyes, but colours also seem to appear differently on the camera LCD display and my monitor, allowing me to select what I believe to be a more "true" colour.

Unfortunately I am also new to this, so I don't have many more pointers for you. Its really interesting how much theory there is behind the practice, and it will take a long, long time for me to feel like I am well-versed.


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