# New Camera for Christmas



## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

I'm looking for an entry level DSLR for Christmas. Looking at the Nikon D3000. Were most of these pictures taken with a DSLR?


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

My tank photography is done with a DLSR: http://africanfish.net/photos001_Tanganyika.htm. An off-camera flash is also helpful, but not required.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Nice pics of the calvus.


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## AnThRaXx (Apr 21, 2008)

sigh im jealous now. i not only love the fish you have. but that algae on the rocks just adds that little bit extra to the overall look. it really is a nice setup that you should be proud of.


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks guys. Yeah, I really did luck out on the type of algae I ended up with in my 40 breeder. Honestly, a full tank shot of that tank isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t so impressive. But, the rocks with the algae do make a good backdrop for photos.

As far as buying a camera, I think youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be happy with any of the Nikon or Canon models. Both brands offer a wide range of good lenses and both are well supported with after market accessories.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

I know this is a fish forum and not a camera forum. Please forgive me. This section is "photography and video."

I've been eyeing the Canon T1i. Has anyone used that and are happy with it. I've read good reviews on it for an entry level DSLR. Just want to make sure.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

I have the Canon XSi , the previous model, and am very happy with it. One reason I went with Canon was I know a number of people using Canon, so there is the opportunity to audition various lenses.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

can you post some pics taken with your xsi?


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## NorthShore (Feb 3, 2006)

Do not decide on any dslr without trying them out in your hands first.


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## aussieafricans (Dec 19, 2007)

the D3100 is quite the babe of camera's for me atm, a friend had her's here tonight for my farewell as im leaving the state, it captured my tears wonderfully :'( (NAHT REALLY, t'was very sad), but camera is great :wink:

Ben


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Yes! I was looking at the D3100 and like the feel of it. I just could not find a full review on it yet.


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

pretty-nifty said:


> Yes! I was looking at the D3100 and like the feel of it. I just could not find a full review on it yet.


I like this site for reviews: DPReview

Like I said, I think youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll do fine with any of the entry level Nikon or Canon DSLR bodies. For aquarium photography there are a few other items youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll eventually want to add to your collection of gear:

*Tripod and remote shutter trigger:*
If you spend any time at all shooting without using flash, you'll need a tripod to hold the camera steady. At slower shutter speeds, any small movements on your part will show up as blurriness in the photo. Personally, I found that the on-camera flash was fairly useless in aquarium photography. It either reflected off the glass or made the fish look more like a mugshot of inmate 23145.

*Off-Camera flash:*
An off camera flash sitting on top of the tank can have a dramatic impact on your photos. A couple of flash units give you a lot of creative control over using light to Ã¢â‚¬Å"shapeÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

Oops. I didn't pick up on the D3100 vs. the D3000. That same site has a hands on preview of the D3100.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Yeah, I know. I wish they had a full review. The D5000 might be a faster camera still w/o the 1080 video.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

pretty-nifty said:


> I've been eyeing the Canon T1i. Has anyone used that and are happy with it. I've read good reviews on it for an entry level DSLR. Just want to make sure.


I use a T1i and am very happy with it. I've been into photography for longer than I have been into fish keeping, and in my opinion the T1i is a good deal more than 'entry level', but I guess these days even the base models of the big manufacturers come feature packed.

Here are some shots of my M. lanistacola:




























These are my N. brichardi:



















I use the video function rarely, and have no decent video editing software. This is my 240G straight out of the camera onto YouTube:


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Is this is with the 18-55mm lens it came in? Set on auto?


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

The 18-55 IS lens that comes with the T1i is an excellent lens, but I already had the 17-85 IS from my Rebel XT. I bought the 17-85 IS only because at that time the 18-55 IS lens was not available yet - only the older 18-55 without IS. In the shots I showed, there is no way you could tell from the quality if they were taken with the 18-55 IS or the 17-85 IS, but I kept the latter lens due to the wider range.

For aquarium shots without flash (like the example shots shows) I typically use ISO 1600. Part of the reason I upgraded from the XT to the T1i was that I was hoping to be able to go to ISO 3200, but I find that a bit grainy on the T1i. The XT doesn't have it. ISO 1600 is very usable on both cameras in my opinion.

I then often put the camera in P mode, letting it choose both aperture and shutter speed. For close up shots were I need lots of DOF, I might choose f8, and use A mode to let the camera choose the shutter speed. There is also a green mode, in which the camera chooses all three, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. I never use that, and I don't use any of those close-up, portrait, landscape, and so on settings to let the camera determine exposure. even if you are totally new to photography, it shouldn't take you longer than a couple of hours to figure out the basics about film speed (or sensor speed, ISO), aperture, and shutter speed. That will definitely pay off when you are using a DSLR, and I find it typically takes folks longer to figure out all the fancy settings that are meant to save you that trouble :lol:


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Good info. Thanks a lot. Love your website!


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

fmueller said:


> I then often put the camera in P mode, letting it choose both aperture and shutter speed. For close up shots were I need lots of DOF, I might choose f8, and use A mode to let the camera choose the shutter speed. There is also a green mode, in which the camera chooses all three, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. I never use that, and I don't use any of those close-up, portrait, landscape, and so on settings to let the camera determine exposure. even if you are totally new to photography, it shouldn't take you longer than a couple of hours to figure out the basics about film speed (or sensor speed, ISO), aperture, and shutter speed. That will definitely pay off when you are using a DSLR, and I find it typically takes folks longer to figure out all the fancy settings that are meant to save you that trouble :lol:


The various modes such as portrait make minor alterations to the colour as well as perform specific mechanical functions.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

BillD said:


> The various modes such as portrait make minor alterations to the colour as well as perform specific mechanical functions.


I've never looked into it much, but if these modes do indeed influence the color balance, for me it would be one more reason not to use them. I prefer to take control of that myself in Photoshop.

Regarding 'specific mechanical functions', yeah, they control exposure to achieve a certain effect. For example portrait mode will undoubtedly lean towards large apertures (small f numbers), because this will lead to a shallow depth of field that will help to separate a face from the background. On the other hand, macro mode will lean towards small apertures (high f numbers), because with a short camera to subject distance you automatically have a very shallow depth of field, and you usually want to maximize what you can get in focus. Similar consideration will underlie all other special modes.

Obviously this is not rocket science, and instead of just leaning towards large or small apertures in portrait mode and macro mode, respectively, you can choose a specific aperture in A mode, such as for example f2 for portraits or f16 for macro. This gives you more control, and with some experience will lead to better results. In time it also becomes more convenient than bothering with all those modes where you need to figure out for each new camera what exactly they do with that model. The workings of aperture and shutter speed are universal regardless of camera model or film/digital.

Just my 2c.


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