Photographing the Reef - A Roundtable Discussion

Featuring Rick Dickens, James Wiseman, & Bill Kennedy

January 31st 2001 on #reefs

James Wiseman (jameso) Good evening folks. I'd like to welcome our new guests and returning reefs.org friends. Tonight we are going to give a panel discussion about Photographing Your Aquaria. We will focus on Digital photography for the most part, but I will talk about film cameras as well.  Rick Dickens aka MicroChip will begin our talk.

Rick Dickens (MicroChip) Hi 

Ok, people always ask me, "Hey Micro, what kinda camera you got?". I have a Nikon Coolpix 950. I got it way before the 990 came out, so don't ask "Dude, why didn't you get a 990?". I got the 950 right after they announced the $200 rebate that helped most of us get a 950. As far as I'm concerned it's a great camera, and I won't be upgrading soon.

Next question people always ask is "Hey Micro, what accessories do you have for it?" I'll cover that as we go on... As many of you know, I was famous (should I say infamous?) when I first got my camera for taking terribly blurry pictures. People would get dizzy just looking at my photos. Here's an early attempt: 

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/mc_photo_1.jpg  

I only showed you that because the room is moderated and you can't groan. Don't worry, I've gotten better, and I'm going to share with you what I've learned.

I found that using a tripod significantly improved the general clarity of my pictures. I guess I have a 50 pound shutter finger or something, so the tripod reduced my jarring the camera as I snap the picture. DING That was my first accessory. I got a light, inexpensive tripod. It came with a camera/accessory bag as well. I plan to add a cable release soon to further improve this situation, but that's a DIY project for later...Even with the tripod, I found that often the camera would focus on the wrong object in the frame. Have a look at: 

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/mc_photo_2.jpg

As you can see in that picture, the camera is focused on the disc the coral is mounted on, and the sand and rubble below and behind, but the coral is quite blurry. Are you ready to stop letting the camera do all the work like you're at a family picnic? Switch it from AUTO to MANUAL because that's where all the good stuff is.

The most significant improvement I made came when I changed the metering on the camera from matrix, which uses the entire exposure area for auto focus, to center-weighted, which as the name implies, will auto focus the camera more based on what's in the center of the picture. Look at: 

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/mc_photo_3.jpg  

The Acropora colony is in focus. The camera didn't try to average focus with the hammer coral behind it. Much better.

I've recently started using a wide-angle lens for shooting aquariums. Even when I'm zooming in close. I think it makes the camera focus more easily, and the larger diameter lens adapts better to the bright metal halide lighting. I don't know why, it just does. Plus it's great for taking full tank shots like: 

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/mc_photo_4.jpg  

DING another accessory. I have a Raynox 0.8x wide angle lens with adapter ring to fit the 950. I also have the Tiffen +7 and +10 macro lenses, which can even be combined to shoot at +17. I don't use them often, but they're great for those "what the hell is that?" shots. Here's a cool macro shot I took: 

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/mc_photo_5.jpg  

At +17 you can even see scratches in the glass that are barely visible to the naked eye.

By the way, probably the most necessary accessory is NiMH rechargeable batteries and a charger. Digital cameras eat batteries very quickly. Don't want to be lined up for the perfect shot, only to have the camera blink, beep and then shut itself off. That'd be a wicked googly!

The only other accessories I have are a 48MB card (the camera comes with an 8MB card, that's not enough), and a USB flashcard reader. Some of the newer cameras hook directly up to the USB port, and some of the newer flashcards include usb cables, but mine didn't. It's just easier to pop the flashcard in to a reader and view your pictures like they're on a removable drive. The serial cable that came with the 950 is SLOW transferring pictures.

I just have a few more tips I'd like to share with you all. I'm still learning myself, plus I'm just warming up the crowd for Jameso and Einstein anyway. I try to shoot from an angle above the coral whenever possible. In scuba, you always try to shoot upwards to use the light from above. I thought that would be the case in aquarium photography as well, but the lights (at least mine) are SO bright, that you really need to try to shoot pointing downward instead to shield the camera from the aquarium lights. Even straight on often causes washed out photos. Also, save your batteries and turn off the constant auto focus. Depress the shutter button half way to get the camera to focus and hold it's focus, then snap the picture. Otherwise, especially shooting fish, the photo opportunity will be gone before the auto focus ever locks and the camera shoots the picture. Lastly, shoot a lot of pictures, hoping to get one good one. It took me a year to get a good photo of my desjardini tang, and I must've tried 200 times. Most of the time you just get a blurry streak the color of your fish darting across your picture, but if you keep trying, you'll get it. Here he is: 

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/mc_photo_6.jpg  

That might be the nicest picture I've taken with my Coolpix 950. It's certainly my favorite. I do have one last tip. You might think it seems obvious, but... CLEAN THE GLASS! Inside with a scraper. Outside with glass cleaner (don't get glass cleaner in the tank...duh!). Otherwise the camera will often focus on the salt creep or algae on the glass. Ok, that's it for me. Thanks! Now back to James for something totally different...

James Wiseman (jameso) All right, my turn!

First off, let me say that you can see some of my shots on the web if you go to:

www.reefs.org/features/rsanchez or

www.marshreef.org/members (you should be able to double-click on both of those)

All of these pictures have been resized for the web, down from their original large size. (you can browse those, but PAY ATTENTION during the talk...there will be a quiz afterwards) I'll try not to talk about stuff that MC has already covered., but if I do, too bad, you can't complain!

Film cameras VS Digital:

I can tell you without a doubt that is much easier to get a better picture of an aquarium with a good digital camera. It is also more expensive. I have shot tank pix with both, and a good film camera with a good auto focus will work, however, I have yet to get a picture that actually LOOKS like the coral. For some reason, the film is not good at capturing the true colors of the corals. A blue coral will look purple, a green coral will look brown, etc. This is probably because of the lighting. The tank lighting stimulated the film emulsion in a different way than natural light does. Digital cameras seem MUCH better at capturing the colors that WE see when we look at our tanks. Bill thinks it's the film, but then hey, I'm the one giving the talk...

Accessories

I have a Nikon 990, similar to Microchip's camera, just a newer model. Be advised that Ikelite makes a waterproof housing for these Nikon Coolpix cameras, so you can take your camera diving with you. This is a significant reason to get this camera over other digitals. The camera also has a TTL or "Through the Lense" metering system for the flash, so the flash "sees" what you see, and fires accordingly. You can see a couple pix of the underwater housing here:

http://216.90.10.65/Ikelite/index.htm

Some accessories that I have are NiMH batteries and charger, Ikelite Housing, Ikelite Videolite, and a Pelican waterproof carrying case.

Here are some pictures I took while diving in the Keys. These were taken without a flash:

http://www.reefs.org/ops/jameso/floridakeys/

I also have a UV filter/lense protector that I keep on my camera at ALL TIMES. It's a lot easier to replace a $5 filter than the lense, or even the whole camera.

Shooting moving subjects, such as fish, etc

You should know that taking photos is ALL ABOUT LIGHT. Since we're reef aquarists, we're supposed to know about this already, right? Well, to super-simplify it, the more light you have on your tank, the shorter time the shutter on your camera will stay open. The less light, the longer, etc. Why is this important? Well, it's important for taking pictures of things that move (like a fish, or your hand holding the camera). If your tank is dimly lit (like w/ NO's) then you probably won't be able to take pictures of fish. You can take the pictures...but the fish will look like a pretty colored blur most likely. That is unless you use the flash, which looks TERRIBLE. So, more light = better fish pictures. You can shoot things that don't move in a dimly lit tank, but you will DEFINITELY need a tripod.

Ok, so this brings me to the flash. Should you use it? I don't. I prefer to turn off all the lights in the room, and only leave the tank lights on. I suppress the flash, and take pix only with the available light, or the light from the tank. The flash just seems to wash out things, and reflect off the glass, making star patterns all over the place!

VHO's VS MH

Ok, tank pictures look better under metal halides pretty bold statement eh? You can see this in my picture examples. First, have a look at this pic from Barbara Pike's tank, taken under MH: 

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/jw_photo_1.jpg  

Here is another pic from her tanks, this one from a tank lit w/ VHO (one daylight and one 50/50)

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/jw_photo_2.jpg  

Sure, that picture looks "neat" but does it look real? No. That fish is a Blue Chromis, not a "purple chromis". I think this strange color effect is due to the way that cameras see light. MH light is a mixture of all wavelengths, called a "broadband emitter" The camera "likes" this, because it is similar to sunlight. VHO lamps only put out light at a few wavelengths. The camera is not designed for these spikes, and it can not record the colors correctly. (this goes for PC's too. Since they are just overdriven skinny VHO's)

Well, that is all I can think of for now, but let me end w/ a pic of Seeloong Chin's "bullseye" mushrooms:

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/jw_photo_3.jpg

Well, let me hand it over to Einstein. Letter rip Ein.

Bill Kennedy (einstein) Hello everyone

As most of you who know me know...I am not very technical....so I have put together a few of my basic tips and rules that I follow...

First I have put a few of my pics in a directory for all of you to look at 

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/einstein/

I will be happy to spend most of my time answering questions when I am finished

And now for my basic rules and tips....

Always shoot in the highest possible resolution. It is always easy to decrease file size and photo dimensions if needed.

Always save uncompressed masters of good shots for future use. Pick a picture size that works best with your camera's resolution. Remember, a small clear picture is nicer than a larger pixilated picture. I use 800X600 for a final picture size.

Make sure the camera is steady, use a tripod if the camera is away from the tank. If shooting individual items in the tank, I prefer to steady the camera right against the glass and use add-on lenses to adjust the focal length to the subject. The Tiffin lens sets work great for this. I shoot 99% of my close ups with the lens against the glass.

Take a test picture to get the focus just right. Do this first, as it is one of the most critical adjustments needed. Make the other adjustments when the focus is set and clear. Keep notes on distances from the subject and what lenses worked best at those distances.

Take many many pictures if the same shot making only small and slight adjustments between them. Don't trust the cameras viewer window....look at the pictures on your computer to be sure how it really looks.

Write down the adjustments you made for later reference.

I only use flash when shooting a moving object.

Get a good photo editor and learn how to use it!

I prefer Photoshop or picture publisher 8

Only make changes to a photo in a photo editor with the photo at 100% size.

I have had very little photo experience before I got my Coolpix 950. By playing with close-ups a lot and trying many different things, I have learned a great deal, but still.....For every photo of mine that all of you end up seeing, I probably took an average of 6 to 10 shots before I got the right one.

Last.....Experiment and have fun!! try different settings on your camera making notes when something works well. Here is one of my latest favorite pics... http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/ops_photo_talk/bk_photo_1.jpg

Those are a few of the basics I always use I will be happy to answer any questions later in the talk....

Now it is time for the questions ........

how do you handle the prismatic distortion in a tank, and how do u account for vignette?

James Wiseman (jameso) Well, I notice it is worst w/ glass tanks of course. Because they are thicker. Personally, I try to shoot straight into the glass, to avoid refraction problems. I DON'T get vignette, since I don't use a flash. Anyone else?

Rick Dickens (Microchip) with Photoshop

Do you have any tricks for getting pics of fish. The shutter delay defeats me. This seems to be the one drawback to digitals.

James Wiseman (jameso) Yes, shoot a lot of pictures...one of them will be good...:-)

Bill Kennedy (einstein) I have had some problem with that too

James Wiseman (jameso) on the 990, you can set the camera to do "autowinding" where it takes a sequence of photos, similar to a film camera

Rick Dickens (Microchip) I usually stand there and take like 10 pics of a fish to get one good one. Hold the shutter half way to lock the focus, that way it snaps when you finish depressing.

James Wiseman (jameso) The 990 also has a "best shot" selector, where it will take 8 pix simultaneously and the camera chooses the best one

What do the cameras and the housings cost?

James Wiseman (jameso) A 3 megapixel camera costs around $1000 with a decent sized flash card. The housings are around $700, but keep in mind you need some kind of lighting as well.

Rick Dickens (Microchip) I think people are getting the 950 around $550 if the rebates still going. I've seen the 990 for about $900. the ikelight housing is like $700-800 mail order. Lots of good digicams in the $400-500 range now too.

Question for jameso: Does the housing have it's own refraction lense?

James Wiseman (jameso) The housing has a dome port.

What do you think of the coolpix 880? I like it for the size vs. the 990. But is there many more reasons I should keep saving for the 990?

James Wiseman (jameso) You have to get a special battery and charger for the 880 making it ALMOST the same price as the 990 (IMO)

James Wiseman (jameso) I like a camera that takes AA's

Bill Kennedy (einstein) the 880 is a bit more of a point and shoot camera also

(@RichK): that way, in an emergency, you can always find AAs

Rick Dickens (Microchip) depending on your budget, either will be great.

what makes the Nikon coolpix camera a better choice than other cameras with the same amount of pixels in the same price range?

(@RichK): IMO optics

James Wiseman (jameso) The CCD is actually THE SAME on both cameras

Rick Dickens (Microchip) There are lots of great cameras for the same or sometimes less money. Some people love the Olympus. Just seems we all got Nikons...

James Wiseman (jameso) what distinguishes the Coolpix (IMO) is the lense, and the "firmware" that is built into the camera

How close do you set the camera to the tank? Inches? Feet?

James Wiseman (jameso) Light and Motion also make a underwater housing for the Olympus C3030 but I haven't used it

Rick Dickens (Microchip) depends on what you're shooting. sometimes I get right up near the glass, but if the camera won't focus, I back off. sometimes on a tripod a couple feet away...

Bill Kennedy (einstein) I put the lenses right against the glass itself for my close up shots.... this also give a very steady base to hold the camera still

James Wiseman (jameso) Yep, I like to put my knuckles right up against the glass sometimes

How are the corals moved in the tank before the picture is taken, for example, if the coral is near the back of the tank, how do you get a real good close up of it?

Rick Dickens (MicroChip) Oh yeah, minderasr wants everyone to know you should increase your shutter speed for clear pictures of your fish. I don't usually do that. I just take close-ups of the ones in the front.

Bill Kennedy (einstein) I have a walk around tank...just for that reason...lol

Rick Dickens (Microchip) lucky

any tips for taking full tank shots of larger tanks? say 6ft or longer? You have to stand so far back to get the entire tank in you can't make out what is in the tank. Taking multiple pics and joining them is to hard for most people.

James Wiseman (jameso) Well, Microchip mentioned a wide angle lense. You can use one, and use software to "straighten up" the picture.

Rick Dickens (Microchip) That is a problem. I usually take the shot with a wide angle lens, and crop the top and bottom. to get a high-res pic, you do have to seam multiple photos.

ein, please give an example of highest resolution? If u have one

Bill Kennedy (einstein) Every cam has different settings...I use Tiff format for my masters...at the maximum res in manual mode 1600x1200 I believe

Rick Dickens (MicroChip) Yeah that's it. my memory card holds like 4 of those...

James Wiseman (jameso) I take my pix at 3:2 aspect ratio, in "fine" mode, which yields a jpeg of 2048 pixels width. I am not brave enough to shoot in TIFF mode yet...

Bill Kennedy (einstein) I save the masters to cd to keep my hard drive from filling up

James Wiseman (jameso) OK, at this point, we are going to open up the room for a Roundtable Discussion.

James Wiseman (jameso) Thanks everyone for coming