A quick canon question from the new guy

[pictureperfect]

hello everyone

i have been taking pictures with digital cameras since they first hit the market. even though i have been doing it for a long time the cameras i have used have always been regular old every day digitals from ranging from 3 MP HP cameras to my last camera a canon S2 IS 5 MP.
as you can see nothing special compared to what most of you have.

well yesterday i felt like i wanted to move up in the world a step or two
I purchased a Canon 40D. with a Canon EF 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens

still nothing top notch but far better then anything i have ever owned. i have been reading like crazy everything i can get my hands on and the more i read the more confused i get

My question is

now what? lol.

is there any good advice i should know right off the bat that would get me off to a good start? my main subject is close up live coral in an aquarium setting. condition are VERY VERY bright with powerful heltal halide lighting that is on the blue scale of things in the 20k range. i need to be able to take macro style pictures showing great detail and clarity. I own a coral company and i use these pictures to sell our corals. should i be able to accomplish this with this lens and camera combo? any adive would be greatly appriciated

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

The 40D is a great camera, and many professionals use it. That lens is a decent lens, neither pro level or cheap 'entry' level. I'm not sure what the minimum focus distance is for that lens but that will determine how close up you can get.

For shooting coral, I'd suggest using a tripod...although, if it is really bright, you could probably shoot hand held while using the IS on the lens. If you use a tripod, remember to turn the IS off. Also, the benefits of a tripod are gained when you don't touch the camera, so use a remote or the self timer to fire it. Activating MLU (mirror lock up) might also be a good idea.

I would also suggest shooting in RAW, rather than JPEG. There will probably be a learning curve involved with processing RAW files, if you haven't done that before...but it will really help you to get accurate colors and white balance.

If you find that you can't get close enough to the coral, you might consider an alternative to the 28-135mm lens. Although, with the quality and resolution of the 40D, you could afford to crop the images and still get files that can make large prints if you need. For internet only photos, you should have no problems.

 

[pictureperfect]

focus distance of 1.64' (0.5m), the Canon EF 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens delivers a mediocre maximum magnification of .19x at 135mm.


this is the best i could find on focal distance should i be able to get good and close with that

 

[Big Mike]

That's not too bad. At the longer end of the zoom, that should give you pretty good magnification...and like I said, you can just crop the images afterward, to get a closer view.

 

[Solthar]

Also, if you're shooting through glass in the aquarium setting (most likely), I'd strongly reccomend a good circular polarizer. They're great for getting rid of unwanted reflections.

 

[pictureperfect]

Also, if you're shooting through glass in the aquarium setting (most likely), I'd strongly reccomend a good circular polarizer. They're great for getting rid of unwanted reflections.

i read alot on that yesterday thanks. seems like a great idea

 

[Big Mike]

You can also eliminate reflections on the glass by putting the lens right up against the glass....or even using a lens hood that is up against the glass.

 

[prodigy2k7]

My fiancee's cousin is a professional photographer, he does weddings. He shoots with a 40D. Good lens also.

The best advice and most important thing is to shoot pictures all the time!

 

[Phazan]

Big Mike, why is it a good idea that you turn the IS off when you use a tripod?

 

[Donald Harvey]

What is Mirror Lock Up?

 

[prodigy2k7]

What is Mirror Lock Up?

Mirror flips up when you click shutter button, hit shutter button again to take picture. Its to prevent camera shake from the vibration of the mirror flipping up.

Big Mike, why is it a good idea that you turn the IS off when you use a tripod?

Because you dont need it and its wasting battery. IS is anti-camera shake, wlel your tripod is doing that for you.

 

[davebmck]

You might want to consider a macro lens for your close ups. I have the Canon 100mm macro and I can recommend it. I saw it for under $500 online the other night.