New To Photography

[NYC1225]

Google Takashi Amano.

While the Nex-5n is a great camera it has no hotshot or sync port to trigger an off camera flash.

The majority of pics I have seen use no flash. . .this a SALTWATER tank with extremely bright lights. Two 14K bulbs as well as two 10K bulbs. I don't see a need for flash. . .maybe i'm wrong but I haven't seen many pics where people have been using flash. . .with the T5 HO or Metal Halide lights I don't see how flash would benefit the shot. . .

You probally have a camera currently. What fstop, shutter speed, and iso does it use when you take a picture of the tank. Your right you probably don't need a "pro" camera or even flashes. Those just give you more options. A basic point and shoot mounted on a tripod will give you pretty good results. It's been years since I tried aquarium photography (before I was using a DSLR) I found that my point and shoot mounted on a cheap tripod did well. I main thing was that the exposures ended up being too long to hand hold the camera and fish blurred if they moved. I was running a fresh water planted tank with 4 watts per gallon of lighting.

I'm not sure about the settings on the point and shoot. . .I explored the menu a bit and changed nothing but the white balance, that helped alot when it came to taking pics under the LED's and 14K bulbs. Taking photographs of anything stationary in the tank is pretty easy. . .when it comes to the fish, like you said it is very difficult to take a picture of them and have it not be blurry since they are always moving. I don't think my point and shoot has any settings regarding the exposure, I know the NEX-5N does, but does it have the right settings and options (in terms of exposure) to make it a decent camera for taking pictures of moving fish?

 

[NYC1225]

Welcome to the forum

THANK YOU. . .for being the only person to say "welcome"

 

[Natalie]

Personally I've never used one of those new mirrorless cameras, though apparently they can take superb images, primarily because they have larger sensors than other compact cameras and you can put better lenses on them. One thing that would concern me, however, is that I don't know if they are compatible with off-camera flashes. Perhaps the NEX camera flash could be used as a master to trigger a slave flash placed elsewhere? Not sure how that would work. The goal with camera flashes, in addition to simply adding enough light to the scene to get the shot you want, is to add depth and dimension the photo. This is best done by having the flash off the camera at an angle, so you get nice looking shadows and not the flat look that often plagues shots with an on-camera flash too close to the lens (like the pop-up flash on most DSLRs). Having the flash at an angle will also greatly reduce any reflections from the aquarium glass/acrylic. However, the $119 price tag is hard to argue against... What you might end up doing is getting this camera, mastering the basics of photography with it, and then investing in a DLSR when you feel ready. The lenses on the NEX-5N can also be used on Sony DSLRs, right?

 

[kassad]

All of those cameras are perfectly adequate for aquarium photography and will be able to take some fantastic photos. The actual camera body makes surprisingly little difference for most applications. Find a store that has all three cameras in stock and play around with them for a while, see which one feels the best in hand and which one has the most intuitive setting adjustments to you, because when you need to change the aperture in the blink of an eye, you don't want to be fumbling around with controls. Also, research lenses and more importantly, what sort of flash system you want to get. Because once you buy a camera body, you are pretty much locked into that brand's gear and accessories unless you want to sell everything and start over. Before you start looking into flash systems and whatnot for aquarium photography however, you should probably play around for a while with other types of photography (i.e., outdoor and well-lit indoor) so you can sort of learn the ropes before you invest in thousands of dollars of gear. Getting in over your head when you're completely new to photography can be extremely frustrating - take your time and learn things at your own pace.

Thanks for the helpful advice! I think i'll go with the Sony NEX-5N. It comes with a flash, but then there is another optional flash I can purchase. It's actually on sale now for $119 which is not bad at all. NEX Camera Flash | External Flash for α NEX Cameras | HVL-F20S | Sony USA. . .what do you think about it?

That flash might give you decent results in casual indoor setting but won't work for aquarium shots. Any flash you use for aquarium shots will need to be mounted off the camera. Otherwise you end up with a picture of the flash reflected in the glass or water surface.

The Nex-5n is a fantastic camera but not suited to any sort of flash photography.

 

[kassad]

The majority of pics I have seen use no flash. . .this a SALTWATER tank with extremely bright lights. Two 14K bulbs as well as two 10K bulbs. I don't see a need for flash. . .maybe i'm wrong but I haven't seen many pics where people have been using flash. . .with the T5 HO or Metal Halide lights I don't see how flash would benefit the shot. . .

You probally have a camera currently. What fstop, shutter speed, and iso does it use when you take a picture of the tank. Your right you probably don't need a "pro" camera or even flashes. Those just give you more options. A basic point and shoot mounted on a tripod will give you pretty good results. It's been years since I tried aquarium photography (before I was using a DSLR) I found that my point and shoot mounted on a cheap tripod did well. I main thing was that the exposures ended up being too long to hand hold the camera and fish blurred if they moved. I was running a fresh water planted tank with 4 watts per gallon of lighting.

I'm not sure about the settings on the point and shoot. . .I explored the menu a bit and changed nothing but the white balance, that helped alot when it came to taking pics under the LED's and 14K bulbs. Taking photographs of anything stationary in the tank is pretty easy. . .when it comes to the fish, like you said it is very difficult to take a picture of them and have it not be blurry since they are always moving. I don't think my point and shoot has any settings regarding the exposure, I know the NEX-5N does, but does it have the right settings and options (in terms of exposure) to make it a decent camera for taking pictures of moving fish?

There is EXIF data recorded with the images. It will tell what settings the camera used when making the picture. If your using a windows machine try right clicking on the file, then click on "Properties" then Click on "Details"

 

[o hey tyler]

Lenses are cheaper for sony dslr's to because they do not need internal motors like nikon and canon.

This is simply NOT TRUE. Sony Lenses are more often HIGHER priced than the Nikon or Canon. Please don't perpetuate inaccurate information, Disco Joe.

Here is the is the price of a Sony Kit Lens NEW: SAL1855 Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Standard Zoom Lens for (alpha) DSLR Camera

Here is the price of the Canon Kit Lens NEW: 2042B002 Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Auto Focus Lens - U.S.A. Warranty

Here is the price of the Nikon Kit Lens NEW: 2176 Nikon 18mm - 55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX (VR) Vibration Reduction Wide Angle Autofocus Zoom Lens, U.S.A. Warranty

The same holds true for the 50mm f/1.8, and the Canon/Nikon Equivalents being priced lower. Including pro glass.

 

[kassad]

Personally I've never used one of those new mirrorless cameras, though apparently they can take superb images, primarily because they have larger sensors than other compact cameras and you can put better lenses on them. One thing that would concern me, however, is that I don't know if they are compatible with off-camera flashes. Perhaps the NEX camera flash could be used as a master to trigger a slave flash placed elsewhere? Not sure how that would work. The goal with camera flashes, in addition to simply adding enough light to the scene to get the shot you want, is to add depth and dimension the photo. This is best done by having the flash off the camera at an angle, so you get nice looking shadows and not the flat look that often plagues shots with an on-camera flash too close to the lens (like the pop-up flash on most DSLRs). Having the flash at an angle will also greatly reduce any reflections from the aquarium glass/acrylic. However, the $119 price tag is hard to argue against... What you might end up doing is getting this camera, mastering the basics of photography with it, and then investing in a DLSR when you feel ready. The lenses on the NEX-5N can also be used on Sony DSLRs, right?

Unfortunately the Nex lenses are not compatible with a the Sony Alpha mount. There is an expensive adapter that will let you use Alpha mount lens on a Nex camera. I'm pretty sure you can't use the Nex flash as a master flash.

 

[Natalie]

Hmm... If that's the case, I would not recommend that the OP get the Sony NEX-5N, simply because of the lack of lens and flash options. An entry-level DSLR would be a much wiser choice for someone who wants to venture into aquarium photography.

 

[NYC1225]

Hmm... If that's the case, I would not recommend that the OP get the Sony NEX-5N, simply because of the lack of lens and flash options. An entry-level DSLR would be a much wiser choice for someone who wants to venture into aquarium photography.

OP?

 

[kassad]

OP?

Original poster

 

[KmH]

Original Poster.

(OP) is right there next to your screen name in the thread.

 

[Ballistics]

Another thread on which camera should I buy? Uggggh!

Your posting content is garbage. How about you give a little more than complaints and nonconstructive nonsense? You've been here for 4 months, have 59 posts... and are really complaining about a thread like this? You are in the beginners section - If you don't want to see beginner questions, go to the pros section. Better yet, if threads like these bother you... stay away from titles like "New To Photography". You're welcome.

 

[o hey tyler]

Another thread on which camera should I buy? Uggggh!

Your posting content is garbage. How about you give a little more than complaints and nonconstructive nonsense? You've been here for 4 months, have 59 posts... and are really complaining about a thread like this? You are in the beginners section - If you don't want to see beginner questions, go to the pros section. Better yet, if threads like these bother you... stay away from titles like "New To Photography". You're welcome.

I too have noticed that Paul has really crappy posts.

 

[Ballistics]

Another thread on which camera should I buy? Uggggh!

Your posting content is garbage. How about you give a little more than complaints and nonconstructive nonsense? You've been here for 4 months, have 59 posts... and are really complaining about a thread like this? You are in the beginners section - If you don't want to see beginner questions, go to the pros section. Better yet, if threads like these bother you... stay away from titles like "New To Photography". You're welcome.

I too have noticed that Paul has really crappy posts.

Yep. He could definitely benefit from a little humility and a dash of maturity.

 

[RebeccaAPhotography]

I too have noticed that Paul has really crappy posts.

I noticed it too. Especially on that thread on "Darcy the dog" pretty much belittleing a 14 yr old! I keep my mouth shut most of the time but couldn't on that one