my very first decent pic!

[luisse25]

my husband bought me a dslryay....so heres our first decent pic...we took 12 pics and this is the only one that is decent enough to show

cropped for a close up

we will be doing a lot more practicebut for now im lovin' the new camera
we are on a hunt for a macro lens...any suggestions will be appreciated...

thanks for looking!

 

[NC2WA]

learning the concept of dept of field..it will serve you well in taking photos:

http://www.dpchallenge.com/tutorial.php?TUTORIAL_ID=1

 

[luisse25]

thanks for the link!

 

[Loke]

thats a good link. and nice first pic. I want a dslr camera.

 

[Krish]

That came out really nice!!

 

[mfinn]

Great picture.
I find that I need to take a ton of pictures, just to get 1 or 2 that are ok.
What camera did you get?

 

[Xtremedave67]

I am a hobby/amatuer photographer. and I have yet to really attempt much with tank and coral photo's...nice job
I do want a macro lens though

 

[returnofsid]

Great shot! Keep practicing!!

I'd also encourage you to learn all you can, about the different settings your camera offers. I shoot almost all of my photos in Manual Mode, enabling me to control every aspect of the camera. Learning all these settings will help out a lot.

If you haven't joined yet, I encourage you to join a couple photography forums. You'll learn SO much, on them. Here's links to a couple great ones.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

To help you with a Macro Lens purchase, it'd help to know which brand of DSLR camera you got. If it's a Canon, you can't beat the 100mm Macro. Also, since the 100mm L series has recently come out, the Non L series prices have dropped, considerably. They're an amazing lens.

 

[luisse25]

i got a Nikon D3100...thanks everyone...my husband is the one getting into itnow he spends hours in the computer reading and researching:lol:
we are looking to get tamron 90mm since its a bit cheaper but we havent decided yet...
keep the suggestion coming...

and Sid thanks for the links

 

[returnofsid]

For Nikon, the Nikon 105mm would be amazing, though expensive at just about $1000.00. Other options would be the Tamron 90mm that you mentioned, or Tokina 100mm F2.8 would be awesome and much less expensive! The Tokina 100mm is about the same price as the Tamron 90mm. Sigma makes a couple outstanding Macro lenses, for Nikon, including the 150mm.

Also, that camera is capable of 1080p HD video, though you'll wanna do A LOT of practicing, shooting video. The key to shooting video is to NOT zoom, using the lens, but to move closer and further from the subject. Once you discover how to take good video, you'll realize that that particular camera can take some amazing videos. I'm still attempting to learn the video features, on my Canon 7D.

 

[luisse25]

i will get the tamron 90mm...would love the nikon 105mm but its ouch!

 

[returnofsid]

Before you purchase any lens, do some research on it and read reviews. DPreview is a good site, but I find Fredmiranda better. Links to both places, are in this thread. You can also find, on both sites, reviews that actually compare the 2 lenses. (Tokina and Tamron)

 

[Xtremedave67]

I am preferencial to buying my lens's from the camera company ie. Nikkor/Canon.
canon in my case, but Ive been a Nikon owner as well.
3rd party lens's typically dont offer as good of optics as the camera manufacturer at least with those 2 companies. as well as the image stabilizing of 3rd parties may not work as efficiently as the vendor for camera lens will
for Canon, I am all about the L series lens optics. but of course it will cost a bit more.
what I didnt realize in beginning of this hobby, that the real investment is the lens, the camera body is just the tool to capture the image that the lens is focused on.

 

[noworries]

It is all about the lens'. And every lens is not created the same. Whenever possible shoot with the lens you are about to purchase to deem if it is 'sharp' or not. Buying used is a GREAT idea when you are getting started. I shoot Canon and all my lens are L lenses, except one. But I have to say, 3rd party lenses are a GREAT cost effective alternative. Sigma in particular is my personal favorite if I was to go back to 3rd party. A few of my friends shoot Nikon, and go with Tamron when going with another brand. You will learn FAR more from just shooting and analyzing your shots, than with any reading. Everything is foreign when you read unless you fire away and can relate it into your shots. Photography is an amazing hobby much like the saltwater hobby!

 

[luisse25]

It is all about the lens'. And every lens is not created the same. Whenever possible shoot with the lens you are about to purchase to deem if it is 'sharp' or not. Buying used is a GREAT idea when you are getting started. I shoot Canon and all my lens are L lenses, except one. But I have to say, 3rd party lenses are a GREAT cost effective alternative. Sigma in particular is my personal favorite if I was to go back to 3rd party. A few of my friends shoot Nikon, and go with Tamron when going with another brand. You will learn FAR more from just shooting and analyzing your shots, than with any reading. Everything is foreign when you read unless you fire away and can relate it into your shots. Photography is an amazing hobby much like the saltwater hobby!

thanks for this comment!
we are going to buy the macro lens this weekend.....we are still not decided if we wanna keep this nikon d3100...m husband seems to like the canon rebel xs that we first tried....
so we are thinking bout getting the canon t1i then tamron 90mm...is this ok?

 

[noworries]

thanks for this comment!
we are going to buy the macro lens this weekend.....we are still not decided if we wanna keep this nikon d3100...m husband seems to like the canon rebel xs that we first tried....
so we are thinking bout getting the canon t1i then tamron 90mm...is this ok?

I wouldn't buy any lenses anytime soon...until you are for sure decided on a brand. I LOVE Canon, but both brands have their pros/cons of course. Nikon is becoming increasingly user friendly where Canon had always been known as the more "user-friendly" brand. Since lenses will stay as bodies go, decide on what brand you think you favor before buying more lenses, because as you know you can't use a nikon lens on a canon body and vise-versa. It'll save you a future headache.

 

[noworries]

Another thing, shoot RAW any chance you get. While you are learning now, if you have the option on your camera shoot JPEG Fine/RAW. With RAW you'll be able to convert your pictures white-balance "color" to most accurately show what your corals look like. With all the different bulbs and light combinations on reef tanks, it is very tricky to accurately portray the color of corals.

 

[mfinn]

I'll throw my ignorant .02 worth in also. I have the Nikon D-80 with a Taron 90mm lens.
I still have not learned much about either, but after seeing the controls on Adams Canon and seeing some of the pictures he has posted without a macro lens, I am starting to wish I had bought a Canon instead.
The user controls seem so much easier then on my Nikon.

 

[luisse25]

noworries..thanks for more info and keep it coming

marty thats what my husband thinks also,he likes the canon better..the controls are easier than the nikon we have now....

im having a headache now

 

[Jesse_emel]

When do we get to see your 2nd decent pic?