Best Camera for Reef Photography!?!?

[diamondreef]

Wow nice camera and photos ^^ and Josh that would be awesome lol. And Craigslist makes me nervous but maybe someone on r2r will upgrade and sell one lol. I trust r2r purple more than Craigslist

 

[TheGrimmReefer]

The last one's a great shot Benny, cute kid lol

 

[benny z]

haha! thanks! love her...

 

[BBoley24]

Hey Josh... I don't believe those are really your zoanthids.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

All about the lens!! Well not all but a good DSLR without a great lens is not much more than a good point and shoot. Plus you have to practice and learn how to use the camera and lens.

 

[BBoley24]

My point and shoot is very good... but not good enough... I really wish I had the ability to shoot better pictures with the canon powershot SX160 IS but im pretty sure without a dslr I won't be satisfied.

This is a great shot with this point and shoot but you can already tell that it is getting grainy. Any closer and it would look a mess.

 

[returnofsid]

Go to your local photography shop and handle both Canon and Nikon cameras. Figure out which feels best in your hands, which one your fingers can most easily acess all the buttons on.

While I shoot Canon, both Canon and Nikon make exceptional products. Find the one that fits you best and go with that body. THEN the fun begins. Depending on which brand you go with, now's the time to start learning. DSLR photography is A LOT different than using a Point and Shoot! There's a huge learning curve. Familiarize yourself with all of the different modes/settings and learn how each setting effects the photographic results differently.

Once you've gotten comfortable with your purchase and learned some of the basics, it's time to start shopping for a Macro/Micro lens. Canon calls them Macro, Nikon calls them Micro. Canon 100mm Macro is an exceptional lens and also doubles quite nicely as a portraiture lens. Nikon 90mm Micro or 110mm Micro are also very high quality lenses.

Macro photography requires A LOT of practice. Your FOF (field of focus) is very small and minute movements to the camera, or subject, will effect focus.

 

[diamondreef]

Go to your local photography shop and handle both Canon and Nikon cameras. Figure out which feels best in your hands, which one your fingers can most easily acess all the buttons on.

While I shoot Canon, both Canon and Nikon make exceptional products. Find the one that fits you best and go with that body. THEN the fun begins. Depending on which brand you go with, now's the time to start learning. DSLR photography is A LOT different than using a Point and Shoot! There's a huge learning curve. Familiarize yourself with all of the different modes/settings and learn how each setting effects the photographic results differently.

Once you've gotten comfortable with your purchase and learned some of the basics, it's time to start shopping for a Macro/Micro lens. Canon calls them Macro, Nikon calls them Micro. Canon 100mm Macro is an exceptional lens and also doubles quite nicely as a portraiture lens. Nikon 90mm Micro or 110mm Micro are also very high quality lenses.

Macro photography requires A LOT of practice. Your FOF (field of focus) is very small and minute movements to the camera, or subject, will effect focus.

Thank you that's probably what I will do when I have the money I like canon and nikon when I look at them in the store..

 

[AquaSwap]

I want one of these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My point and shoot is very good... but not good enough... I really wish I had the ability to shoot better pictures with the canon powershot SX160 IS but im pretty sure without a dslr I won't be satisfied.



This is a great shot with this point and shoot but you can already tell that it is getting grainy. Any closer and it would look a mess.

 

[BBoley24]

So does everyone at my swap! I listed a couple not knowing what they were for 5 bucks... quickly found out they were worth a whole lot more... I have 6 left... listed them for 35 each... sold everyone of them... seriously had these in the back of my frag tank for a year now. Who would've known?

 

[Prettyman Exotic's]

Hay Benny z what's the full name of the 1st coral photo I have 2 but no one out here knows the name

 

[benny z]

Those are micromussa. Very similar to acans, but smaller.

 

[VABumpkin]

Hey don't count out Sony. The A99 is a highly praised, under priced work of art. Works just the same if not better than the $1000 more Canon and Nikon models.

 

[SlammedVQ35]

Hey don't count out Sony. The A99 is a highly praised, under priced work of art. Works just the same if not better than the $1000 more Canon and Nikon models.

Idk man even Sony uses canons in the motion capture for taking pics lol

 

[VABumpkin]

Probably because Sony doesn't yet produce a top of the line SLR. Don't get me wrong Nikon and Canon make great products, just a bit too overpriced compared to the smaller brands. But people just want to pay for the name right?

 

[Flameback Pair]

I bought a Fujifilm underwater camera at Costco. It had an $80 instant rebate and I thought it was a great camera at a great price. Turns out it's just a point and shoot that's water resistant up to 5 feet, which is okay because I might drop it in the tank or spill on it. The next camera will be a DSLR but I want to get better at taking pictures first and do some research on different cameras. Maybe you too should get your feet wet first with a point and shoot then get that nice camera later.

 

[rworegon]

If you do a little research you will find that the big three dslr manufacturers all use Sony sensors. Sony dies make a pretty good camera, just hasn't been at building glass very long. Very respectable fir the price though.

 

[kaoscoder]

Just FYI, if anyone here owns a DSLR but you don't own a macro lens and not sure you want to shell out $400+ for one, there is a cheap way to shoot macro with your current lenses: get a Macro reverse ring adapter. They are cheap (typically less than $15 on Amazon) and lets you attach your lens backwards, which then lets you shoot macro photography. I've tried it and it works as long as you have excellent lightning. Here's a YouTube video detailing the technique. That said, a dedicated Macro lens is much better, but like I said, this is really cheap alternative.

 

[Rob&Gab]

nikon with 60mm macro lens. Next time you guys come over I can show you hot to use. Lens was $200 on CL and you can find camera for around $250 also on CL. You can also just get an used camera and use macro rings and you can get your feet wet.

What kind of bird is that joshy!??

 

[d2mini]

I don't see mention of Micro 4/3 cameras.
I shoot professionally and have a Nikon D800 and pro lenses but i hardly use it anymore for personal work since I've gotten my Olympus EM1.
The 60mm macro (120mm equiv) is really nice, not to mention their other pro lenses like the new Oly 12-40mm. With an adaptor you can also use Leica lenses, which i have some of.
I'll actually be doing a quick pro shoot this afternoon with the EM1.
The only reason I need to use the D800 for some shoots is because I need the ultra wide end and/or need perspective correction lenses for architecture/interiors, or I really need the extra resolution.

I mention this because you can get a pro quality, weather sealed body for a lot cheaper than a pro dslr and in a MUCH smaller package.