Need help/advice with my Nikon D3200

[Marquiseo]

I had the D3300 which is pretty much the same as yours. Here are some tips for you:

-Firstly, learn about your camera through the manual or Youtube videos (best choice)

-Take pics with no water movement in the tank....... ie turn off all pumps

-Clean your glass thoroughly before taking images. This reduces the camera from focusing on objects on your glass and improves clarity.

-Shoot in Aperture Priority for Corals, Shutter Priority for Fish and other non-stationary animals, and Manual once you are confident and knowledgeable.

- Invest in a tripod and a remote. This helps to achieve photos without blurs and allows you to take photos with higher F stops and slower shutter speeds which will be very difficult without it.

- Start with f stops of 7.1, 9, and 11. Those typically will be your choice for your aperture settings.

- Toggle white balance options under the menu setting to see which ones will give you less blue. If I remember correctly, the SHADE WB setting reduced the most blue.

- Learn about post-processing programs such as Adobe Lightroom(most used) and Photoshop. There is a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about Photoshop and it's capabilities. Once you are wanting to take on post processing, set your file type for your images to RAW for the most control over changes in your photos.


Edit: Forgot to add maintain your camera. Keep it cleared of dirt and debris. If the lens has dust, lint, and other stuff on it, it will not focus properly and the debris will show in your photos. There are thorough camera cleaning kits available at places that sell cameras such as Best buy or you can just get a microfiber cloth.

 

[Reef_a_holiks]

This shot is under pure blue lighting, I used a custom white balance.

This one is shot under my daylight schedule:

I am way better now than when i started. It just takes practice. Take lots of shots while playing with the settings and youll start to get a feel for it.

 

[ndz98]

I'm gonna have to try these suggestions out when I get home. Who knew taking pictures of coral was so hard lol

 

[Reef_a_holiks]

I'm gonna have to try these suggestions out when I get home. Who knew taking pictures of coral was so hard lol

Yea tell me about it lol I find it harder than taking any other pictures like portraits, landscapes, night city shots etc.

 

[ndz98]

Yea tell me about it lol I find it harder than taking any other pictures like portraits, landscapes, night city shots etc.

I took like 100 pictures the other night and still couldn't get a good one. I had to give it a rest for the night because I thought I was gonna lose it haha

 

[Mark75]

I am still terrible but I am learning and I have just starting learning how iso,f-stops and shutter speed effect the final image.

What helped me was going into manual mode and taking the exact same image of the exact same coral and adjust one thing each time. I must have taken 500 photos of a Ponape birds nest and not the first one was worth a darn , but I learned a lot.

I wasn't looking to take a great picture, just learn how each adjustment changed the final product.

 

[hatfielj]

I'm gonna have to try these suggestions out when I get home. Who knew taking pictures of coral was so hard lol

Yea tell me about it lol I find it harder than taking any other pictures like portraits, landscapes, night city shots etc.

Yeah, I personally think that underwater photography, specifically our reef tanks, is one of the most difficult types of photography there is. A lot of serious pro's would even have a hard time with our lighting if they hadn't ever seen a reef tank before.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What helped me was going into manual mode and taking the exact same image of the exact same coral and adjust one thing each time.

now your cooking!

 

[DrayB]

tip....keep the lens square to the glass, any angle and the glass will act as a lens and cause blur

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yeah, I personally think that underwater photography, specifically our reef tanks, is one of the most difficult types of photography there is. A lot of serious pro's would even have a hard time with our lighting if they hadn't ever seen a reef tank before.

if you look at the spectrum we give our tanks, compared to the spectrum a camera needs. you can make those adjustments.
WB is limited from camera to camera.(processor speed & number etc) It can be forced, with great results.(limiting other parts of the spectrum) but Like the change in dynamic exposure range either high or low from the native iso of the sensor or film stock, you will lose a little something.
some cameras dont respond well to that change. WB plus raw (larger color gammut/range because of lower compression) makes those corrections easier
It can also be filtered at the lens but you need to know the specific opposite spectrum. Some complain of the orange when using a filter on reefs. its because its filtering too much blue, or it really just needed a thin red. its why filters come in different densities.
Its why i like to advise, shoot with the whites and add a pop of the blue. (TG for LED)The white has more of the cameras needed spectrum. and the blue will do exactly whet you see on the film. reflect the glow of the actinic.
and why t5 shooting is a bit easier. And shooting blacklight on film works.
with cameras and your personal reef light. it makes it a matter of practice with what you have. now, if you know what the gaps are, you can bridge them.

in the deep ocean, theres no red. and no adding. and so filtering barely works.
I will have to say nikons letting me down a bit. the lower end ones seem harder to get a good balance on compared to the cannons and yes even a pentax (Yes they still make cameras.)of the same price range..

Anybody know how the Sonys are doing for reefs?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

In order to use any camera, you must learn the basics of how to use it. Even though this camera is considered an entry-level DSLR, it is still NOT an out of the box instant great photos. The sames goes for intermediate and professional DSLRs. You must learn about Aperature, ISO, Shutter Speed, White Balance, Focusing, and Depth of Field to name a few. Look at these images from Google below for a quick idea of what I am referring to:

Great INFO