testing Canon rebel

[xiongaquatics]

i just pick up a new camera and just testing it out. let me know what you guys think and what i can do to improve the shot.

 

[Russellaqua]

What f stop is your lens capable of? Higher f stops will give you a greater depth of field, or you can photo stack to achieve similar results. Only the foreground is in focus but a different lens or some photo stacking will help with that problem.

 

[gparr]

A nice start. Your exposure seems to be reasonably close. You need a tripod or some other camera support. After you get things in focus, try a smaller aperture to get more of the subject in focus, i.e., increase your depth of field. It's a nice start. Keep working at it.
Gary

 

[Poseidon]

^^^

What Gary said! Your focus is off slightly in most of them, I think you may be trying to exceed the minimum focal distance of your lens. Try back up a little in order to obtain SHARP images, then you can crop in post process to enlarge a portion of the overall image.

 

[jhsu703]

wow i recently got a rebel and my picture does not come close to that. Hey what kind of lens are you using? Micro lens?

 

[Steve Ruddy]

In addition to a tripod I like to use a remote shutter release. This coupled with manual focus will give you sharp images. Also don't forget to sharpen a bit when processing.

 

[xiongaquatics]

In addition to a tripod I like to use a remote shutter release. This coupled with manual focus will give you sharp images. Also don't forget to sharpen a bit when processing.

thanks i will get one of those and try it.

wow i recently got a rebel and my picture does not come close to that. Hey what kind of lens are you using? Micro lens?

i'm using 18-55mm lens with an 55mm

^^^

What Gary said! Your focus is off slightly in most of them, I think you may be trying to exceed the minimum focal distance of your lens. Try back up a little in order to obtain SHARP images, then you can crop in post process to enlarge a portion of the overall image.

with the lens i'm using, if i'm more than 4" away than it's going to be blurry.

What f stop is your lens capable of? Higher f stops will give you a greater depth of field, or you can photo stack to achieve similar results. Only the foreground is in focus but a different lens or some photo stacking will help with that problem.

what f stop mean? photo stack? i always have my bro set his camera for me so i can take picture and now i have my own, i'm learning it myself.

 

[Murfman]

In addition to a tripod I like to use a remote shutter release. This coupled with manual focus will give you sharp images. Also don't forget to sharpen a bit when processing.

You can also set the timer(if you have it on a tripod) to give you 10 seconds, once the shutter release is pressed. This allows any shaking of the camera to stop by the time the shutter actually fires.

 

[Murfman]

with the lens i'm using, if i'm more than 4" away than it's going to be blurry.

You can set the camera lens to auto focus AF or manual focus MF. Auto will some times focus on the tank glass and not the coral. You can also set the lens to the closest focal point (in MF) and then move in and out, while holding the shutter button 1/2 way down. When the image is in focus, you will see a red dot and hear a beep. Push the rest of the way and take your pic.


what f stop mean? photo stack? i always have my bro set his camera for me so i can take picture and now i have my own, i'm learning it myself.

f stop is how much the lens opens up during the picture. The smaller the number, the larger the lens opens up, allowing light in.

Stacking is where you take a bunch of pictures and then computer software puts them together, one on top of the other, to give incredible depth of field images. Check out some of Gparr's images.

 

[xiongaquatics]

f stop is how much the lens opens up during the picture. The smaller the number, the larger the lens opens up, allowing light in.

Stacking is where you take a bunch of pictures and then computer software puts them together, one on top of the other, to give incredible depth of field images. Check out some of Gparr's images.

how will i adjust my f stop on my canon?

thanks for all the input guys.

 

[Steve Ruddy]

how will i adjust my f stop on my canon?

Put it in Av mode and rotate the dial to change f stop. Your kit lens is sharpest at f8 but you will get nice looking shots at much higher f stops. Try f11-18 and use either auto ISO or 800. I would read through the many tutorials at the Canon Digital Photography Forums.

 

[cparka23]

[...] with the lens i'm using, if i'm more than 4" away than it's going to be blurry.

That's actually quite the opposite of what Poseidon meant. He meant that your images are blurry because you're too close to the subject. Lenses can only focus at an object so near. Think of it the same way that your eyes can't focus on your fingers if they're closer than several inches in front of your face.

It looks like you're trying to take a lot of macros, but that might not the best lens to do it. You'll get better results cropping a photo than trying to force the lens to take a photo in a way that it wasn't designed to do. Most kit lenses are designed for all-around use and weren't built to take great shots of tiny objects at close distances. Moving back a few inches and cropping the photo is probably the better way to go unless you're using a true "Macro" lens.

If you have issues focusing on an object greater than 4" away, that means you're having problems with controlling the focus of your camera. As Steve said, put the camera in Av mode (it's called aperture priority mode in the manual) and set the number higher. That way, your images will be more forgiving in regards to focus. Most of the images you posted are out of focus. You might concentrate on shooting with a stable posture and hold your breath as you snap your photos, if necessary. I'm assuming that the blur in the pictures comes from holding the camera in your hands, but it could be a technical problem as well.

The best practical advice I've heard is to never use the fully automatic mode. You'll get a better grasp of what your camera's functions do as soon as you practice and change the settings yourself. But keep practicing! Everyone starts off taking dozens of photos to get a few good ones in the beginning. Go through some online tutorials and read the manual that came with the camera. There are a lot of settings to consider, and knowing how to make good use of them goes a long way.

 

[xiongaquatics]

i forgot the mention that there is a micro lens in front of the 58mm. so it a
18-55mm lens with 58mm in front and micro lens in front of the 58mm. the picture will be blurry if i back away more that 4"-5". but if i take off the micro lens, i can take the picture staying back.

i did a few change like ISO 800, sharpen and contrast. here is how it turn out. i dont have a tripod so i just lay my arm on the glass tank. i think i shake a little.
i was looking over the manual and i still cant figure out how to adjust the f stop.

 

[cparka23]

Is this the Rebel XS? XSi? XTi? I'll try to help, but different models have different button and screen layouts.

To adjust the F-stop (=Aperture), set the knob on the top of the camera to "Av". Then, you might have to press the DISP button above/next to the LCD screen in order to see the settings. There should be a number on the screen with an F in front of it.

In this image, it says F8.0. When you increase this value on your camera, you get more of the picture into focus at a time. Looking near the shutter button, there should be a wheel with a jagged rim to it. Rotating that wheel that will change the aperture setting. Increasing the F-stop means more depth of field, but a higher F-stop has a trade off. The camera will take a little longer to snap the picture, so it's more susceptible to pick up a little movement of the camera or subject.

 

[xiongaquatics]

the camera is a Canon EOS digital rebel XT
i try looking for the F, but couldnt find it.

 

[Poseidon]

Take the diopter off the front... they introduce a LOT of distortion.

 

[Russellaqua]

The f-stop number on a Rebel XT (I have one too) is just to the left of the bracketed number on the top line to the display that says one shot under it. Turn the dial to Av and turn on the camera. Adjust the f-stop by moving the wheel that's just behind the shutter button. Hope this helps.

 

[xiongaquatics]

The f-stop number on a Rebel XT (I have one too) is just to the left of the bracketed number on the top line to the display that says one shot under it. Turn the dial to Av and turn on the camera. Adjust the f-stop by moving the wheel that's just behind the shutter button. Hope this helps.

are you talking about the metering mode?

i just took off the diopter lens. now the micro is in front of the 18-58mm lens. i'll get some picture update.

 

[Steve Ruddy]

Until you get a tripod use a broomstick and hold your camera on it. Make sure your lens is parallel with the tanks glass. If it's not you won't get sharp images.

 

[xiongaquatics]

here is the new picture from the adjustment i just made from the input/advise from you guys. picture looking very very good. thank you for all the help.