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 Posted 11/22/2006 5:56:16 AM |
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| if I had to pick a single tip to impart to aquarium photog friends... it is white balance. If you can do a custom white balance setting on your camera, please do - every time. The trueness of color in your images will be extraordinarily better! Without buying a photogs grey card, you can simply keep a bright white plastic lid (like from aquarium supplements) in your camera bag and shoot a pic of that as an example for your camera computer to set custom white balance from in each new lighting environ. The auto white balance and the presets (sunny, cloudy, incandessant, etc) are useless under skewed aquarium lighting. The autoWB especially since the camera searches for the lightest part of each image and calls it white - whether it is or not - essentially. So all other colors for that pic are skewed on that corrupted presumption. Generalizing a bit here... but you get the point. Setting a custom white balance takes about 2 clicks and 4 seconds. Do invest that time for tremendously better aquarium photography 
. Anthony Calfo
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| Posted 11/22/2006 7:45:18 AM |
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| Wow, big difference. I have had this camera for two years and have played with that setting a few times but never liked the results, that is until I used the white background trick. Really does show the true colorations within the aquarium. Thanks! Chuck
___________________________________________________________ "My life is free now, my life is dear" - Black Sabbath
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| Posted 11/22/2006 8:25:59 AM |
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| great to hear Chuck! Yes... it is amazing... and so simple. Without someone pointing this out, many of us go for years using the default setting and frankly having bad color in our aquarium images. To all - if you have your user manual (or check online), do see if you can make a custom white balance setting. By holding the known bright white plastic cap (or a proper grey card from a photo shop) under or very near your aquarium/lighting/setting... you can "tell the camera" what white really is (shooting a pic of the white cap and setting Custom WB with it). The white reference will have the influence (seen with the naked eye) of the ambient lighting... but the software will correct the corruption of color for you if you just tell it what white really is.
. Anthony Calfo
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| Posted 11/29/2006 8:05:31 AM |
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Anthony: Would you suggest placing the "white reference" material in the tank & shooting through the glass in order to set the WB? Or just have it outside the tank & close to the lighting spectrum? Just curious as to whether or not this would make a difference? What about when diving on a reef? How should the WB be set? In the water vs. on land? Also, as far as taking a picture with a digital camera, I always shoot with the highest image capture of the camera. Hence the use of 1GB or higher cards. Thanks,
Steve
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| Posted 11/29/2006 8:49:09 AM |
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| the setting should ideally be taken with the reference card next to the subject (like when you see photogs holding a grey card next to a models face) For most accurate color, do place the reference underwater (aquarium or reef) For aquariums... if you cant take it underwater... then do your best to shield the card from extraneous room light that will fall on the card but is not actually falling on the subjects in the aquarium that you will be photographing
. Anthony Calfo
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| Posted 11/29/2006 4:50:58 PM |
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| Posted 3/31/2007 10:34:36 PM |
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| hey calfo, quick question about white balance.....i am using a sony DSC-W1. it does not have a manual white balance. it does however offer a few choices.....Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, and Flash. which would you recommend for taking aquarium pics? thanks, paul
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| Posted 4/3/2007 4:11:13 PM |
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those default settings suck equally... knock yourself out, bro, with experimentation. I think you'll find that none of them give you realistic aquarium colors. I'm serious... sorry, mate.
.Anthony Calfo
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| Posted 4/4/2007 9:00:32 AM |
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Hey PCIALF: What is the difference between that ExpoDisc & simply using a white piece of plastic, or a grey balance for that matter? Also, how do you use this thing & can it be used for any camera including simple point & shoot models? I noticed that they had different prices on it depending on lens sizes? Any info will be appreciated.  Steve
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| Posted 4/4/2007 12:19:36 PM |
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hey calfo, quick question about white balance.....i am using a sony DSC-W1. it does not have a manual white balance. it does however offer a few choices.....Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, and Flash. which would you recommend for taking aquarium pics? thanks, paul I have that same camera and have not been able to find any one of those settings to be better than the other, which keeps me using the auto setting. I end up turning off my VHO supplements to get better colors in the photo, however I do not pick up the 'green return' in the pigments of the zonathids in the camera. My tank is lit with dual 150WDE 14k Hamiltons and the picture comes up decent. The colors just do not pop as they do in person. those default settings suck equally... knock yourself out, bro, with experimentation. I think you'll find that none of them give you realistic aquarium colors. I'm serious... sorry, mate. Not helpful advise...but it is the truth. All in all, it is a nice camera though for those of us who take pictures of things other than are aquariums Chris
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