RE: NANFA-- RE: digital cameras (here's one for you Jay)

Crail, Todd (tcrail_at_northshores.com)
Sun, 22 Dec 2002 12:55:36 -0500

Hi Scott :)

He was shooting for the coral, yes. I think he would need to get the upgraded macro lense to take that shot of the Banggai, as that was only a 1" focal length. What *is* impressive, all coral in these photos were within a 4" focal length, and these were all shot thru 1/4" glass. It would be interesting to see what they would do thru 1/2" - 3/4" on like a 120 or 125.

Shooting fish is a pain in any circumstance. I would say that a real SLR is going to have the better chance of getting the shot you thought you wanted... However, getting that shot is going to much much much more expensive, as Bill was pointing out. You can take 400 shots that all stink, but you haven't wasted any more cash to see that you wasted 400 shots :) I've done some photography of my rainbowfish, and boy, as active as they are (think blacknose dace) when you get near the tank because they think it's feeding time, it's quite a challenge. I learned to follow the fish with the viewer and then after the pause and see what came out. Some days they're willing to work with you, some days they're not. As well, with a digital photo, you can take those images into a program like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop and adjust your brightness, contrast, and color (if necessary) to get the photo to look how it really looked. There's a dark side to that tho... I've seen certain cora
l merchants really play up purple and blue with these products too. But I don't think anyone who's not trying to sell something is going to fall into that trap :)

I agree with Bill's assertions about megapixels, however I'd like to refine that a bit. The true test is really how it rolls off the printer. I've seen 5+ mp that came off print at 8x10 that looked horrible in comparison to how my 3.2mp came off at 8x10. Just because a camera can take a shot as a resolution of 1600x1200 or greater doesn't necessarily imply that it's getting 1600x1200 of good digital information... It just takes a bigger picture. Think about how a 28" television, 28" High definition tv, 28" plasma compare. You get what you pay for, so don't get too hung up on megapixels. The reviews on Cnet generally address this and I'm glad for Bill pointing this and what photography is really about out :)

Really what you need to ask yourself is "What would I like to accomplish with this camera?" I think most people just want to take pictures to put on the web, email to friends and family, and possibly print off and put on the fridge. For $300 you can do that with this camera, with some extra features that will allow you to take some shots you wouldn't be able to get with a standard 35mm (the macro). Would I rely on it for the first viewing after the birth of a child or my grandparents 50th anniversary party? I'd take both the digital and the 35mm ;)

Plus the digital rocks at the 50th anniversary party because Grandma didn't know you took a picture if you have the right lighting and turn the flash off ;)

Todd
-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Davis
Sent: Sat 12/21/2002 2:44 PM
To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
Cc: sgraber_at_sauder.com
Subject: Re: NANFA-- RE: digital cameras (here's one for you Jay)


Hi Craig!

Was your friend shooting for just the anemone or was he trying to include
Banggai cardinal fish too? The killitalk list also has a thread going on
digital cameras ( 'tis the season...). One concern voiced there with digital
cameras is lag time before a shutter goes off. This evidentially makes for a
lot of fish tail shots.

Also, are those shots you ran taken with the lens the camera is equipped
with or with a macro or close-up lens added with the use of an inexpensive
lens adapter? I gather that lenses can be more expensive than the camera?

The camera can be mounted on a tripod. Is that the best way to take shots of
the fishy sort?

By the way, your underwater case and other accessories can be found even
more inexpensively at
http://shopper.cnet.com/shopping/search/results/1,10214,0-1257,00.html?tag=t
op&qt=Canon+A40+&cn=&ca=1257 (the old Computershopper.com site).

I'm a rank newbie to both cameras and fish photography (drat, at the bottom
of another learning curve), but the above concerns seem to need answers. The
camera you refer to is considerably less expensive than many of the others
being palavered about in fish circles. It also has a manual over-ride, dear
to the heart of some. If it does the job, Office Max here I come! ;)

Thanks for your thoughts and examples.

Scott

> Okay Kiddos... Here's the macros from the Canon A40:
>
> http://www.farmertodd.com/misc/shane/ricordeayuma.jpg
> http://www.farmertodd.com/misc/shane/greentrachy.jpg
>
> That was shot through the glass and I am very impressed. This is the best
macro
> capability I've seen yet for so little. Granted, he's shooting under 250
watt
> halide, so we haven't played with low light yet... But I think this is a
fine
> package for the price. I asked him for some regular point and click, he
> hasn't responded yet. But I'd imagine it's just great as that's the first
> criteria that needs met on any camera.,,,,
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/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org