# [Wet Thumb Forum]-How to best photograph my tank?



## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

Well, lighting isn't an issuea as the colors show up well, but the illusion of depth is killing me in photos.

In person, the tank shows it's depth well. When I take a pic though, it just looks flat. I'm re-arranging the set up today through Friday. MAJOR REWORK. I want to be able to post a nice pic though.

It's a 125 with dimensions of 60wx24dx20h. How far away should I stand? I normally try to get the lense at the same height as the top of hte aquarium. Is this a good idea?

Any advice is appreciated.

My wife's digital camcorder came with a wide aperature lense. Should I try that? Here camcorder takes better pics than my old digital camera anyways







Probably should sell it on EBay









THANKS!
Karl

H

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal 
Karl's 125 aquascape


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

Hi Karl,
Can you adjust any setting on your camera?
Please list any that you can.
I won't bother writing a whole bunch of info/settings if you can't adjust any of them!
I would put the camera in the center of the tank, high and length wise, it depends on what you want to show though!

A couple of quick tips though...
Turn off all lights / tv in the room.
Don't use the flash.
Don't use the zoom.

Regards,
Mike Morrissey

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*My Digital Gallery*

*Aquabay.ca*


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## Jay Reeves (Jan 26, 2004)

What kind of camera do you have? 

In addition to what Mike said, use a tripod!! And if your camera has a delay setting... you can trigger the shot - remove your hand - and then the camera takes the picture. This will improve sharpness. 

What kind of photo editing software do you have? A panorama might help, but you need software to do it. In another thread on "resizing for the net" a link was posted for Irfanview. It is a free program and has the ability to "assemble" a panorama. 

Looking forward to seeing your pics

Jay Reeves


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> A couple of quick tips though...
> Turn off all lights / tv in the room.
> ...


Ahh, good tips. The only one I already use is the non-use of the camera's flash.

Those tips are a good starting point.

Also, I had another idea for helping create the illusion of depth. My lights are in rows from front to back. Essentially 3 "banks" of lights. Should I only use the row nearest the front? The front two or all three? I suppose experimentation is the best tip for that idea.

I'll try to get some camera info ASAP.

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal 
Karl's 125 aquascape


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

I'm moving to my wife's new digital camcorder. here's the info:

Canon ZR70MC Mini DV Digital Camcorder

The specs:
*Advanced Features*
Low Lux 1.6 Lux 
Max Still Image Size 1024 x 768 
Recommended Illumination 100 Lux

*Key Features*
CCD Pixels 680K pixels 
CCD Quantity 1 
Optical Zoom 22x

*Lens*
Digital Zoom 440x 
Lens Focal Length 2.8 - 61.6 mm 
Optical Zoom 22x

Here's the specs from the manufacturer's web site:
specs
The important info is below.

Of note:
*Maximum shutter speed*
1/2,000 sec. (1/250 when using memory card)
This is an automatic or manauly adjustable setting. Manual settings are 1/60, 1/100 and 1/250. I'm not 100 sure, and don't think it's possible, but 1/500, 1/1000 and 1/2000 may be possible settings.

*Recommended illumination*
More than 100 lx 
I really don't want to buy a LUX meter unless they are VERY cheap ($5 max)

*Focusing system*
TTL autofocus, manual focusing possible
Automatic is easy. I'll have to read up on manual focus.

*Minimum focusing distance*
3 ft. 3 3/8 in. (1 m)
3/8 in. (1 cm) on maximum wide angle
From usage, I think the 3ft number is at 22x zoom. I have been inches away from my tank while snapping pics of shrimp to try and learn how to use the digital camcorder. Auto Focus seems to work nicely.

Link to PDF manual for ZR70 MC, ZR65 MC and ZR60.. I have the ZR70MC.

Thanks,
Karl

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Karl's Parts And Construction Journal 
Karl's 125 aquascape


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