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What camera do people use? (1 Viewer)

Kveekx

Kveekx

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
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451
Location
Mankato, MN
Hey TCMAS, with blue LEDs and speedy fish I find my iPhone 4S isn't cutting it. I am looking for a new camera that is around $100 but $150 at the most. What do you other reefers use and what do you think of it? Thanks for imput!
 
Kveekx said:
Hey TCMAS, with blue LEDs and speedy fish I find my iPhone 4S isn't cutting it. I am looking for a new camera that is around $100 but $150 at the most. What do you other reefers use and what do you think of it? Thanks for imput!
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+1 I am in the market for one as well!
 
For $150 there are some decent underwater cameras that would give a cool perspective of your reef
 
If you thought reefing was an expensive hobby, wait till you dive into photography!!! :)

But seriously though, the iPhone has a notoriously good camera. I doubt any $100 camera will do that much more, although I'm willing to be proven wrong.

If you're willing to do some real photography, you could find an old film SLR camera and really "dive in."

Best of luck!
 
I have a Canon PowerShot SX260 HS. I takes great pictures. I have only had it about 6 months though so I am still trying to figure it out.
 
zocr-AZ said:
If you thought reefing was an expensive hobby, wait till you dive into photography!!! :)

But seriously though, the iPhone has a notoriously good camera. I doubt any $100 camera will do that much more, although I'm willing to be proven wrong.

If you're willing to do some real photography, you could find an old film SLR camera and really "dive in."

Best of luck!
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This is what I was thinking, I mean for $100-$150 you won't be improving on the iphone camera by much, meaning you ultimately won't be getting the kind of photos you want. I have 2 different $100 cameras and a HTC G2, the 2 hundred dollar camera's don't give me a better tank shot than my cellphone. You need something with manual settings and lens options IMO if you want to get nice shots of your tank. I'm saving up. I suggest a T2i, T3i whichever you can find a better deal on, all are solid cameras and all allow you to do full HD video and you can't find a comparable camera much cheaper IMO except a nice point and shoot but again no true options lens or programming wise.
An LSR is fine and cheaper if you want to deal with getting film developed.
 
Any point and shoot is probably going to have the same difficulties shooting blue LEDs. The best bang for your buck would be the T2i. You have to think of it as an investment. I've had mine for close to 3 years and I've captured so many great photos from trips, outing, and around the neighborhood that honestly wouldn't look as good if I was just using my iphone camera.

A T2i and 50mm lens is going to take really great shots in almost any situation. The kit lens is ok, but once you shoot at f1.4 or f1.8 you wont use the f5.6 kit lens ever again.
 
eschulist said:
Any point and shoot is probably going to have the same difficulties shooting blue LEDs. The best bang for your buck would be the T2i. You have to think of it as an investment. I've had mine for close to 3 years and I've captured so many great photos from trips, outing, and around the neighborhood that honestly wouldn't look as good if I was just using my iphone camera.

A T2i and 50mm lens is going to take really great shots in almost any situation. The kit lens is ok, but once you shoot at f1.4 or f1.8 you wont use the f5.6 kit lens ever again.
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Not sure what any of that f_._ stuff means but Ill look into that camera!
 
eschulist said:
Any point and shoot is probably going to have the same difficulties shooting blue LEDs. The best bang for your buck would be the T2i. You have to think of it as an investment. I've had mine for close to 3 years and I've captured so many great photos from trips, outing, and around the neighborhood that honestly wouldn't look as good if I was just using my iphone camera.

A T2i and 50mm lens is going to take really great shots in almost any situation. The kit lens is ok, but once you shoot at f1.4 or f1.8 you wont use the f5.6 kit lens ever again.
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I couldn't agree more. It's tough to get a good shot under LED's with anything less than a pro camera and the T2i is it in the lower price range for sure! Plus you have endless options with a camera like that compared to many that are way more expensive!
 
Kveekx said:
Not sure what any of that f_._ stuff means but Ill look into that camera!
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F is short for the f stop. Or Aperture of the lens. Shooting at low f stops completely open the aperture rings of the lens letting in lots of light. This has two main benefits. By letting in tons of light your picture can be captured at a faster shutter speed. So low light photography can be done without using a flash because your camera is getting enough light that the picture can be taken faster than 1/60th of a sec and give you a usually unblurry sharp low light photo. The other is it creates a very shallow depth of field. The depth of field is the area of the picture that is in focus (that is sharp and clear). Everything else in the foreground and background of your subject will become blurry. If there are lights in this out of focus area bokeh will appear. It is the artifact created by the aperture rings of your camera.

Here is a photo taken in complete darkness on the roof of our office downtown. By using a low f stop of 1.4 and a fast shutter speed my friend is not blurry and I didnt have to use a flash. The bokeh of the cars and streets lights from the city below also create a nice effect highlighting his face.

40256_693349265958_2191899_n.jpg


Using a low f-stop in daylight will blur out your background really easily causing your viewer to instantly look at the part of the image that is in focus.

40201_694407824598_5873522_n.jpg
 
Just remember once you start with a certain brand your pretty much married to it. The lens are going to be the same or more $ and they wont fit a different camera. I went with a Sony A57 and I don't think I'll need anything more for a camera body, But if I ever decide on Canon or Nikon I get to start all over again......Just food for thought. I would stop by a National Camera Exchange and compare everything in your price range, keeping in mind that you may want a better camera body later and make sure you start with the brand you eventually want to upgrade to in the end. I just dumped $1600 on mine. I walked in thinking Canon or Nikon and left with Sony....and Sony wasn't even on my radar. If you know what you want you can check the internet for prices, think about a macro lens for close up shots on the fish and corals....also best to have a tripod and get a camera that has a built in delay to take a shot so you aren't moving the camera at all while pushing on a button. There are also filters you can get, a camera case, SD cards, etc........it can start adding up fast. If you want classes then get it from NCE, if just price alone matters then hunt around on the internet. I found NCE was reasonably close to internet prices (even with the tax) with rebates and a sale they were having.
 
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I agree with everything Gasman said above and would like to add that all of these options are good options. They will all get you to the same point, so just decide what fits your hands best and the controls seem to make the most sense on.

I went with Nikon years ago and have been there since. I would have no problem shooting canon either.
 
Thanks for the imput everyone! I will look around a bit more and try to find something that will work for me!
 
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