Testing Out New Camera (nx300): Planted Tank 17g

[Brian_Nano12g]

Got my (late) xmas present in the mail today... it's also going to be for my photography course I'm taking next session. Anyways, it's the nx300. Don't know how to take pics yet outside of Auto. But took a couple test shots today on auto, thought they looked nice...LOL

 

[Brookster123]

Mehhhh, looks okayy, I guess... C'mon. Attention to detail is extraordinarily exquisite. I wish I could apply the amount of patience I have at work to my tanks, guess my back just isn't into as much..nice work man, camera ain't bad either.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Mehhhh, looks okayy, I guess... C'mon. Attention to detail is extraordinarily exquisite. I wish I could apply the amount of patience I have at work to my tanks, guess my back just isn't into as much..nice work man, camera ain't bad either.

Thank you, Brookster. I've just been doing the scaping aspect for a couple of years. You can do it too, just takes research and practice. It's a stress reliever when I get in my Zen moments. I've still yet to learn the "less is more" mantra as my tanks always seem to suffer as a product of my collectoritist syndrome.

Anyways, hope you learn some tricks with the camera soon. Should be fun.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Getting a little trigger happy with the NX300. Still a work in progress. Ventured out of auto for these. My settings are all crazy!

Tank still (along with my photo skills) coming along. UG still carpeting in.

Pics of my new embers. Experimenting with shutter priority mode to isolate and freeze their motion. AF wasn't cooperating so I tried MF with a focus peaking feature.

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Close-Up of my elatine triandra, it just started taking off!

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Check out the UG... it's sending runners like a good little plant!

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Top view:

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What's powering it all... the Sat+ X2!

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And lastly, end the night with a nice cloud cover dynamic mode. Oops, should have turned off my tv.

 

[Ian086]

Great job Brian. Looks like you'll be a pap in no time...lol. I particularly like the first two pictures. Super detail on the fish. They almost look like they were superimposed into the picture!!!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Haha... thanks, Ian!

 

[bloodlucky]

So cool don't know how you have time to perfect something like that but so awesome regardless!

 

[Ian086]

So cool don't know how you have time to perfect something like that but so awesome regardless!

I'm guessing Brian is a bit of a gadget man!!!

 

[Old Scales]

Great shots Brian! How many settings have you figured out and played with so far. LOL They have plenty don't they. My D5300 even has built in GPS. Good grief! I can see why it might be handy after taking many pics for years you could forget where a favorite shot was taken. Each pic would have the GPS coordinates recorded. What will they think of next? I took your advice and researched the extension tubes for macros. I learned that when I tried ten years ago I was using too short of a lens to be practical. With the 18-140mm they should work great. Thanks to you I'll get a set and save Boo Koo money over a macro. Weather getting better, soon I'll get to go on a macro wildflower/scenic shots day trip. Can't wait! OS.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Thanks OS. Your camera sounds super nice. Maybe one day if I really like this hobby and if I have enough disposable income in the future, perhaps I'll get a full frame DSLR. It would probably be Canon because we have some glass in that system.

GPS sounds pretty nifty. I like how my camera has all this WiFi connectivity. I can email pics directly off the camera. And I can use my android phone as a remote viewfinder and remote trigger.

Anyways, my GF is the one who schooled me on extension tubes. She got the cheapest one for get Canon but she can produce amazing results.

I just bought extension tubes myself. I'm still new at photography but I'm going to try them soon on my Samsung. However, my GF uses them with her Canon EOS with the 18-55 kit lens. Her extension tubes have no electrical connection so it's all manual focus. But you can spend a little extra and find some with the electrical.

Edit:
Here's an example she took.

 

[Old Scales]

I don't blame you for staying with Canon. They make great gear, plus replacing glass just for another brand is pointless and too expensive. When film gear went out I was stuck with about $3000 worth of camera and lenses. They were Minolta and they never made a DSLR body to fit the old lenses. They screwed us old customers big time. So that's when I switched to Nikon gear. My first digital was a Nikon compact (can't remember the model and I sold it when I got the 5100, but it took great pictures for a point and shoot.
The shrimp macro is spot on! Is your GF pretty hip on photography? I haven't done any yet but I want to play with doing some 24meg LAW settings next on mine. You are going to really appreciate taking the photography course. You use its knowledge all your life. Mine was a course by Kodak back in the 80's. Later, OS.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

I'll suggest a proper macro, get the sigma 150 OS.

Most of my favourite pictures were taken with that lens. If you're on a nikon Dx it is virtually flawless (can't talk about cannon, I'm in the wrong camp)

The focus, try spot metering and a/f continuous servo.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com
Free photography lessons. (Providing you can read)

@ OS, I really really Hope you hung on to those lenses, if the mount is the same Minolta dynax 5d.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Great photography lesson site. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Great photography lesson site. Thanks for sharing that.

I believe you assisted me with some questions I had about planted tanks some time ago so no worries and cheers.

Glad to see you're still making really nice tanks! It really is a disease, not a hobby!

(I would've given you that page anyway, they've helped me loads CIC.com and Flickr people have taught me basically everything)

 

[Old Scales]

Thanks J. Yes I've got all the old Minolta stuff. The pride of my bag is a f4 200mm prime. The body is just the old M370 but its the lenses I have that made it a great, quick to use with great shots. Also the f1.2 50mm was a favorite of mine. OS.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Thanks J. Yes I've got all the old Minolta stuff. The pride of my bag is a f4 200mm prime. The body is just the old M370 but its the lenses I have that made it a great, quick to use with great shots. Also the f1.2 50mm was a favorite of mine. OS.

Yes, it's all about the glass! They sound like serious pieces of kit. I would really like a fast tele prime but the cost is enough to make your eyes water. Still I have the best I can currently afford so maybe if the angels come down and back me up for a while may be I will be able to land myself just such a lens. (Translates roughly to "in a dream") currently I own three standard zooms covering me from 10-300mm and the previously mentioned 150mm macro. (I think I've only just outgrown the 18-55 kit zoom, it's more than acceptable for a lot of things but is a slow lens except at 18mm no I.F. is a pain) I have just acquired a super wide 10-24 which is unbelievable! You only gain 6mm over the kit lens but what a difference that makes at the wide end!!!(plenty of these)!!!!!!!!!

 

[jwh0818]

Dude those are some nice pics! They should be illegal, I'm jealous of your camera!

 

[Old Scales]

J, do you have any macro shots you could post with that Sigma 150? What's the closest distance you can get to the subject? OS.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

J, do you have any macro shots you could post with that Sigma 150? What's the closest distance you can get to the subject? OS.

It would be easier for you to go to my flickr page (it's safe family viewing) most of my insects are shot with that lens, open a picture and click the 150mm tag.

I think it's a horsefly | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Horsefly.

That's my first decent bug shot taken about a week after I got the lens. I've been on it now for about a year. The close focus (1:1) is 38cms approx from the image plane.

Click the 150mm tag on that pic it will throw up nearly all the pictures ive shot with the sigma.


18-55mm kit lens "35mm" | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
These are my babies, shot with kit lens. (Lenses not kiddies)

The header pic on my profile the crane fly, that is a seriously good (I think) example of the lens at work.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I believe you assisted me with some questions I had about planted tanks some time ago so no worries and cheers.

Glad to see you're still making really nice tanks! It really is a disease, not a hobby!

(I would've given you that page anyway, they've helped me loads CIC.com and Flickr people have taught me basically everything)

Glad I can help, too. Thanks on the compliment on the tanks