tips please ...

[quilaho]

ok ... i'm playing with pictures again ... trying to be able to get closeups with good detail and would like some adjustment tips. i've been working with shutter speed and aperture this evening.
heres what i've done:
room lights as low as they can be.
75g tank has 150w of light
camera is a cannon powershot a70
shutter speed set at 1/25
aperture set at f3.2
i just realized i was not set for macro ... maybe that would help.

the pics are coming out with good detail but too dark.

here are some examples:
http://qandm.homeip.net/tanks/PicTest/Picture034.jpg
http://qandm.homeip.net/tanks/PicTest/Picture037.jpg
http://qandm.homeip.net/tanks/PicTest/Picture038.jpg
http://qandm.homeip.net/tanks/PicTest/Picture039.jpg
http://qandm.homeip.net/tanks/PicTest/Picture046.jpg

i think its in the aperture but, i have not had a lot of luck adjusting it ...

[Cichlid Lover]

its your Shutter Speed, it is too slow.. The faster it is the less light it lets into the cam.. The aperature is fine, Just decrease shutter speed, and you will notice you pics will light up... The opnly problem is, it takes longer for the shutter to close, so if the fish moves, its is a blur...

he, he, shutter speed at 1/25 is VERY SLOW, I dont know how you get them w/out blur at that. I usually dont go below 1/50 or 1/60 for good crisp shots. And if you make it faster with your current lighting it will get even darker. I would def. try the same settings but make the aperature 2.0 and go macro. When you are at 2.0 check if it's overexposed by doing a test shot, if it is, start incrementally increasing the shutter speed to 1/30, 1/50 and up until you get it right. You dont need much aperature in the macro shots, as you are doing the main subject and actually want to blur the background a bit. It's in tank shots that you want everything in focus, when you make aperature higher to get more DOF.

Move in closer and try to get shots w/out much around the fish, you should do much better. Post some of them here, I would love to see the outcome.

[Not Done Yet]

what's the ISO?

..or did I miss it?? [smilie=huh.gif]

[Molino]

A higher ISO will allow you to shoot pictures under darker situations where a low ISO is better in bright conditions. That being said a high ISO will result in more grain (sandy look) in your photos.