# Help for an old man...



## REDSTEVEO (15 Sep 2014)

Errrrr I have borrowed this camera from my son...without the instructions...it is a Nikon AF - Nikkor 18-55mm, 1:3.5 - 5.6G with more functions than a NASA Space Shuttle...anyone know how to take pictures of close up stuff with mega clear quality... I have planted my tank, 'The Full Monty' at the weekend and I thought it would be a good idea to try and take some decent photographs for a change instead of using my Sony Cybershot.

There are ISO settings, White Balance, Auto, Fine, Raw, AF-F and lots of things I have not got a scooby doo about...

Any photo medics out there who can advise...

Cheers,

Steve


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## OllieNZ (15 Sep 2014)

Unfortunately you won't get awesome close ups with that lens. Try iso 800 or 1600 (makes the sensor more light sensitive but can cause graining. The higher the number the higher the sensitivity the higher the graining). 
Raw needs the correct software to view and will need to be converted to jpeg to use generally. I think for what you're after I'd stick to jpeg fine and worry about getting your head around the rest of the camera.
That's all I've got time for now (screaming baby) I'll be back later for if someone else doesn't get here first.


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## REDSTEVEO (15 Sep 2014)

Thanks Ollie,

I appreciate your advice.

Re the screaming baby, he or she is either tired, hungry, bored, wet/full nappy, or a combination of all of these. It is a matter of trial by elimination of each factor..


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## EnderUK (15 Sep 2014)

Photo Class


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## X3NiTH (15 Sep 2014)

The camera identification label is on the body, what you have described is just the lens. When you find out the body type you can find the manuals as PDFs here.

If you have an iPhone or an iPad you can download the manuals via Nikons Manual Viewer 2 app.

You can get close with this lens but it's no macro and according to Ken Rockwell the closest focusing distance is 28cm. Depending on the Mpx resolution of the camera you can crop the image to get a closer view.


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## Andy Thurston (15 Sep 2014)

This is the closest i got with it but I'm no photographer it was about 20cm from the camera


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## OllieNZ (15 Sep 2014)

REDSTEVEO said:


> Thanks Ollie,
> 
> I appreciate your advice.
> 
> Re the screaming baby, he or she is either tired, hungry, bored, wet/full nappy, or a combination of all of these. It is a matter of trial by elimination of each factor..


She's hungry and tired, all sorted now. 
This is probably my best with an 18-55 albeit on my canon. 

I had to use manual focus for this one. 

How much of the basics of photography do you understand? This will help you get the best advice.


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## REDSTEVEO (15 Sep 2014)

Thanks Ollie,

That looks pretty good to me, close enough for what I want. I have to get the charger anyway so i will pick up the manual at the same time.

Thanks for the advice though..

Cheers,

Steve


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## OllieNZ (15 Sep 2014)

Lol haven't really given you much advice. Sorry I can't help with which buttons do what as I'm a canon user but the principles are the same. 
Here's what I usually do, set the iso to the highest value that will still give a clean shot, white balance to auto, for close ups use the lowest f value and match the shutter speed to the light available. I find I can generally get away with underexposing a touch especially on the lighter background and the boost in shutter speed this gives can help capture faster moving fish.


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## REDSTEVEO (18 Sep 2014)

Okay, got the charger today and the battery is charging up now.

With you so far on the ISO setting, no problem with white balance to auto, 'f value' not sure but will check later when the battery is back in the camera.

Thanks,

Steve.


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## X3NiTH (18 Sep 2014)

That lens is supposedly at its sharpest at f/8 on the wide end and f/11 on the long. To get those f stops you may need to use a high ISO or a slower shutter speed or very probably a combination of both. If you had access to a Nikon Speedlight you could use off camera flash to illuminate the tank from above (Nikons can do this using CLS and a compatible Speedlight) this helps a lot to get sharp shots and especially if the light is low and you don't want to nuke your plants with 100% continuous lighting.


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## OllieNZ (18 Sep 2014)

f value is also called aperture value it should appear on the display as f with a number next to it, the smaller the number the wider the aperture in the lens opens (this is limited by the minimum value on the lens) this let's more light in which allows you to use a faster shutter speed (seeing the pattern here?) but it reduces the depth of focus which may blur part of the image. This may or may not be desirable depending on what you're out to achieve.


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## REDSTEVEO (18 Sep 2014)

Okay...thanks both! I will be playing about with it tomorrow so we'll see how we go.

Thanks for the advice and help,

Steve.


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