Help please

[susan2626]

I have a basic Nikon Coolpix 2100 and cannot get a decent shot of anything! I can't even figure out the basic settings to take some shots. Do I use any of the presets (like "museum" or "indoor party") - do I use the flash? I need to take some shots asap with halides on and also just actinics . Any suggestions are appreciated - I am lost. Thanks

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

Hi Susan2626 ;-)
There isn't much I can do, especially at this distance of some 3300 miles or more, but you should have your users manual which from page 16 to 22 should teach you the basics and then when you become more acquainted and comfortable with the camera, from page 24 to page 34 should give you enough to become a pro
I know this is not much, but that's the minimum I can give you acceptable to help

Hope this attached link to the users manual helps

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

thanks! I actually read the manual this morning but do you any tips on which settings to use most of the time?

Hi Susan ;-)
I'm not the best of help for photographs, but I'll give it a go to help you with my limited knowledge about it.
Mostly you should not use flash light to take pictures to the tank as it will put to much light to the subject and thus colours will fade, the picture will be to bright, no adequate contrast...and you can scare the inhabitants severely....any way the auto mode without flash should be able to evaluate the light emitted by the subject that is available to the lens and perform the necessary adjustments so that the photograph comes out good.
Now in page 28 there's a table of Assist modes, and in the case of photographing aquariums you should use either nigh portrait assist mode or sport assist mode, depending if you are photographing with day light coming through a window, or no outside natural sun light available like at night for instance, or if you are photographing with room lights turned on or of.
Then in the same page there is another table stating Scene modes, and you should chose modes such as party/indoor, dusk/dawn, night landscape, and some times back light mode...see also pages 35, 36 and 37 for that matter.
On page 60 there's the white balance table, and for taking photographs to an aquarium, incandescent or fluorescent modes are good choices, but you can judge that as you select them and see the immediate adjustment that the monitor usually shows.

This said you have to go through trial and error until you get the hang of it...and I will be in this side of the Atlantic Ocean to help you with my very limited (so far:Blurp knowledge about photography.

Also very important, always photograph the subject in a straight line, meaning no angles, and yes this means that some times you almost have to position your self upside down to get that picture:tongue1::splitspin:Blurp:...you should see me and my friend Julio recently at the Oceanarium in Lisbon where we took Sanjay Joshi and Ron Shimek, you should the see what we done just to get a good picture of a Hypsypops rubicunda (Garibaldi fish)...well at a given point I had to stand in the middle of the corridor blocking every one else trying to pass:irked:, because Julio was laying on the floor belly down cutting the way completely and as it was dark chances of people stumbling on him and falling down were high and we got the picture, I got some e got several others...well it was worth it as this fish is really beautiful, as you can see bellow

Look forward too read about your progresses and see them as you post photographs, Go for it champ because you've got what it takes

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)