How do you get actual color under 14 and 20k mh?

[jason the filter freak]

The light blue of my 14k bulb looks awesome in person, but everytime i take a picture it comes out super blue. I've tried adusting the white balance, and light settings. It's a sony cybershot 8MP camera, I've also turned the iso setting wayyyy down.

[gastone]

If you can customize the white balance then I learned a good trick over on RC. Put one or two white coffee filters over the lens and shoot the tank while the lights are on. The transluscent filter will allow the light through so you get a fairly accurate white setting. Beats the heck out of dropping grey cards into the tank.

 

Maybe Chris can chime in and educate us all.

 

Garrett.

[Rascal]

I have used the the coffee filter trick with some success, but I also spend a lot of time fiddling with different settings trying to get the colors just right. Seems that every time I make an adjustment that accurately captures the color on one coral, I lose color accuracy on something else.

 

It may have a lot to do with the camera. I have a Cannon 710IS. My dad came down to visit recently with his new toy - a Nikon SLR of some sort. Without adjusting a thing - auto white balance - the colors were just about perfect right from the get go.

[jason the filter freak]

hmm might have to take advantage of a friend, white balance just has a number of preset options

[lancer99]

Isn't it easier to just point the camera at the sand (unless it's black sand)?

 

-R

Edited December 5, 2007 by lancer99

[lancer99]

Jason,

Are you sure you are setting the white balance correctly? (probably a stupid question, but...) Just asking, because in my case (Nikon Coolpix) the manual is confusing, and I missed a few steps.

 

IME the ISO setting is way less important than the colour balance.

 

-R

Edited December 5, 2007 by lancer99

[jamal]

iso is more important for fish pictures and faster moving objects