Ideal f stop for first camera

[Reefer911]

I’m looking at a new mirrorless Nikon with the intent of capturing some close up shots of my fish and probably even closer shots of corals.
What would be the ideal f stop to start with?

 

[toothybugs]

Are you asking which lens to purchase, or shooting settings with a specific camera/ lens combo?

 

[toothybugs]

Rule of thumb, start with a 100ish mm macro lens, any make will do, most will be f/2.8 which is fine.

 

[Reefer911]

Are you asking which lens to purchase, or shooting settings with a specific camera/ lens combo?

Yeah basically which lens for close up shots.

 

[BancReefer]

I also see most people use something around 100mm f/2.8. If this is your first piece of camera equipment, then I’d say just get an adjustable lens so that you can take shots from at different distances and find the shots you enjoy shooting.

 

[exnisstech]

I would have more than one lens if it were me. I don't see myself getting used to a new camera and the settings just shootings macro shots of coral which can be difficult due to having to shoot through tank glass. A decent zoom lens and a macro would be what I would do. One of my favorite macro lenses for performance vs price was a Tamron 90mm f2.8
Not sure if they make one in mount for the body you are getting, I shot with Minolta and sony bodies.

 

[Reefer911]

I would have more than one lens if it were me. I don't see myself getting used to a new camera and the settings just shootings macro shots of coral which can be difficult due to having to shoot through tank glass. A decent zoom lens and a macro would be what I would do. One of my favorite macro lenses for performance vs price was a Tamron 90mm f2.8
Not sure if they make one in mount for the body you are getting, I shot with Minolta and sony bodies.

Yeah I will definitely have at least a second lens, just not right off the bat.

 

[Reefer911]

I also see most people use something around 100mm f/2.8. If this is your first piece of camera equipment, then I’d say just get an adjustable lens so that you can take shots from at different distances and find the shots you enjoy shooting.

The camera I’m looking at has the option to add on a 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 so I was wondering if I could get by with that for a while

But I think I have a macro lens on my old film camera, which I need to look at. Is it possible to use a lens from a film camera?

 

[toothybugs]

If it's F mount, yes, but you WILL need the FTZ adapter (F To Z, duh). Your motors may not work either so you could end up doing manual exposure. We can help with that if necessary.

A 16-50 kit lens sounds like your model is an APS-C. If this is true and you're not aware of how that impacts your focal length, it will effectively make your lens longer by 50%. A 150mm to me with my D850 will be like a 100mm lens on your camera. Which is important when looking for a lens.

The thing with the longer mm's in nacro shooting lets you be further away for the shot, which is good in an aquarium because you are limited in how close you can get. A tripod will help in all likelihood. And don't be afraid to crop in post-processing. It's amazing how it can be a help. I will see what I can come up with for an example.

 

[toothybugs]

Here, pulled from my FB account: a cropped and original, shot a yard away with a 105mm 2.8 on a D850 full-frame. I printed the crop in a 13x19 and it looks pretty fantastic.

 

[Reefer911]

A 16-50 kit lens sounds like your model is an APS-C. If this is true and you're not aware of how that impacts your focal length, it will effectively make your lens longer by 50%. A 150mm to me with my D850 will be like a 100mm lens on your camera. Which is important when looking for a lens.

Ok this confuses me because 100 isn’t 50% of 150. Can you help me understand this?

 

[toothybugs]

Other way around. The sensor on my full-frame is 36x24, yours is 24x16 (IIRC). When I take a photo at a certain focal length, your camera will see the center of what my sensor captures, which gives the illusion of a longer focal length because it fakes you into seeing a more zoomed-in image. For my camera to see the same image you do, I need a longer lens/ focal length. This is why crop sensor camera lenses often get the label "XXmm equivalent"

 

[exnisstech]

This will be the focal length of the 16-50mm on an APS-C sensor. Copied drom Nikon's site.

 

[BryanM]

I picked up a canon EF 100mm f2.8 macro off FB marketplace for a great price.

 

[Reefer911]

Thoughts on this lens for close up shots?

NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (SE) | Mirrorless Interchangeable lens

The NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (SE) is a special edition lightweight, ultra-compact wide-angle prime lens.

www.nikonusa.com

 

[Reefer911]

@toothybugs

I was able to dig out my 35mm camera and here’s the lens that I have. Would I be able to use it with the FTZ adapter? Just not sure since my lens is an E series, whatever that means

If not, is there another adapter I could use?
And if not lol I can always use this camera for some quality old school pics of the reef

 

[maroun.c]

I use the followingnikon for tank photography
24-70 2.8 my usually go to lense for fish shots and general coral shots, works as well for wide tank shots ....
105 mm for closeups or macros of corals and sometimes for fish but I have a deep front to back tank so the 105 isn't limited. Still not as co ve isn't as wide lenses
50mm 1.8 for fish shots, it's a bit limiting compared to 24-70 but I love the quality.
For lower cost alternatives u can try the 24-70 f4 or the 24-120 f4 I'm not sure what canon offers believe its the 24-105f4
U get a bit more light as its f4 vs 2.8 abd a bit less performance but still a solid lense for quality shots

 

[toothybugs]

@toothybugs

I was able to dig out my 35mm camera and here’s the lens that I have. Would I be able to use it with the FTZ adapter? Just not sure since my lens is an E series, whatever that means

If not, is there another adapter I could use?
And if not lol I can always use this camera for some quality old school pics of the reef

E series and F mount are not the same, it's most likely going to be manually focused but it should work. The nice thing is that you're going to be able to rapidly dial things in if you shoot from a tripod by deleting the crap shots. The feedback on a mirrorless system is instant (focus, depth of field, etc) and it's not like you have to chase a fish or anything since corals tend to not move away from you very quickly...

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Here, pulled from my FB account: a cropped and original, shot a yard away with a 105mm 2.8 on a D850 full-frame. I printed the crop in a 13x19 and it looks pretty fantastic.

Now you are making me want to go and buy one of those lenses, haha.

 

[Reefer911]

E series and F mount are not the same, it's most likely going to be manually focused but it should work. The nice thing is that you're going to be able to rapidly dial things in if you shoot from a tripod by deleting the crap shots. The feedback on a mirrorless system is instant (focus, depth of field, etc) and it's not like you have to chase a fish or anything since corals tend to not move away from you very quickly...

Is there an E to F adapter?