What do I need to do???...

[Reef Pets]

I got a new camera, Canon Xsi and a Canon 60mm Macro Lens. I am use to shooting with a 100mm lens which is much longer.

Now that I use the shorter 60mm lens it allows much more light in.

When I take top down photos I have to keep the F stop low or it over exposes the photo. But, by keeping the F stop low I get a shallow depth of field.

In all, if the F stop is too low I get no depth of field and only a small portion of the photo is in focus.
But, if I raise the F stop then the photo is over exposed. I cant seem to find a happy spot for the F stop.......

I have the ISO set at 100. Any suggestions? Do I need to purchase a lens hood or something else so that I can keep the shutter open long enough to get depth of field but not too long where the photo is over exposed?

 

[Reef Pets]

Anyone?

 

[pledosophy]

If the extra light is flare coming from the room or tank lights you will need to shield the lens from the extra light. A lens hood will do this, but so will your hand, I use a baseball cap outdoors.

By increasing your ISO (try 400, then 800) you will be able to have a higher F Stop which will increase your deoth of field.

Also what is your shutter speed set at?

ISO, F-Stop, and shutter speed all work together to form your exposure.

A picture really is worth a thousand words to diagnosis what is happening.

HTH

 

[Reef Pets]

Thanks for the information! I thought a a hood would help. I am taking top down photos under 800 watts of metal halides. With a 100mm I had no issues.
I will try working with a higher ISO to see the results.

 

[CSJIII]

I got a new camera, Canon Xsi and a Canon 60mm Macro Lens. I am use to shooting with a 100mm lens which is much longer.

Now that I use the shorter 60mm lens it allows much more light in.

When I take top down photos I have to keep the F stop low or it over exposes the photo. But, by keeping the F stop low I get a shallow depth of field.

In all, if the F stop is too low I get no depth of field and only a small portion of the photo is in focus.
But, if I raise the F stop then the photo is over exposed. I cant seem to find a happy spot for the F stop.......

I have the ISO set at 100. Any suggestions? Do I need to purchase a lens hood or something else so that I can keep the shutter open long enough to get depth of field but not too long where the photo is over exposed?

Portraits of people are usually taken with an f-stop of between 9-11, that seems to give the best depth of field and then adjust your shutter accordingly.
Are you shooting in full manual mode?
I use a Canon 50d and I am pretty sure you can shoot in "A" (aperture) mode and then with the dial on the back adjust the shutter accordingly.
I have seen some of the pics taken on your auctions and I assume your using a quality tripod, in that case, open your aperture up to 14-15 and get a nice depth of field, that may also reduce the over exposure.

 

[JuniorMC8704]

its very simple....i did it for a week before i figured it out myself...


you have to cover the eye piece when doing topdowns to get proper exposure.

light spills into the viewfinder and messes everything up.

use the cover that likely came with your camera or tape a small piece of cardboard over it.

should solve most of the exposure issues.