# Some practice herping shots with new camera



## Kitah (Dec 8, 2011)

I went for a little short 1.5hr trip today and mostly ended up photographing rainbow skinks, but I quite enjoyed it  heres some pics















































































Other wildlife


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## jamesjr (Dec 9, 2011)

Great pics, love seeing good pics of skinks.


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## Renenet (Dec 9, 2011)

Some nice shots there, Kitah. And for good humour, I enjoyed the picture of the skink that appears to be about to moon you. (Third-last shot in the skink series.)

What lens did you have on the camera? I really need to get myself a nice macro lens now that I'm living in Cairns. There's some insane but small creatures around here.


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## Kitah (Dec 9, 2011)

Thanks  I'm still learning how to use this camera, as I'm unfamiliar with SLRs, but its great fun to play with! 

It wasnt a macro lens- just the 55-250mm canon that comes in the twin kit  I'm planning on getting a 18-200mm IS canon lens and a 90mm macro tamron lens (Based on what other members have posted, the great photos the macro lens can take). Can't wait to get those lenses


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## moloch05 (Dec 9, 2011)

Very nice, Kitah. Those Carlia shots are good. Do you know the species? It looks to me to be C. vivex or perhaps C. pectoralis.

Enjoyed the Crimson Finch photos. They are such pretty birds and are always nice to see.

I am looking forward to frequent additions from your area.

Regards,
David


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## Wild~Touch (Dec 9, 2011)

Incredible shots :

It seems the skinks are "posing" for you I am looking forward to seeing more of your work

Thanks for sharing
Sandee


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## SamNabz (Dec 9, 2011)

Nice shots, Kit! #1 is my pick out of the lot.

Which camera did you get?


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## GeckPhotographer (Dec 9, 2011)

Nice shots, Carlia make great subjects for photographs. Though finding some really bright males never hurts.


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## Waterrat (Dec 9, 2011)

Nice shots Kitah, did you use auto focusing or manual?
I would strongly recommend the *Canon 100mm macro f2.8 IS USM* it's a fantastic lens, far, far better than Tamron can ever be. At $999.- from DDP:

Lenses - Canon & Nikon Digital Camera Lenses – Tamron Lens | DDP


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## Renenet (Dec 9, 2011)

Waterrat said:


> Nice shots Kitah, did you use auto focusing or manual?
> I would strongly recommend the *Canon 100mm macro f2.8 IS USM* it's a fantastic lens, far, far better than Tamron can ever be. At $999.- from DDP:
> 
> Lenses - Canon & Nikon Digital Camera Lenses – Tamron Lens | DDP



And even cheaper from their Singapore sister store, DDE. I've bought stuff from both shops before. 

What about a great macro lens for a Nikon?


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## SamNabz (Dec 9, 2011)

Waterrat said:


> Nice shots Kitah, did you use auto focusing or manual?
> I would strongly recommend the *Canon 100mm macro f2.8 IS USM* it's a fantastic lens, far, far better than Tamron can ever be. At $999.- *from DDP*:
> 
> Lenses - Canon & Nikon Digital Camera Lenses – Tamron Lens | DDP





Renenet said:


> And even cheaper from their *Singapore sister store, DDE*. I've bought stuff from both shops before.



Don't mean to hijack (sorry Kit) - but how trustworthy do you find these online stores to purchase from Michael & Renenet? I have always been wary of purchasing expensive camera gear from stores such as the two you guys mentioned.

Also, have any of you (or anyone else) purchased anything from eGlobal Digital Cameras?


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## Kitah (Dec 9, 2011)

Thanks guys 

Moloch, I’m not really good at ID’s at the moment, so I don’t know what they are sorry. Now that I've finished uni and will be able to start working, I'm hoping I'll have the time and the funds to get out a bit more often and start learning though! 

One thing I learnt very quickly about these skinks is that they don’t seem that shy- sure, they’ll scatter if you’re just walking through the scrub, but if you stop, or sit down, they quickly come back out to continue looking for food, and I got the chance to get these pictures 

Sam, the camera is a Canon 600D

Geckphotographer, I know I could have found some bright males, but I happened to find this female and just decided to sit, watch and take photos of her. I still enjoyed it, and still like the pictures, even though she may not be as colourful. Next time I go out there I’ll probably look for a few nice males. 

Waterrat, I was using manual focusing- I don’t know, I just prefer it. I’m not sure if this is a good or a bad thing... For things like the finches though, because they were so far away and so small, it was kind of hard to focus clearly on them. And as to the lenses, I’ll have a look into the canon one you suggested, thanks


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## Waterrat (Dec 9, 2011)

SamNabz said:


> Don't mean to hijack (sorry Kit) - but how trustworthy do you find these online stores to purchase from Michael & Renenet? I have always been wary of purchasing expensive camera gear from stores such as the two you guys mentioned.
> 
> Also, have any of you (or anyone else) purchased anything from eGlobal Digital Cameras?



I bought heaps of equipment from DDP, always fast and reliable. I bought my EOS 1Ds mark III from them - perfect!



Kitah said:


> Waterrat, I was using manual focusing- I don’t know, I just prefer it. I’m not sure if this is a good or a bad thing... For things like the finches though, because they were so far away and so small, it was kind of hard to focus clearly on them. And as to the lenses, I’ll have a look into the canon one you suggested, thanks




I prefer manual focusing too but only with macro shots, that way you always get the eye sharp.


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## jordanmulder (Dec 9, 2011)

Some great shots here kitah!! What was your ISO?? The only thing thats a bit edgy (if you don't mind me saying) is the grain in a few of them. But great work overall!


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## Kitah (Dec 9, 2011)

Waterrat, I do tend to only use the manual focus for shots like the ones I got above, or closeup type shots of my cats, for example- to try and get the eye in focus as you said. If its just a full body shot of one of my cats, or scenery for example, I tend to switch to auto focus. I will say that I'm very glad I can now focus manually though- used to drive me nuts when I couldn't with my old camera  

Jordan, to be totally honest - these shots were only taken on 'auto' but the ISO on the images ranged from 500 (when the skinks were in the sun) to 2000, for that butterfly shot. I do plan on switching over to manual settings and learning how to optimize the pictures though, if possible. I need to do a bit of reading and start experimenting


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## Waterrat (Dec 9, 2011)

Kitah, the high ISO explains the grain and in extreme cases colour shift. As you go, you will find out that the lower the ISO, the crisper the image and greater detail. I rarely use 200 ISO, only when I really have to. All my macro shots are taken at 100 ISO. The downside is, you need plenty of light.
You may not notice the differences so much when viewing your images on a monitor but there is a huge difference in quality when you print on A4 or bigger.


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## Kitah (Dec 9, 2011)

Mhmm I could well and truly notice the grain on my laptop screen, and thought it might be the ISO. I might go back out this arvo, find some more skinks and play with the settings a bit. Problem is that the skinks I took most of the photos of were in shady patches, so I'll try and find some with better lighting. 

Its going to take me a while to get used to this, and sorry for posting not-so great pics to stat with- but I still enjoyed myself  

Thanks


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## Waterrat (Dec 9, 2011)

We enjoy your pics too, keep posting the.

To achieve better results in macro photography, you will have to use low ISO and small aperture; f15 or better f22. That means, you will need a flash or two. Did you know there is no end to adding equipment? LOL


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## Renenet (Dec 9, 2011)

Hi Sam, 

Delivery was fast and I found their online customer service pretty easy to deal with. If I remember rightly, you can purchase from Singapore and make a warranty claim through one of the local stores. Of course, I've never had to use the warranty service so I can't comment on that. 

Nor can I comment on eGlobal Digital Cameras - I've never bought from there. I'd suggest you check out the Whirlpool forums. They have a digital photography section and there are some recommendations (or otherwise) for online camera shops.


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## SteveNT (Dec 9, 2011)

SamNabz said:


> Don't mean to hijack (sorry Kit) - but how trustworthy do you find these online stores to purchase from Michael & Renenet? I have always been wary of purchasing expensive camera gear from stores such as the two you guys mentioned.
> 
> Also, have any of you (or anyone else) purchased anything from eGlobal Digital Cameras?



Yep nikon D90. Unbelievable price and arrived in 3 days! I will use them again.


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## Waterrat (Dec 9, 2011)

I don't know about other brands (most probably the same applies) but Canon Australia will not honor warranty unless the equipment was purchased from a Canon Australia authorised dealer. That is a fact and they will ask you for a receipt as well as the warranty card.
So, if you buy Canon gear in Singapore or anywhere on-line and you have a problem with it, you have to go to the supplier. Some of them have their own technical services, others don't. I would be very reluctant to send expensive gear to some shop in Singapore for repair.


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## Renenet (Dec 9, 2011)

Waterrat said:


> Did you know there is no end to adding equipment? LOL



It's an expensive hobby (she writes, adding macro lens and flashes to the wish list).

I guess a tripod would help with the small aperture - but what do you do when your subject keeps moving, as animals tend to do? I'm guessing a tripod would get in the way?

Kitah, your photos are great for a first attempt. I think photography, especially wildlife photography, is 20% technical skill and 20% creativity; the rest is patience. I suspect you've got bucketloads of that. Oh, and congratulations on finishing uni. 

Now that I've got some time I have to start doing what you're doing. I've only ever used the macro function, never done it properly!


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## jordanmulder (Dec 9, 2011)

agree totoaly with waterrat, always put the ISO as low as possible to keep as much quality in the image as possible. You may want to think about buying a decent flash to help you get more light on the subject. Keep us updated I enjoy your shots!!


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## Renenet (Dec 9, 2011)

Waterrat said:


> So, if you buy Canon gear in Singapore or anywhere on-line and you have a problem with it, you have to go to the supplier. Some of them have their own technical services, others don't. I would be very reluctant to send expensive gear to some shop in Singapore for repair.



I think DDE/DDP are one of those with their own technical service. Again if memory serves me correctly, that's one reason I went with them. 

Sorry, Kitah. I hope this is interesting for you as well and that we're not hijacking your thread.


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## Waterrat (Dec 9, 2011)

DDP do and also - they are in Australia.


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## Kitah (Dec 10, 2011)

I think I need to practice with something that doesn't move- I tend to get too distracted and focus more on the animal than the camera at the moment  

Few quick pics from today, I know they wont be any better.. but I went looking for some more males this time. I took quite a few more pictures but I don't think I need to bore you with heaps more rainbow skink photos 














other wildlife


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## Bluetongue1 (Dec 10, 2011)

Thanks. Thoroughly enjoyed checking out the “practice” snaps. I particularly like the shot of the Pheasant Coucal. They have beautiful plumage and are a most impressive bird. You did well with Crimson Finch. The couple of times I have seen them in the wild I wasn’t a show to get within cooee for a photo, even with a good sized telephoto. I am very impressed with the composition of your shots – a skill that is only acquired through experience.

The skink species is _Carlia pectoralis_ – Open-litter Rainbow Skink. 

Blue


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## GeckPhotographer (Dec 10, 2011)

I don't think I could get bored of looking at Rainbow Skink pictures.


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## Renenet (Dec 10, 2011)

Where did you take these shots, Kitah?


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## jordanmulder (Dec 11, 2011)

these are much better kitah!! The image quality is far better than the previous ones.


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## pythrulz (Dec 11, 2011)

Some good pics there lots of good close ups


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