What type of camera do you have?

Nikon D80 with macro lens. It was used at Roche pharma company for lab work and at the end they gave them out to the employees! lol I guess it was luck but i havent been able to use it to its full potential ... my pictures with moonlights never come out clear! love the camera though takes amazing pictures.

 

Try raising the exposure time and using a tripod for stability for moonlight pics. No moving stuff tho.

Im considering one of the Canon Rebel cameras to replace my Nikon S8000 lol

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wow already! LOL.

There is usually bad distortion when it comes to lenses with wide range. If you will just be taking casual shots, I still think the 18-200 is a good carrying around lens. This lens is not perfect either, but it guarantees that you won't miss a shot for not having the right lens on at the right time =]. Personally I use the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8. These lenses are fast and won't cost you an arm and a leg.

 

Lenses that tend to encompass a lot of focal lengths suffer in optic quality. The 18-55 it comes with is not bad at all, good little lens. I would really invest in the 70-300mm VR AF lens or the 18-200mm VR AF lens. The VR lenses seem to have better build quality. If you don't want an AIO get a less expensive 10-20mm Sigma and a 50-200mm nikon.

 

The smaller the number the sharper the photo. Bigger lens are for like taking pictures of long distance subjects. You will be standing close to your tank so the 18-55mm will be perfect. Another thing look for cameras with micro settings. They make very close shooting magnified, crisper and more detailed. I do photography for a hobby/extra cash. I personally like canon rebels. There good for beginners or experts alike. I'm gonna pick me one up soon.

 

I've stuck with Canon throughout the years. Mainly because once you invest in some good lenses, ya wanna stay with that brand. Since I went SLR I've gone from the Elan 3e --> Elan 7e --> the first Rebel model --> 20D --> 40D (hated it) and now I have my 5d Mark II. I don't plan on buying another for a number of years now that I bought this one.

My favorite lenses are the canon 50mm 1.4 (the 1.8 is pretty good too for a better price, but one tap and it's a goner), Canon 100mm and am saving for the Canon L 24-105. You wont give up ANYTHING with this lens. When I shot with that lens, it gave me goosebumps.

 

The smaller f stop does not prove for a sharper image, it simply means it has the ability to utilize a larger aperture making a faster shot possible. You can get the same results on a lens with a smaller aperture by stepping up the shutter speed. It is a trade off.

 

I'm not a camera guy, point and shoot is all I can do. But for point and shoot, I'd recommend the Fuji XP30 to anyone. Submersible up to 5 meters, HD video, 14 megapixels. It's a great little point and shoot camera for anyone looking to get coral shots without the overhead of learning/buying crazy camera equipment.

 

Wow! Thanks everyone! Any more questions or comments you would like to make? I was wondering...how bad is the Nikon 55-300? Does anyone have any pictures taken with this lens? Still deciding..... :-/

 

I would honestly shoot for something with a little less focal range and maxiumum aperture in the 3s instead of f/4.5-5.6. It is an adequate lens, but it will make tank photos a challenge. A better lens for our purposes would be something like the 18-200mm with an f/3.5-5.6. But I would still go for a lower range than that.