Binosage's Nano 2.0

[albinosage]

oh! haha dr. octopus? is that that guy? hahaha

ohh there are candy basslets at RB? omg how much are they for?!

and nice zoas bino!

Happy Reefing,

Marc J.

Bro, the pic is 'Number 2' lah from Austin Powers. He is Dr Evil's 2nd in command, literally named Number 2 lol.

There is one candy basslet left at RB, from the last shipment some time back. If I name the price with blue notes also will lose count haha, this is priced with brown notes.

[jackywongto]

Okay thanks, if this works, it changes everything! A photographer even told me that my only choice (when shooting under blue light only) is to stack orange filter to compensate

But seriously, the recent pictures are as close as possible to what the tank looks like already. It is purplish IRL.

Will sms you later if I fail .

I am quite sure it will work.

If you see my previous photos, they are the same as yours. purplish.

now its much better. not perfect but much closer.

Actually you can try this too.

- Take photo of you white sandbed. Use this a WB photo setting. When done, take anohter photo of the white sandbed. again use that as a white balance setting.

After 2nd WB setting, your photo should be much closer to real life already. just use WB bracket towards blue.

I did it this way

[MarcoVan]

Bro, the pic is 'Number 2' lah from Austin Powers. He is Dr Evil's 2nd in command, literally named Number 2 lol.

There is one candy basslet left at RB, from the last shipment some time back. If I name the price with blue notes also will lose count haha, this is priced with brown notes.

OH! hahahaha paiseh, I don't follow Austin Powers. lol.

OH! okay I think I know the price liao. LOL! I was actually thinking about another fish! :X lol.

[peacemaker]

Actually you can try this too.

- Take photo of you white sandbed. Use this a WB photo setting. When done, take anohter photo of the white sandbed. again use that as a white balance setting.

After 2nd WB setting, your photo should be much closer to real life already. just use WB bracket towards blue.

I did it this way

Bro, what white sand bed? Bino likes it black!

[karlyau]

Nice setup ...

[albinosage]

3 words lah.... your WB setting!

$^@#^%#@@!!!

Jacky you good, screwed with my mind for a moment there, I really thought I was doing something wrong...

I just checked out my camera WB settings, seriously, there is nothing wrong with my pre-set. The 2500K to 10000K adjustment is the custom white balance. What you described as the custom white balance (taking the value from an existing photo) is the pre-set WB

Anyway learnt something important too, below are 3 images shot on tripod, RAW file untouched (8300K), 1 at 8330K and 1 at 10000K - all unedited and straight from camera:

The 8330K shot is actually the same as the RAW file, just that the camera processed the image at my jpeg setting (increased contrast and saturation). The increased contrast creates more blacks, eliminating details such as shadows and highlights in caves, and the saturation intensifies the purple from the coralline. That is probably the reason why you think my pics are very purple.

If I were to go any lower than 8330K (I think the pics from my old thread was 5560K), it will be too blue. If I go higher than 8330K as seen in the 10000K photo above, it will be too warm and orangey (use sunflower zoa as reference between the three pics).

Anyway, about my earlier explanation that the middle of my tank having more blue than the front, here's a side FTS illustrating my theory better:

The middle row of blue lights is actually a pretty intense 120 degree beam, unlike T5 or other conventional light that diffuses and blend easily. This creates blue spots all over the middle (circled in the pic) which show up in the background of pics, perhaps giving the impression that the WB is off. If I change adjust the WB to neutralise the blue portions circled above, the rest of the pic will turn bright orange. The Maxspect 110W shouldn't have such issues cos the white and blue LEDs are in a mixed array.

Anyway, don't take this the wrong way, I'm not being defensive, I just like to solve a good puzzle. I got my first manual SLR at aged 12, so even though I don't take photography seriously as a hobby, give me a little credit here lah!

(Oops, accidentally deleted the attachments after editing the double post, will mend it tonight)

Bro, what white sand bed? Bino likes it black!

Hahaha, you never know leh, white is the new black!

We were saying the other day at the gathering how Jacky's purchases of live stock will influence other nano reefers to buy the same thing. He might just be the new trendsetter, bringing back "retro" white lol.

Nice setup ...

Thanks Karl!

[albinosage]

Lazy to post another reply, shall edit this double post instead:

I looked back at the pictures above and the jpeg processing from the camera has too much variable to make a fair comparison. Re-shot the images in jpeg, neutral, just now, to get rid of the contrast and saturation.

WB settings from left to right - Auto, 5560K, 8330K, 10000K

8330K is what I usually use, and as you can see, any higher or lower will be too blue or too warm.

Long story short:

1. How I arrived at my WB is not wrong, pictures of coralline encrusted live rocks will always be purple (not red lol).

2. Contrast and saturation on the other hand could have given you the impression that my WB is off.

3. You still haven't pointed out which pictures from this post on page 3 is shot under the wrong WB, cos as far as I know they are all shot under the same custom WB setting. If you look at pics #2 and #10, the areas of the rock without the coralline, does the colour temp look wrong?

Paiseh for another long story, this issue has been a thorn in my head, can't wrap my head around this mystery especially when I seem to be the only one who thinks the WB looks right.

Ignore the pics below this line, they are from the double post.

Edited April 27, 2010 by binosage

[mitlancer]

Nice, thanks for satisfying our visual craving needs... hahaha...

[jackywongto]

haiyo... type so long.... k k. find 1 day I go to your place with my camera.

[raydiative]

look at who is teaching camera skills??!!

eh ah pek... when you wanna come by my place?

[jackywongto]

look at who is teaching camera skills??!!

eh ah pek... when you wanna come by my place?

old ginger... no lah.....

does not make sense mah.

Whether it is mix array or leds in rows.

because the lens is 120 deg. meaning when the light is casted downwards, all the spectrum by the various LED is overlapping each other already. so you should not have any spotlighting effect. .... that is what I think lah... before Bino come and shoot me.....

your place, wait till I go my sis place lor... which is usually about once a year....

[raydiative]

old ginger... no lah.....

does not make sense mah.

Whether it is mix array or leds in rows.

because the lens is 120 deg. meaning when the light is casted downwards, all the spectrum by the various LED is overlapping each other already. so you should not have any spotlighting effect. .... that is what I think lah... before Bino come and shoot me.....

your place, wait till I go my sis place lor... which is usually about once a year....

Lol.. need to pick up some skills from you too.. my shots are always filled with lotsa noise.. have no idea how to reduce it..

Im a noob in using DSLR

[teebs]

Lol.. need to pick up some skills from you too.. my shots are always filled with lotsa noise.. have no idea how to reduce it..

Im a noob in using DSLR

Should ask jacky to teach you how to take nice photos...and how to set the white balance...

[jackywongto]

Lol.. need to pick up some skills from you too.. my shots are always filled with lotsa noise.. have no idea how to reduce it..

Im a noob in using DSLR

I nooby too..... but can share tips yah?

use lower ISO. 100, 200, 250.

If you are taking with 400 and above, it will turn up more grainy.

The only flip side is that you will need a longer exposure time.

Try to open the aperture as large as possible when you are close up shot.

most software can help to lower noise level too.

Which DSLR you are using?

[jackywongto]

Should ask jacky to teach you how to take nice photos...and how to set the white balance...

should go and look for weisheng and the other camera experts here : including yourself hor.

I am really just a jack of all trades.... master of none.

[albinosage]

does not make sense mah.

Whether it is mix array or leds in rows.

because the lens is 120 deg. meaning when the light is casted downwards, all the spectrum by the various LED is overlapping each other already. so you

Actually from the front it looks alright, it is from the side where the difference is obvious, see the side tank pic above. Basically the YT looks yellow, RBTA looks red, flame hawk also red, but there is still blue spotlighting effect... so what gives?

Side tank pic

[vt_snowman87]

the rbta looks great for you.. i'm glad it found a good owner..

[albinosage]

the rbta looks great for you.. i'm glad it found a good owner..

Hahaha yah I'm having a love affair with your RBTA, man... It is seriously a very nice specimen, I didn't even know it has a green base. Here's a pic I took this morning just before leaving for work:

Anyway this is for the reefer who asked for a pic of how the cabinet door flushes with the tank:

The front panel of glass actually flush to the bottom and is not sitting on the base glass, looks nicer from the front like that, without the joint. The tank itself, protrudes about 3/4 inch from the cabinet and the door closes the gap, creating that seamless look.

Here's the update on the skimmer. The micro bubbles have disappeared from the main tank after a day. I actually had to raise the skimmer by sitting it on a 2 inch tall container, cos the tank water was overflowing into the cup. I guess the skimmer is still breaking in, but for now, there is at least a 90% reduction in bubbles exiting the skimmer, and I don't have to raise it anymore.

[albinosage]

There are 3 smaller heads growing out on a dead skeleton below the bigger head, and the bigger head of blasto itself seems to be splitting from the bottom. The pic was taken this morning with the lights on for only 10 mins. When fully expanded, the head is 2.5 inches in diameter, forming an upside down heart shape. Do blastos reproduce by splitting?

The dull colour has nothing to do with the health of the blasto, I shot this without any custom contrast or saturation this morning, if not Jacky and Ray will suan me again and say my pictures suck

[raydiative]

There are 3 smaller heads growing out on a dead skeleton below the bigger head, and the bigger head of blasto itself seems to be splitting from the bottom. The pic was taken this morning with the lights on for only 10 mins. When fully expanded, the head is 2.5 inches in diameter, forming an upside down heart shape. Do blastos reproduce by splitting?

The dull colour has nothing to do with the health of the blasto, I shot this without any custom contrast or saturation this morning, if not Jacky and Ray will suan me again and say my pictures suck

wha.. where you get your purplish blue sand from?!

[teebs]

wha.. where you get your purplish blue sand from?!

Bino...kenna suan again...

[albinosage]

wha.. where you get your purplish blue sand from?!

Hahaha don't laugh so soon. I showed your pic to my gf and she said yah, Desi is right, you are good looking. So I suggested you provide the following statistics on your name card in future:

[raydiative]

!@#$!@#$%#$%^&#$!@#$!#$$!@#$@$!@#$!@#%%

BASKET!!!!!!! Lol...

Sigh... everything comes with a price...

[albinosage]

Okay better not stir the pot anymore, later forum newbies might really think you indulge in an alternative livestyle hahaha...

[desideria]

EH BINO!!! I LIKE THAT CARD!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAH,

eh ray, don't think it's lousy.. don't you think showing a name card like that will be a GREAT conversational breaker? It's like when one of the freight VPs here surname is GAY so he break the ice with new peeps by saying : "Hello all, I'm GAY"

controversy when managed properly is PR paradise...