Tips and lens chose for Aquariums?

0ptics · Jul 2, 2012

Hello,

I plan on going to the aquarium sometime soon and was wondering if there are any tips that I should consider (eg. what ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc.); I read some articles online but any extra helps would be great! I have a Nikon D3100 and the lenses that I have are the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, 35mm f/1.8, and 55-200mmm f/4-5.6, so I was thinking about using the 35mm just cause its the fastest lens I have but also considering the 55-200mm for that zoom. I'll bring both but which one would you guys think is the "best" for overall aquarium shots. Also the aquarium is in a zoo and so now I'm leaning more towards the 55-200mm as my primary.

Thanks!
0ptics

unpopular · Jul 2, 2012

Lord. This question just never goes away!

Patriot · Jul 2, 2012

Just take the 35mm lens. you wont need the zooms at all. The 35 is fast enough. Get a cpl filter if possible to get rid of the glare and reflections on the glass. Trust me I did the same exact thing thing that you are about to. I took a zoom lens and it couldnt keep up with the fish in the low light. A fast prist is better for the fish while the zoom could be used for the zoo portion.

fjrabon · Jul 2, 2012

just take the 35mm and focus on getting the people in the aquarium's reactions. You'll never get a particularly great shot of the fish by themselves, but you can get some awesome shots of people reacting to the fish.

I live in Atlanta, which has perhaps the best aquarium in the world, and I've never gotten a shot of 'just the fish' that I've been happy with. But I've gotten several pictures of people reacting to the fish that were pretty good.

Also the 35mm has the advantage of being very easy to deal with and letting you spend more time absorbing the scenes than a zoom you'd be constantly fiddling with trying to get the right focal length.

Snakeguy101 · Jul 2, 2012

I went with an ultra wide angle and a nifty 50 and got results that I was happy with. Lighting in there is going to be a pain so be prepared to crank the ISO above 1600

You should enjoy yourself while you are there though. You will likely get a few keepers but for the most part aquarium shots end up as snapshots or worse. Take time to enjoy yourself ad don't focus too much on the camera because you will end up disappointed.

Patriot · Jul 2, 2012

This is one of my favorite picture I've taken at an aquarium but it isn't really sharp because the zoom lens I used couldn't keep up with bumping the iso too high. It was really dark and the tank lights were set really low.

SCraig · Jul 2, 2012

I normally use my 17-70, a Speedlight, and an off-camera flash cord to get the speedlight off the hot shoe. Put the lens right against the glass and hold the flash a couple of feet away. Shutter priority auto at 1/200 second, usually around ISO 1600. I've taken many shots at the Nashville Zoo aquarium and the Tennessee Aquarium like that and have gotten some excellent shots.

TCampbell · Jul 2, 2012

The biggest challenge I think you'll find are the reflections off the side of the tank. Don't think of it so much as a piece of transparent glass -- think of more as a semi-transparent mirror. The camera will see all the reflections from sources behind you.

If this is YOUR aquarium or if you have special access to a public aquarium, you could use shroud the side of the aquarium (e.g. tack a piece of black fabric on the side of the aquarium -- like a curtain -- and then get the camera underneath it so that there are no reflections.) How you block the reflections is completely up to you. If you want to press the lens flat to the glass, that works too (but if you want to shoot on angle then there's a chance that the camera will get some reflections.)

If you need to use a flash, keep in mind the rule "the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence" -- in other words... it's a mirror. If the camera is pointed slightly right and you have a flash located to the right, then the camera will likely see the reflection of the flash in the glass. But if you move the light to the other side then the camera won't photograph the reflection.

TheBiles · Jul 2, 2012

The best photos at any aquarium are of the people!

IMG_5415enhanced_1 by Quentin Biles, on Flickr

Though I do have some nice ones of the animals in that set. Avoid reflections by getting close!

SoCalTiger · Jul 2, 2012

TheBiles said:
The best photos at any aquarium are of the people!

IMG_5415enhanced_1 by Quentin Biles, on Flickr

Though I do have some nice ones of the animals in that set. Avoid reflections by getting close!

This is an awesome shot. Jellyfish were the most interesting thing at the aquarium (at least IMO). I'm not a fan of "pictures of fish" unless they are the more exotic ones like the lion fish.

Nod · Jul 2, 2012

All good advice here but the one thing I haven't seen mentioned is to put a flexible lens hood on the lens. When you put the soft rubber hood against the glass it pretty well eliminates side glare.

corralc · Jul 11, 2012

i like the photos that have been posted on this tread. i go to the aquarium a lot and love to take photos of all the fish. i have always just used program but im just playing around. the tips on here a great and will use these in the future, thank you! and again the photos posted on here are really really good

robbyrob · Oct 21, 2012

well I am happy I found this thread as I was looking for info on lens hoods and if I should invest in one or not. I recently went to the aquarium and was sooooo disappointed on my shots, as I dare not call them photographs, it was not even funny. My daughter took her iPhone and snap and shoot and got way better pics than me. I know understand this "lens not fast enough" term. My sony kit just couldn't pull it off in the low light areas. Glare from tanks? check!! So moral of the story I need a prime and hood.. Minolta 50MM here I come!!

thanks guys/gals

412 Burgh · Oct 21, 2012

Snakeguy101 said:
I went with an ultra wide angle and a nifty 50 and got results that I was happy with. Lighting in there is going to be a pain so be prepared to crank the ISO above 1600
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You should enjoy yourself while you are there though. You will likely get a few keepers but for the most part aquarium shots end up as snapshots or worse. Take time to enjoy yourself ad don't focus too much on the camera because you will end up disappointed.