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Best DSL for aquarium photography?

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Garbonston

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Hello all,

I take a lot of pictures of tropical fish, but my Nikon 5400 just can't keep up with them! I find that I'm always having to "lead" the fish to try and get a clear shot. So I'm making the move to a DSLR.

What DSLR would you suggest for shooting highly-detailed macro photos of fast-moving fish in many times what would be a poor lighting environment? Flashes are pretty much out of the question because the light would just bounce right off the aquarium glass.
 
Macro photography is more dependent upon the lens and lighting. Both Canon and Nikon make good macro lenses. Personally, I'd go with a higher end camera (Nikon D200) vs a D40x or D80 (the idea being you can "grow into" this camera, vs quickly "outgrowing" a D40). I'm not familiar with the Canon line, but I know they have equivalent cameras.

Nikon has Auto FP flash sync, which allows the flash to sync at a higher shutter speed. Don't know if Canon does, but that's a feature that you can utilize too.
--
'Work is for people who don't know how to surf'
 
Any new digital single lens reflex camera will be respnably good, bearing in mind these are tough subjects. Get a rubber lens hood, so the lens can be very close to the glass.

Get a flash fromthe camera maker, and a cord to connect it to the camera, and hoild it against the glass, too, in a position where the lens can't "see" the flash
 
I am about to do a job that will require me to shoot some fish in an aquarium. I was told by the client that they sometimes use a small amount of oil of cloves in the water to sedate the fish. You might want to check with an aquariam store to see if this is good advice, or there may be other ways to sedate the fish so they are not swimming around so fast.

cheaper than buying a DSLR, unless you are just looking for a good excuse to buy one (grin).

You will probably need to spring for a true macro lens too, probably in the 90 to 105mm range. Oh, and also a good tripod. The expense never ends once you make the jump.

Robert
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http://www.streamlinestudio.com
 
I hope they're careful with the clove oil - it's what we use to anaesthetise any ill or deformed fish! I'd hate to think of the consequences of over-doing it when just trying to slow them down!

In my experience, you'll definitely need a macro lens, and a flash with an extension cord. Don't rely on the tank lights - remove the lid and position the flash so it's pointing down into the tank from above. Depending on the species you shooting, it might also be worth making up a 12" tank with no substrate, plants etc, just a plain back background. Move the fish into there individually and you'll get nice shots without any distracting background decoration. Obviously make sure the glass is totally clean, but I'm sure you've figured that one out already. Again depending on the species, it's sometimes worth just pre-focussing and waiting for something to swim past at the right distance from the camera!

I'm making no claims of being an expert at this, i'm just passing on the techniques which have given me reasonable results on the couple of times i've tried it with our tanks.
 
Robert Strom said:
I am about to do a job that will require me to shoot some fish in
an aquarium. I was told by the client that they sometimes use a
small amount of oil of cloves in the water to sedate the fish. You
might want to check with an aquariam store to see if this is good
advice, or there may be other ways to sedate the fish so they are
not swimming around so fast.
Click to expand...
I don't know about oil of cloves, but I know that many aquarium fish captured in the Phillipines are sedated with small amounts of cyanide, which is NOT a good idea. In most cases the fish never fully recover.

What you can do is to trap the fish between two panes of glass to restrict it's movement. You can restrict it's motion so that it can only swim perpendicular to the camera. Of course, this will not work as well if you intend to capture the fish interacting with it's environment.

BAK's suggestion to use a strobe on a sync cord is good, but even better than holding it against the glass is to shoot down through the surface of the water... it gives a more natural light. A rubber lens hood can help prevent glare by allowing you to press it against the glass.
 
You have to divide the situation here.

Small fishes, just the fish.

Try to squeeze the fish using a glass wall in order to get him close to the front glass . The secret is the less water you get between the fish and the glass the better. If the fisk has a flat body like a Pomacanthus Paru, you can also use the back wall to force it to pose for you.

Use a macro lens and put an external strobe on the top of the aquarium pointing downwards. The water scatters the light making a very effective natural soft box, just keep the strobe at least a foot distance from the water.

Larger fishes, small critters, anemones, morays, the fish and the aquarium.

This is more difficult due to distortions caused by acute angles of light rays traveling from a denser environment to a lighter one. Use a normal lens (35-80 mm in 35mm format) and try to be as perpendicular to the glass window as possible. Clean very well the glass on both sides. Use the same lightning previously described.

Don't try to do it if the subject is farther than 30 cm from the glass. In very big aquariums where this happens, you are already in the realm of underwater photography where the technque is different.
 
Looks like I'll be dropping a nice piece of change no matter what I choose. Thanks for all your help!
 
There is a wide variety of macro lens focal lengths. The coverage they give depends on their focal length andthe sensor size int he camera.

The longer the focal legth, the less likely it is you can rest the lens against the glass, minimizing glare and refelections off the outsie of the tank.

BAK
 
Checked out some of the cameras you guys suggested at some stores...kind of out of my price range for now. I was also considering getting a digireb xti. What do you think of this Canon prosumer camera? Does it have a fast enough auto focus and shot time and detailed enough macro function? Any help would be appreciated.
 
If you put one of the flexible lens hoods on your lens you can then press the hood against the glass. By doing this you eliminate any reflections off of the glass and can use a flash. As to which camera to use I would think that just about any of the DSLR’s out would work just fine. You should read the reviews here and find which ones have the features you want and then go and hold them and see which one fits you better.
Garbonston said:
Hello all,

I take a lot of pictures of tropical fish, but my Nikon 5400 just
can't keep up with them! I find that I'm always having to "lead"
the fish to try and get a clear shot. So I'm making the move to a
DSLR.
What DSLR would you suggest for shooting highly-detailed macro
photos of fast-moving fish in many times what would be a poor
lighting environment? Flashes are pretty much out of the question
because the light would just bounce right off the aquarium glass.
Click to expand...
--
Edward

Lenses listed in profile

 
Thanks for the advice.

I am still shooting/video taping a web and magazine dtory about how to stock a pond.

I will be shooting the range from minnow fry to 2 lb. bass.

I have asked the client to provide me with a 24" long aquarium and a clear plexiglass panel that I can use to minimize the width of the swimming area of the fish.

I will be shooting by natural light at the pond location. I will also have black fabric to shroud the front of the aquarium to prevent incidental light reflections.

Robert

--
http://www.streamlinestudio.com
 
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