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Best lens for aquarium shots

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Elizabeth Klisiewicz

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I own the 70-300, 14-42, and the 50mm f/2 prime. The 50-200 is on its way by UPS. I thought the latter might be the fastest lens for low light shooting, and it can be supplemented with my LX-3 for close-up shots. I only want to bring one lens with me in the camera bag.

If anyone can post from experience, I would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,

Elizabeth
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Gallery is online at eklisiewicz.smugmug.com
Olympus E-520, Panasonic FZ-18/FZ-50/LX-3
 
I have used my 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 at an aquarium with very good success... I would post one for you, but im on my iMac.. the image are on my PC at work..

I would think your 50mm F2 will be fine for the task.. you wll not get mnay distant fish in the tanks.. but the ones close to the glass should be very nice..

Try using a Circular Polarizer too.. that will reduce the glass glare.. good luck..

Robert
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My Gear: E-510, 14-42mm, 14-54mm, and 42-150mm lenses.. FL36 Flash
Happy Shooting!
 
Hi,

My aquarium lens of choice is a legacy OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8; I find the focal length is very good for small fish and having the option to attain thin depth of field is nice. As such, by deduction, I suspect your ZD 50mm f2 would do the trick, assuming of course you'll also be shooting similar subject matter.

I had posted a few samples in a previous thread, link here ... http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=30977920

Cheers,
db

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Cheers,
dingobear
http://dingobearfoto.blogspot.com
 
I have not discovered the sweet spot for the 50mm. If I shoot wide open, I can use faster shutter speeds, but the DOF is too narrow to be of use. So I guess I can start at about f5.6 and ISO 800 and see what I get.
--
Gallery is online at eklisiewicz.smugmug.com
Olympus E-520, Panasonic FZ-18/FZ-50/LX-3
 
dingobear said:
Hi,

My aquarium lens of choice is a legacy OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8; I find the
focal length is very good for small fish and having the option to
attain thin depth of field is nice. As such, by deduction, I suspect
your ZD 50mm f2 would do the trick, assuming of course you'll also be
shooting similar subject matter.

I had posted a few samples in a previous thread, link here ...
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=30977920

Cheers,
db

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Click to expand...
These are some very nice shots, and shot wide open. Did you find the DOF to be too shallow? When focusing on a single fish or two, that is fine, but you might want to have greater DOF for other subjects.

Thanks for your thoughts on lens choice.
 
Elizabeth Klisiewicz said:
These are some very nice shots, and shot wide open. Did you find the
DOF to be too shallow? When focusing on a single fish or two, that is
fine, but you might want to have greater DOF for other subjects.

Thanks for your thoughts on lens choice.
Click to expand...
Thanks Elizabeth. I think for the most part, I like shallow DOF when it comes to aquarium photography but I suppose that's a matter of personal preference. To be truthful, light is generally my main concern (and hence, shooting wide open or near wide open) and usually I'll choose a wider aperture before bumping ISO if given the choice.

Here's another shot with more DOF. This one was taken with the 14-42 ...
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=30988677

I know you said you only wanted to bring one lens, but you might want to bring the ZD 14-42 as well as the ZD 50 for more compositional flexibility. Depending on the quality of lighting, the 14-42 may or may not be bright enough, however. But still, a 50 and 14-42 put together is still only about half the weight of a single ZD 50-200. Food for thought.

Anyway, happy shooting.

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Cheers,
dingobear
http://dingobearfoto.blogspot.com
 
Good thoughts. Yes, two might work fine. The 14-42 actually fits in my purse, so I won't need to carry my larger photo bag.
--
Gallery is online at eklisiewicz.smugmug.com
Olympus E-520, Panasonic FZ-18/FZ-50/LX-3
 
50 macro would be the best choice you'll have to shoot the closer the best from the aquarium glass then you'll' need 2 or more flashes from the top to illuminate the scene.
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Comments are always welcome...
My gear is in my profile...
 
When shooting aquariums, I have found that flash will penetrate a couple of feet into the water. Get the angle right to avoid flare or take it out in PP. Flash is often not allowed, I always check, first. If you don't need great detail, an UWA will get the center of the flash. As much ISO as you can stand noise will get you a tighter f stop for a little more DOF. I carry a shoulder bag with 2 lenses , 2 converters and the FL 50. I've found that the lighter you want to be, the less latitude in shots you have. But, I'm just over 250 pounds, so another 10 pounds of gear feels about the same to my knees. Rich

E330 and 7 14



E330 and 7 14 with flash



E500 and 14 54 with flash



E500 and 14 54 with flash

 
at the Monterey Bay Aquarium...no flash..
E-510 14mm ISO200 f2.8 1/30 sec - lens against glass for added support



E510 25mm ISO200 f3.1 1/30 sec -





I had the 50mm f2 but did not use it...

Carlos
 
 
Blocking the reflections on the glass is easier with a rubber lens hood and it will allow you to press the camera against the glass yet still be able to move the camera around a little to get a better composition and/or focus for close-ups. If you don't have a rubber lens hood, you could make a longer hood using a pattern from here: http://www.lenshoods.co.uk/

Note: Longer hoods also help keeping rain drops off the lens when shooting in rain storms.
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http://www.efrench.members.winisp.net/
 
I spent an afternoon there with my E3, and had some fun. In general, I found the PL25, 50 Macro, and 7-14 to be the most useful. In a crowded public aquarium, longer lenses are just too hard to use. The PL25, for the low light and moderate FOV. 7-14, it can take a shot under the most crowded condition. And the 50 Macro plus STF-22 macro flash for real detail.

Not really a fish shot, but I thought it was neat. On the escalator, with the 7-14, thought what the heck, let's hit the shutter and see what we get.



Shot with the PL25 - who says it isn't waterproof? No, this was shot through glass, but it's not a crop, just a resize. That was one big shark.



For closeups, the 50 Macro with STF-22 flash is the cat's meow.





And from my own tank, stocked largely with native fish I've found in mountain streams. All shots with the 50 Macro/STF-22 combo. These are tiny fish, in the 2-3" range.

Speckled darter:



Johnny Darter:



The combo can struggle with enough DOF at times, here's a frecklebelly darter:

 
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