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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> aquarium question
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Showing posts 1 - 7 of 7, (reverse)
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 04/14/2009 12:15:30 AM · #1
hi there im heading to the nj state aquarium tomorrow any rec on what settin would be best to shoot at . im pretty new and not sure what i should use i have a canon eos 20 d thanks
 04/14/2009 12:18:23 AM · #2
fish move and move fast. Harder to shoot that birds I rekcon
 04/14/2009 12:20:11 AM · #3
One trick I have heard of and used a couple of times is to get a collapsible rubber lens hood and place it against the glass to block out reflections on the glass that come in from the side. I've tried it a couple of times with some success, but my aquarium shots still need some improvement.
 04/14/2009 12:31:37 AM · #4




This was shot at the ATL Aquarium. Set your camera to ISO 800, or 1600 and use a shutter speed of about 1/125. Set your aperture as wide open as you can and give it a try. If the image is still too dark then use a slower shutter speed. I try not to go over ISO800 just because the low light situations really bring out the noise and you lose a lot of detail there.

I have some more images but I just haven't uploaded them yet.

Message edited by author 2009-04-14 00:44:20.
 04/14/2009 12:40:30 AM · #5
I would use that 50 mm 1.8 wide open or slightly stopped down to maybe 2.8 if it is bright enough. I am not sure on shutterspeed but Dirt_Diver's suggestion seems good. If they have a really large aquarium wall and you want to get a wide shot of it all, you can use your 18-55 at 3.5. Even if that gives you a slower shutter speed at a wide angle it won't be as noticeable. If you have a circular polarizer it will cut down on reflections but may also give you too slow of a shutterspeed, but still worth bringing and seeing if it helps.
 04/14/2009 12:51:52 AM · #6
Originally posted by jdannels:
I would use that 50 mm 1.8 wide open or slightly stopped down to maybe 2.8 if it is bright enough. I am not sure on shutterspeed but Dirt_Diver's suggestion seems good. If they have a really large aquarium wall and you want to get a wide shot of it all, you can use your 18-55 at 3.5. Even if that gives you a slower shutter speed at a wide angle it won't be as noticeable. If you have a circular polarizer it will cut down on reflections but may also give you too slow of a shutterspeed, but still worth bringing and seeing if it helps.


Well I wouldn't say that 1/125 is good for all pictures but it's a starting point. BTW I could only go as wide as 3.5 but most of my shots were between f/4 and f/5.6. If I had a 1.8 or or even 2.8 then I could have dropped my ISO to about 200-400.

Also Joe mentioned something I forgot too, reflections there will be a lot of them. If you can shoot at an angle or move the camera to a location where you minimize the reflections you should be good. Also one thing you should know is don't use your flash. Every time I go to the aquarium I see so many people using flash it's crazy. If you are shooting at glass and using a flash you might as well stay home and take pictures of your self in the bathroom mirror.
 04/14/2009 02:38:15 AM · #7
One thing to pack in your bag is a big cloth to wipe off all those fingerprints off the glass you are about to shoot through. Last aquarium outing I cobbled together a lens hood out of cloth and wire so i could smash it up against the glass and eliminated reflected light.
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