Basic camera settings for aquarium photography

[comycus]

Full Tank Photos:

Full tank shots are best done from a tripod. Not only will the images be sharper, but it will also be much easier to frame a shot that is straight and level.

Aperture priority is good for this type of shot, and an aperture of f4-f5.6 is a good starting point. Keep an eye on the camera's shutter speed - if it goes below 1/30 or so, a bigger aperture (smaller f-stop number) may be necessary, or the ISO may need to be raised. Ideally, the shutter speed will be 1/60 or higher in order to keep moving fish or swaying corals in sharp focus.

Aquarium lighting is rarely soft and even. It can be very difficult to achieve an even exposure throughout the tank, so exposure compensation is often necessary to prevent overexposure at the top of the tank where the lighting is brightest. If the images are too bright, then set negative exposure compensation - start with the smallest increment (usually 1/3 stop) and keep experimenting until the exposure is right. Try different apertures as well as compensation.

[comycus]

Fish Photography:

Fish photos require a different technique. Since the subjects are moving, a reasonably fast shutter speed should be used. A shutter speed of 1/90 may work, but even faster is better. I typically use aperture priority for any photography that does not use a flash. As a starting point, use the biggest aperture (usually around f2.8) that the camera allows to ensure the fastest possible shutter speed.

I like to use a flash for photographing fishes. When using a flash, be sure to keep the camera aimed slightly downward to keep the flash from bouncing off the front of the aquarium and sending it back into the lens. For flash photography I recommend using a manual exposure mode. Try experimenting with different settings, but a good starting point is f4 and 1/60. Flash exposure compensation may sometimes be necessary. Take a test picture and determine if it's too bright or too dark. If it's too bright, then set negative flash exposure compensation (reduce the flash output); if it's too dark, positive compensation may need to be applied. Again, start with the minimum increment and go from there. Adjusting the ISO may help, but remember that the higher the ISO, the grainier the picture will be.

I generally do not recommend flash photography for fishes. Maybe my flash level not there yet. Anyone have taken fish photography using flash care to share their photos and technique?

[comycus]

Close-ups:

Close-up shots are usually the ultimate goal of the aquarium photographer. When shooting close-ups, keep in mind that as the camera is moved closer to the subject, the depth of field decreases. Depth of field can be described as the area of the image that appears in focus. To achieve good depth of field on close-ups, use a small aperture, but remember to double the shutter speed each time the aperture is cut in half. For example, if an accurate exposure is f4 at 1/60, to get more depth of field would require f5.6 (one stop difference) and a shutter speed of 1/30. This keeps a consistent amount of light hitting the sensor/film. To add even more depth of field a setting of f8 could be used, but the shutter speed will then be reduced to 1/15. It's easy to see the compromise here - if anything is moving (polyps swaying in the current, for instance), it will be blurry at slower shutter speeds because any moving object will change position while the shutter is open. A tripod is extremely helpful for this kind of photography because of the slow shutter speeds involved and the likelihood that the camera may move, causing a reduction in image sharpness.

Flash can also be effectively used for close-ups. The added light will help to achieve greater depth of field and to freeze any movement. The same techniques applied to fish photography (with a flash) also apply to close-ups, except the emphasis for close-up shots is on depth of field as opposed to fast shutter speeds.

Technique is everything when it comes to macrophotography. Small apertures are ideal for close-ups, but finding the best compromise in terms of depth of field and shutter speed is a matter of judgment borne of experience.

[comycus]

White Balance:

Accurately reproducing colors with a photograph can be a challenge, especially when the aquarium is equipped with 20K Kelvin bulbs. As camera technology improves, color accuracy from automatic white balance settings are improving, but it may still be necessary to set the white balance manually. Consult the camera's manual on this process if your camera has this option.

Manual white balance adjustment involves placing something white under the aquarium lighting and pointing the camera at the white area while pressing a button or sequence of buttons on the camera. Once the camera sees what the tank lighting looks like on the white surface, it can adjust itself so that all colors are reproduced accurately. Even with a manually set white balance, however, it may still be necessary to adjust some settings in an image editing program to achieve adequate accuracy. When using a flash, auto white balance is usually very accurate. White balancing is another area where experimenting with different settings may be required to achieve the best results.

[comycus]

To make photographing corals easier, you can also switch off all pumps and wavemakers so the corals don't sway too much. With sufficient lightings though, this shouldn't be a constraint.

[Ketchup]

If you are really keen to make sure the white balance is correct (note: correct White balance may not make your coral looks nicer ), you can try insert a piece of white paper (or better if you have a 18% grey card) into the tank and meter on that. In post process, just use that shot and you can correct the whole series by using the same colour temperature. I haven't try for shooting aquarium but the theory is the same.

[ReDDeviLs]

hey guys, i think its time you all show us with a photo as an example! a pic tells a thousand words! *awaits*

[jxlex]

Not an expert or anything but some pics to share from my post of the tank.

My tank thread

I do more macro.

Basic setup:

ISO100

f2.8-4 (i seldom go pass 4 for macros as during most macro shots, my subject of matter is very specific e.g. a single frag/polyp)

Shutter speed i usually set on auto (i do more shooting in Av Priority mode)

Shake compensation on

White balance - manual set to 12000k. Initially set to auto but realise processor not smart enuf. We do use a wide range of lights spectrum for our tanks

Flash - not necessary but i do at times have ring flash attached to my lens to compensate for shadowed area. LEDS in the lens are on all the time and not only when i press the shutter.

Lens - 50mm Macro 1:1 for subjects nearer to the glass and 100mm Macro 1:1 for those further back. Seldom do i get to go to 1:1 unless the subjects are really close to the glass.

Misc: i do used a polarizing filter to cut of reflections when i take photos from top down. Tripod is a good to have and if your camera has a window up option, its best to on it to further reduce shaking.

Lastly, if possible, go for multiple shots rather the single shot mode. the 1st pic normally sucks.... LOL

nothing much hope this help with you guys taking nicer pictures too!

[comycus]

thx for sharing bro! ure too humble!

[Goondoo]

I hope you don't my I add few small points.

Generally, to avoid seeing your branded camera on the fish tank, try to keep the ambient as dark as possible. Cover any lights leaks from your fish tank above water level of the tank.

Use lens hood if you need to shoot with flash and DO NOT shoot perpendicular to the tank unless you are very very near (lense touching the tank already... lol).

For those with smaller tanks and can afford a few more strobes, add strobes on top and sides of your tank. I got a friend who use up to 8 strobes shooting a 1 feet tank (IIRC) and he usually shoot at above f8 for his macro pictures. This ensures he the picture superbly crisp and sharp and best of all, the whole fish in focus. I was told he used up to f16 sometime.

[jxlex]

for fishes i have to agree with bro Goondoo the higher the F-stop the better. For most of our tanks, with so many tubes of lights, we can seriously afford to go to f9/11/16. Depending on how you want the whole picture to come out.

Not much experience shooting fishes though no patience ahahahaha

I personally like sharp on subject and massive bokeh on non-subject matter to create as more evenly coloured background.

Most of the photos i post i leave the exif data on the photo for sharing purpose

[Goondoo]

for fishes i have to agree with bro Goondoo the higher the F-stop the better. For most of our tanks, with so many tubes of lights, we can seriously afford to go to f9/11/16. Depending on how you want the whole picture to come out.

Not much experience shooting fishes though no patience ahahahaha

I personally like sharp on subject and massive bokeh on non-subject matter to create as more evenly coloured background.

Most of the photos i post i leave the exif data on the photo for sharing purpose

Yeah, I can't resist bokeh on spiders too.....

For those wondering what bokeh means.... its the background blur like below.

[jxlex]

Ahahaha.... should go make those heart shape bokey again soon... LOL

[Goondoo]

Ahahaha.... should go make those heart shape bokey again soon... LOL

I saw them taking night scene with those tricks.... pretty cool!

Anyway, let's not stray too much away

[Nitro]

Photography experts out there... are these 2 pic consider good? Taken with iPhone4 though.

[peacemaker]

I'm no expert, but for a mobile phone camera, they are pretty good, imo.

[mrball]

nice!

[Galb]

Nice

[Galb]

1 minute ago, Galb said:

Nice

How to balance exposure when top of tank is brighter?

[Galb]

On 10/8/2011 at 9:02 PM, Nitro said:

Photography experts out there... are these 2 pic consider good? Taken with iPhone4 though.

Nice.. are those percula?