Aqurium Lens?

I didn't use my 24L1.4II .. I felt more interesting with my 85L1.2II...
But I wonder, how it is possible with a slow zoom to make pictures in an aquarium ?
90% of my pictures were @F1.2 1/100 3200iso ...
2 other samples

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Mark-B wrote in post #11238855
I may be too late for this now, but it looks like your 17-35 f/2.8 will be your best choice. I've been to the Georgia Aquarium with a 50mm prime and it was too long, so I doubt that you would get much use from the 85mm.

I went to the New Orleans Aquarium with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 & Canon 17-55 f/2.8. The 17-55 was great for the flexibility, but I did most of my shooting at ISO 800 - 1600. I used the Sigma for a lot of shots and it was nice to have the faster shutter speed and/or lower ISO, but it wasn't nearly as convenient as the zoom.

I did take the 17-35 and seemed to work. Victor gave my some idea on flash which worked for the light. It was focus that i had trouble with. Still looking for keepers.

JonK wrote in post #11238338
I feel like the 85 1.2 would have been too long of MFD to work well at my aquarium.

Speaking of which, how are your local aquariums with photography? I brought my 5DII with 24LII, and 7D with 70-200 II in my backpack with no issues, no one even looked twice.

No problem at all at Atlanta. I saw someone shooting with a mono-pod....no issues other than crowd. Early was good but by 1 it was getting tight.

Planning your trip to an aquarium can be a key factor. Look online or call the facility to make sure there are no special events going on. Ask them when the aquarium is the least busy. Often times it is when they first open during a weekday. Avoid weekends if your intention is to get good photo's. When shooting, experiment with different settings like ISO and flash/no flash. Some tanks have more light than others...even a small light variation can make a difference in camera settings. Basically, one size fits all isn't always the best approach.

Some tanks have clearer water than others. Concentrate on the clear water tanks for the best shots. If the tank is a bit cloudy wait until a fish is closer to the glass. Try shooting RAW for better PP adjustments.

I tried my 100mm macro IS L lens a couple of weeks ago and it didn't perform as well as I thought it would. So far I've personally had the best success with the 24-105mm as mentioned elsewhere here. A 580 Flash works well at times if the lens is right up close to the glass. I place my finger at the front rim of the lens and slowly take it to the glass. A petal lens hood can be problematic and I usually remove it ....large lens hoods can be a bit harder to use for aquarium shooting, at least they are for me. I typically don't use any hood but instead I'll be extra careful positioning the camera lens to the glass.

I'm going to be doing a lot more experimenting this winter at the North Carolina Aquarium down the road from me. Winter months are a good time for pictures due to less out-of-towner's. I also plan to experiment with using the 5DM2 video. For what it's worth, I have found the G11 to be really excellent for aquarium shooting but want the higher resolution and HD video feature of the 5D.

For those not having the luxury of planning the time of visit and depending on how crowded the facility is - patience. Sometimes setting and waiting for a crowd to move on then getting images can work. My wife often goes with me and sometimes takes a book to read Note: wait for a special event - when they feed the fish in a large exibit then head over to the other tanks for your pictures. Most of the crowd will be gone giving you more room to shoot.

newworld666 wrote in post #11239013
I didn't use my 24L1.4II .. I felt more interesting with my 85L1.2II...
But I wonder, how it is possible with a slow zoom to make pictures in an aquarium ?
90% of my pictures were @F1.2 1/100 3200iso ...
2 other samples

sometimes there is enough light (iso 160)

Do not think of taking shots in an aquarium is different than photographers shooting a concert or in a night club. You can ask them what they use to shoot concerts and night club scenes. They would tell you they use flash in a creative way.... Seriously, 85L F1.2 for aquarium photography??? That lens isn't even fast enough to AF on a good day (because of the big glass it has). Let alone focusing in the dark with moving fishes. Shooting at F1.2 is not even easy on a good day. You can imagine the sheer impossibility to nail the focus and getting the right DOF in an aquarium with the 85L. Not all lenses can focus well in a very low light situation. 135L is horrible in a low light situation, where the sigma 50 performs extremely well.

One of my favorites and printed out at 18 x 12 too, and is on my wall.

seaside wrote in post #11239677
Note: wait for a special event - when they feed the fish in a large exibit then head over to the other tanks for your pictures. Most of the crowd will be gone giving you more room to shoot.

Good tip.... Avoid weekends if possible. During the week days, you have kids from the nearby school. During the weekends, you have families with their strollers. Choose your poisons.

TooManyShots wrote in post #11240212
Seriously, 85L F1.2 for aquarium photography??? That lens isn't even fast enough to AF on a good day (because of the big glass it has). Let alone focusing in the dark with moving fishes. Shooting at F1.2 is not even easy on a good day. You can imagine the sheer impossibility to nail the focus and getting the right DOF in an aquarium with the 85L.

You must be joking !!! 85L1.2II is a killer in low light situations !!!
I did some excellent job even in the night were no other reporters were near the track .. I can tell you that Quad bike are much more erratic and quicker than any fish ..

http://photos.corbi.eu …D=13672968&Albu​mKey=cnPAL

.. Even with dogs, in a really light situations were my 300L2.8 was out of the job.. the 85L1.2II was perfect to track very quick dark dogs in an agility show !!! ..

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=900836

..

I own a 135L2.0 and I never use it in low light situations 85L1.2 is much easier to use. I think it's just a training question ...nothing else .

I think that it's more or less an urban legend that 5DMKII and 85L1.2II are not good in focusing .. people should try and falling in love with the best low light lens ever made ..

newworld666 wrote in post #11240345
You must be joking !!! 85L1.2II is a killer in low light situations !!!
I did some excellent job even in the night were no other reporters were near the track .. I can tell you that Quad bike are much quicker than any fish ..

http://photos.corbi.eu …D=13672968&Albu​mKey=cnPAL

.. Even with dogs, in a really light situations were my 300L2.8 was out of the job.. the 85L1.2II was perfect to track very quick dark dogs !!! ..

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=900836

..

I own a 135L2.0 and I never use it in low light situations 85L1.2 is much easier to use. I think it's just a training question ...nothing else .

Is harder with aquarium fish. You are shooting through glass. The shooting distance is closer, which means that your DOF, OOF area, can be off easily. Your subject moves faster now relatively because of the shorter distance. Is like shooting a plane up in the sky. Sure, the plane moves faster. Because the relative distance, it appears slow. That makes AF not an issue. You don't get spot lights on the fish. Regardless, I don't think aquarium shots taken with the 85L shooting wide open is usable at all for prints.

TooManyShots wrote in post #11240376
Is harder with aquarium fish. You are shooting through glass. The shooting distance is closer, which means that your DOF, OOF area, can be off easily. Your subject moves faster now relatively because of the shorter distance. Is like shooting a plane up in the sky. Sure, the plane moves faster. Because the relative distance, it appears slow. That makes AF not an issue. You don't get spot lights on the fish. Regardless, I don't think aquarium shots taken with the 85L shooting wide open is usable at all for prints.

no idea, whether I can print them .. there is a fullHD size when you click on my pictures ..
In Osaka Aquarium it's 30cm thick walls, so I don't like results so much .. but I had stricly no trouble with AF even with fishes

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In addition to shutter speed, a short MFD is also helpful. Sometimes the fish are just too close to focus on (especially in small displays). If you have to back up more than a couple inches you risk getting glare from other light sources, or from your own flash if you're using one.