what DSLR in 2017 for aquarium photography and filming

[Nigel95]

Currently I own a compact camera the samsung nx300m just the body with a simple lens.

I have improved my pictures with hanging more light above the tank.

The problem I still have is that I can't put my shutterspeed at something like 1/200. The picture gets to dark. With something like 1/60 the picture is light enough but fish are blurry. So I guess the main problem is that It would be nice if I could shoot with higher ISO w/o losing picture quality.

I am considering to buy a DSLR but want to hear some opinions. I have a few questions about what DSLR would suit me.
1) What do you guys think about second hand. It saves some money and most people advertise with the total amount of pictures that were taken (something like 25k and on the internet it says a DSLR can shoot 100k+ pictures easy).
2) My main goal is full aquarium shots / filming. So it would be nice to have a DSLR that can take quality pictures and filming. (would a special lens improve this, or is the body enough?)
3) What would cost a lens for macro photography and filming? What lens do I need for this?
4) I see camera's in very different price ranges. What do we need for aquarium photography? When is a camera simple overkill for our hobby?
5) It would be nice if I can shoot some pictures with the dslr in nature or on holidays. Example of landscapes / forests etc.
6) I don't really have a "big" budget but also don't wanna buy something that is not going to meet my requirements. So feel free to recommend everything It needs to improve my current camera a lot.

What DSLR would you recommend to me and why? If you have multiple options please let me know.

 

[Tim Harrison]

I was looking for a DSLR for exactly the same reason, and you're right there seems to be an infinite selection to choose from, and then just to confuse even more mirrorless cameras are apparently coming in to their own as well

In the end I decided to stick with my iPhone camera for now and perhaps save up and buy a more expensive model later.

However, I narrowed the field down straight away to Canon and Nikon, both seem to have fairly comparable models for similar prices with plus and minus points. On balance I thought Canon might suit me better, above all else I just like the way they handled.

Obviously budget is an issue, and both brands offer a range of models and a fantastic range of lenses many of which are affordable. Their new entry cameras seem to offer most of what you'll need. I liked Canon's EOS 200D and EOS 800D, but I suppose they are still fairly pricey.

Older models are much cheaper and will probably serve just as well, but obviously they're not quite as advanced. The Canon EOS 1300D is still perhaps a decent entry option, for instance. Buying a second hand body and lens will obviously work out cheaper too, so that's also worth considering.

If you're feeling flush the EOS 80D from Canon's Advanced range is a good option. I figured this camera coupled with a 18-135 IS Nano USM lens would pretty much cover most of my needs.

A dedicated macro lense is always a big plus for aquarium type photography as well and Big Tom has this to say https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/help-picking-between-these-cameras.29545/#post-308851

There is some sage advice from George Farmer in the same thread as well, and here https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/canon-350d-best-lens.21737/page-2#post-222870 I think he particularly likes the Canon 50mm f/1.8. A UKAPS search or two will probably reveal even more good advice.

I also did a bit of digging around to find the best prices and kept coming back to this retailer https://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/ From what I can gather their prices are very competitive and their feedback is pretty good. There did seem to be some issue with this seller retailing grey imports but I think they checked out OK. They offer the usual 1 years manufacturers guarantee (which grey imports do not) along with their own additional 2 years cover.

 

[Nigel95]

Thanks for your reply Tim. Nice information

I figured this camera coupled with a 18-135 IS Nano USM lens would pretty much cover most of my needs

Do I get it right that this lens will be able to shoot full tank shots + macro? For example when shooting the full tank you will use it at like 20mm and when shooting macro you will shoot it with a higher mm?

I get very confused about all this lenses. When I buy a DSLR second hand how do I know the lens is okay? Or better to just go for the body and buy a specific lens? Same for DX and FX lenses. What lenses are better for aquarium photography?

I got another tip that the nikon d600 full frame camera is very nice. What is better for aquarium photography a full frame or a crop camera?

 

[Danny]

The camera body is no where near as important as the lens quality, as a rule full frame is always better than crop but the good old Canon 7d is a fantastic body for all round use.

For macro work you really will want a dedicated macro lens, the Canon 100mm 2.8L macro or even Sigma macro would be my choice for lens.

You will be able to use a macro for full tank shots as long as you have enough distance between you and the tank.

Buying used gear is never really a problem as long as you make sure it is well described and in good condition.

As an entry to full frame on a budget to cover macro and all round out and about landscape/holidays/family etc I would go with;

Canon 5dmkii
Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro
Canon 24-105 f/4L

 

[Tim Harrison]

Do I get it right that this lens will be able to shoot full tank shots + macro? For example when shooting the full tank you will use it at like 20mm and when shooting macro you will shoot it with a higher mm?

I'm knda' at the limit of my meagre knowledge, just thought I'd share what I found out so far...

But as far as I know - no, not especially, I guess that would be my preference for a general purpose lens, which you also mentioned you'd be interested in for nature, landscape, travel etc, that's why I also added the links to comments about a dedicated macro lens and a 50mm lens. If you follow this thread down there is some good advice from both George and Tom https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/help-picking-between-these-cameras.29545/#post-308851

Tom also mentions a site where you can pick up decent secondhand kit as well https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/ and there are plenty of buying guides out there on the web.

What is better for aquarium photography a full frame or a crop camera?

The full frame/cropped frame thing is a bit more complicated, but if I understand it correctly, in a nutshell, full frame has a bigger field of view, which means you usually get a better quality photo. Perhaps more importantly, if you're on a tight budget a full frame camera is probably out of reach since it will cost more. But again there are a multitude of resources on the web that will explain it better than I can.
Either way, expensive kit doesn't necessarily guarantee great photos...you still need to be a good photographer to get good photos.

 

[Edvet]

Any of the new bodies will do, Canon or Nikon. Just choose one with the price and the specs you like.
Another thing is tank pictures. If you realy want to do them right you'll need 1) a decent tripod, 2) detachable flashlights 3) a lens that suits your needs
Most IAPLC pics are taken this way, if you just want to shoot a pic you can do without these.
Macro lens: a true macro lens is great for detail, but these are fixed distance and to realy get big detail you'll need to get close to the subject, also you'll want a detachable flashlight or ringlight to get any depth of field.\
Zoomlens: a zoomlens will allow you more versatility, at the cost of some sharpness. If you get one with a macrofunction it can help to get you those bigger magnifications. Again a flashlight wil help yoo to get bigger depth of field

If you realy want to get started with this i would get a secondhand 3-4 year old body and a 50mm 1.4 lens. This way you can get experience, the 1.4 lens will allow you to shoot handhold in lower light and get good results, and often those 50 mm have realy good quality for pice ratio.
If you like it you can research for lenses, tripod and flashlight before you invest

i myself have a Nikon D300, an old body but does everything i want. Full frame bodies a re more expensive and will need more expensive lenses for good results, also it will take longer on the computer to work with these large files.
For my tank i usually use a 24-85 zoom with a macro function, I also have a 60 and 100 mm Macro lens but for the tank these are harder to use. Sometimes i use a 12-24 wide lens for full tank shots from closer in , bu these pics need work to remove distortion. I use the 50mm 1.4 for low light foto's. My 100-300 telezoom isn't used for the tank

 

[Nigel95]

Canon 7d is a fantastic body for all round use

This one is pretty "cheap" second hand.

You will be able to use a macro for full tank shots as long as you have enough distance between you and the tank.

Not much space in my room unfortunately.

As an entry to full frame on a budget to cover macro and all round out and about landscape/holidays/family etc I would go with;

Canon 5dmkii
Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro
Canon 24-105 f/4L

Think I will start with a body and lens for full tank shots and later when I have more budget I will go for a macro lens.

What will be the difference between the canon 7d and the canon 5dmkii for aquarium photography? The difference is pretty big (money).

 

[Danny]

Any of the new bodies will do, Canon or Nikon. Just choose one with the price and the specs you like.
Another thing is tank pictures. If you realy want to do them right you'll need 1) a decent tripod, 2) detachable flashlights 3) a lens that suits your needs
Most IAPLC pics are taken this way, if you just want to shoot a pic you can do without these.
Macro lens: a true macro lens is great for detail, but these are fixed distance and to realy get big detail you'll need to get close to the subject, also you'll want a detachable flashlight or ringlight to get any depth of field.\
Zoomlens: a zoomlens will allow you more versatility, at the cost of some sharpness. If you get one with a macrofunction it can help to get you those bigger magnifications. Again a flashlight wil help yoo to get bigger depth of field

If you realy want to get started with this i would get a secondhand 3-4 year old body and a 50mm 1.4 lens. This way you can get experience, the 1.4 lens will allow you to shoot handhold in lower light and get good results, and often those 50 mm have realy good quality for pice ratio.
If you like it you can research for lenses, tripod and flashlight before you invest

i myself have a Nikon D300, an old body but does everything i want. Full frame bodies a re more expensive and will need more expensive lenses for good results, also it will take longer on the computer to work with these large files.
For my tank i usually use a 24-85 zoom with a macro function, I also have a 60 and 100 mm Macro lens but for the tank these are harder to use. Sometimes i use a 12-24 wide lens for full tank shots from closer in , bu these pics need work to remove distortion. I use the 50mm 1.4 for low light foto's. My 100-300 telezoom isn't used for the tank

Dept of field is created with aperture not flash, f/2.8 and below will give the best DOF. Using a zoom with macro capability with a wide aperture such as f/2.8 will also add compression which will add DOF look.

 

[Nigel95]

1) a decent tripod, 2) detachable flashlights 3) a lens that suits your needs

I have a very cheap tripod. What makes the difference with a more expensive one? Mine isn't completely level/horizontal but the ruler in photoshop will fix this.

Are flashlights much better than just normal lighting above the tank? I found the flashlights a little bit expensive and bought some cheap floodlights which improved my pictures really much, but still I think my camera lacks to get it "perfect".

After some research this is the specs I am looking for, to make contest photos

DX use 18-20mm.
FX use 28-30mm

Tanks 1- 2ft- f8-f11 1/200
3ft & above f5.6-8 is enough.

Sometimes i use a 12-24 wide lens

So cheaper body means DX lens right? Seeing the information above I need a lens like 12-24 to get in the 18-20 range?

Sorry me being a noob on this subject. Appreciate all help!

 

[Danny]

This one is pretty "cheap" second hand.



Not much space in my room unfortunately.



Think I will start with a body and lens for full tank shots and later when I have more budget I will go for a macro lens.

What will be the difference between the canon 7d and the canon 5dmkii for aquarium photography? The difference is pretty big.

The biggest difference between the 7d and 5dmkii for your needs are crop sensor on the 7d and full frame on the mkii which will dictate which lenses you can use as crop sensors use Canon EF-S and full frame L lenses are EF mount.

You can use EF on APS-C crop sensors but not EFS on full frame, if using a body such as the 7d just multiply the focal length of a lens by 1.6x to get the equivalent focal length created by the crop sensor.

 

[Nigel95]

The biggest difference between the 7d and 5dmkii for your needs are crop sensor on the 7d and full frame on the mkii which will dictate which lenses you can use as crop sensors use Canon EF-S and full frame L lenses are EF moun

Do I have it right that a crop sensor camera and lens is much cheaper than a full frame with EFS? Is the difference really noticeable in shooting pictures of aquariums (full tank and macro).

Might go just for a crop sensor camera if it is much cheaper and not a big difference for my goals.

 

[Edvet]

Dept of field is created with aperture

and what do you need to use small apertures??

 

[Edvet]

Might go just for a crop sensor camera if it is much cheaper and not a big difference for my goals.

I would go for a crop sensor for now, full frame sensors make everything much more expensive, and you won't need it for great pictures.

 

[Danny]

and what do you need to use small apertures??

Either a body capable of shooting useable images at high ISO or an external light source, in the case of aquariums the tank light is enough the majority of the time.

 

[Nigel95]

I would go for a crop sensor for now, full frame sensors make everything much more expensive, and you won't need it for great pictures.

Ok thanks, is a crop sensor also good enough for filming?

Now the choice for a crop sensor camera it doesn't bother much which one I choose? A Nikon d300, canon 7d they are all fine? I just need to buy a good lens?

 

[Edvet]

Are flashlights much better than just normal lighting above the tank

More more light will allow you to use shorter shutter times (freeze fish in place) and smaller apertures ( larger depth of field: pictures will be sharper over a larger area, front and back is sharp)

 

[Danny]

Taken with my phone for example which has a fixed f/1.7 aperture, no flash needed.

 

[Nigel95]

More more light will allow you to use shorter shutter times (freeze fish in place) and smaller apertures ( larger depth of field: pictures will be sharper over a larger area, front and back is sharp)

Yup this is exactly what my led floodlights improved my pictures. See the difference between with and w/o flashlights. I was able to shoot with a "better" diafragma.

W/o floodlights

iwagumi 128l eaplc nigel hoevenaar by Nigel H, on Flickr

With floodlights

day 95 forest aquascape by nigel aquascaping by Nigel H, on Flickr

Will the nikon d300 be able to shoot at a higher ISO? for example 800+ and still maintain good picture quality? The main problem with my current compact camera is that I can't turn the ISO higher than 800.

 

[Edvet]

Now the choice for a crop sensor camera it doesn't bother much which one I choose? A Nikon d300, canon 7d they are all fine? I just need to buy a good lens?

Not all bodies can film; most systems can only use lenses made for that system Nikon for Nikon, Canon for Canon, Third party lenses can be used on the system if they are made for it ( SIgma, Tamron etc ) these usually are a bit less expensive in trade for a bit less quality.

 

[Edvet]

Taken with my phone for example which has a fixed f/1.7 aperture, no flash needed.

No moving fish and shallow depth of field