Best Pictures with what device ????
 

I have thousands of dollars in DSLRs,, points and shoots, GOPROs , etc... to get the "GOODEST" aquarium shots....

I think I have came to the conclusion that the bigger the glass... the worst the distortion you will get through thick glass..

I used to laugh at the people at the vancouver aquarium taking pictures with their phones...

then I tried it on my home aquarium,,, and voila,, the pictures are "gooder"...

give it a try and post your results....

You notice more blemishes or "distortion" with nicer lenses/cameras mostly due to its better image quality.

With a quality DSLR/lens, proper technique and post processing, there is no way it will come out worse looking than iPhone pics. :biggrin:

Let me know if you need help.

* a CPL, or Circular Polarizing Filter may be a welcome addition on compatible lenses as it will drastically reduce glare/reflection on aquarium glass

** lens distortion is generally more rampant in wide/ultra-wide angle lenses, which can be fixed in post processing

Some quick tips:

Always shoot straight through the glass, NO ANGLES!
Turn the pumps off when you shoot to limit polyp motion.
Shut lights off outside of the tank and wear a dark shirt.
Use a tripod.
Play with aperture to get what you want in focus, up the ISO if need be to get a fast shutter speed and less motion blur.
Try and set a custom white balance if your camera allows it, if not, shoot in cloud mode or 10000K.

Top down is the best way to shoot. Get a top down camera box.

Have fun!

Total shenanigans, phones won't beat out DLSRs regardless what you're doing, just yet anyways :wink:

Here's a few of my favorites, all taken through 12mm glass with a DSLR.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...k/Lionfish.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ndfrogfish.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...02008/Tort.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...09/Coral_5.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...8/DSC_1312.jpg


If you're looking avoid the glass consider an underwater case, this one with taken with a basic P&S Cannon G9 in case.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...s/IMG_0099.jpg

Steve, do you have that yellow acro still? I may need to beg for a frag :)

That was my toon tank so long gone I'm afraid. Pretty sure it was just maricultured yellow mille from solomon islands.

that seahorse pic is the best pic ever .