Recommendations on camera lens's

Discussion in 'Aquarium Photography' started by PackLeader, Sep 25, 2008.

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  1. PackLeader

    PackLeader Giant Squid

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    Hey all,
    Didn't know if this belonged in a different place so I just threw it in the bucket.
    I just got a sweet deal on a Nikon D70S SLR digital. I've wanted a decent camera for a while, and I'm real excited. But to be honest, I don't have a clue about SLR's. I need recommendations on lenses. I figure it takes different lenses to capture something as specialized as aquariums. It does come with a 35-80mm lens, but I heard this wouldn't be best for capturing the tank. Any comments on lens's and possibly macro lenses?
     
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  3. cuttingras

    cuttingras Starving Artist :)

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  4. scenario1313

    scenario1313 Tassled File Fish

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    I have a Tamron 70-300 with macro with 2x teleconverter for my Nikon n80. The Tamron is made by Bronica which is Hasselblads competition. Great lens. I have my degree in photography and have a passion for film cameras. This is my First 35mm as I was lucky enough to start out with medium format. But I tell you check out the Tamron lenses. They are great.
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2008
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  5. Cat4wisson

    Cat4wisson Feather Duster

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    Congrats on the D70s, Awesome Camera....

    Both my dad/brother have the older D70's and love em, as for me I use a Canon 20D and have had great results with it. Usually I use a canon 60 mm Macro lens for all my tank shots, it allows me to get super close and focus as close as about 4 inches. I also use a 10mm for whole tanks shots so I can get the entire tank and only be a couple feet away.

    Unfortunately lenses are Not Cheap and good lenses can set you back as much or more that the camera body.

    But I would go for the macro lens first, It lets you be really creative and get some awesome shots that you normally would miss.

    This lens looks nice, even comes with image stabilization which is very useful on close up shots.

    Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AFS VR Micro Lens - NT21232 - 2160

    I would also check out lenses by tamron, I own a 28-300mm for my canon and it's been a great lens. Just make sure you get the version that is made for digitals. I think it's there DI series. They are specially coated for use with digital cameras. Normally they are a little less expensive than the Nikon lenses and are nice quality.

    Amazon.com: tamron nikon - Camera & Photo: Camera & Photo

    One other thing that's useful for macro shots is a ring flash. If used right it can product some nice pics. Used at a very low intensity it can give you just enough light to freeze some of those fast fish without washing out colors. Usually I put it right up against the glass at a very low intensity so you don't get any reflection from the glass,(and you don't blind the fish) this way the lens is also flush up against the glass and you get zero reflection, Or shoot from the top of the tank with all the power heads/filters off can give some interesting shots too. As for corals, shut off all circulation in the tank and shot flashless with a tripod/timer to get the best shots.

    And don't forget to set your whitebalance correctly to give you a more realistic looking colors.


    Good luck and Have fun.:cheesy:
     
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