Advice in capturing live fish

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rolandofgilead

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Hi there.

I need magazine publishable photos of live fish from my hatchery, and so am looking for any advice on a suitable camera to buy, that needs to-

1) be able to take the photo quickly to capture the exact moment

2) can handle the fact that the fish may be moving a little

3) has 10+ MP and costs less than £400

I was thinking about the canon G9. Would this fit the bill?

Any advise much appreciated!(y)
 
I would get the finepix s9600 on that budget.
you get a good deal at warehouseexpress.
9mp but easily good enough quality to publish.
I have this camera and can vouch for it..
the only reason i dont have a a DSLR is my current budget.
 
Can you describe the shooting conditions a little more?

Is it through glass, from above, or ???
 
Yes its through 5mm glass.

Each tank cant be lit sufficiently from the tanks own bulb, and the room can be darkened to reduce glare.

Thanks
 
this I took with the 9600
goldfish.jpg
 
I have doubts the the tank light would be sufficient for a good shot. You could well end with a high ISO setting to slow shutter both of which could have a impact on quality.

Ideally you'd want to have a flash off camera point down into the tank, that's a standard technique for this kind of shot. Here's one of a tadpole using the method:

141037751_88f284e63d_o.jpg


I do have macro some shots of the fry from the pond from a couple of years back but think they're backed up somewhere now.

If off camera flash isn't going to be possible then a stronger light is a must. I'd also suggest manual focus as the AF is likely to get confused by the glass and hunt around a bit.
 
on mine... was crap on the glass that messed it up...
I think the tanks bulb is sufficient enough... I only used a 200 iso.
u just have to wait for them to stop in front of u lol
 
pxl8 said:
I have doubts the the tank light would be sufficient for a good shot. You could well end with a high ISO setting to slow shutter both of which could have a impact on quality.

Ideally you'd want to have a flash off camera point down into the tank, that's a standard technique for this kind of shot. Here's one of a tadpole using the method:

141037751_88f284e63d_o.jpg


I do have macro some shots of the fry from the pond from a couple of years back but think they're backed up somewhere now.

If off camera flash isn't going to be possible then a stronger light is a must. I'd also suggest manual focus as the AF is likely to get confused by the glass and hunt around a bit.
Click to expand...

Sorry i don't know what off camera flash is... does it mean i put the flash above the tank (can do)?
 
Yes, the flash is connected the camera either by a cable or wirelessly (I used a cable).
 
You might send a PM to RickJ....he's into fishy photo's for a living.
He might be along shortly anyway.

Bob
 
"Advice in capturing live fish "

I was going to suggest a fishing rod...seems the others have it covered though.
 
Youn need a tank and an extra sheet of glass.

With this you can sandwich the fish(not tightly) in a narrow corridor of water enabling you to keep a shallow DOF.

Ensure front glass and movable sheet are immaculately clean.

Lighting you can experiment with.
 
12 - 13ft beachcaster, running ledger with 4oz lead, size 1/0 hook and lugworm bait. Cast about 30 - 50 yards and watch your rod tip rattle (!)

Oops wrong forum...............
 
Hooky said:
12 - 13ft beachcaster, running ledger with 4oz lead, size 1/0 hook and lugworm bait. Cast about 30 - 50 yards and watch your rod tip rattle (!)

Oops wrong forum...............
Click to expand...

:LOL::LOL::LOL: Beat me to it, don't forget the trusty ABU 7000(y)
 
here's my tips:

personally, i wouldnt use a flash, unless it was off the camera, possitioned over the tank. a flash on the camera will just bounce back unless you shoot at an angle.

get as much light over the tank as possible. if you have any spare strip lights you can place in the hood, add those. when they shoot pics for the mags, they generally remove any hoods, and bring their own studio style lamps to illuminate it.

shoot with all the rooms lights off and curtains drawn. this will reduce stray reflections from the glass

use the highest shutter speed you can to freeze the fish. this probably means a wide aperture and therefore shallow DoF

These are some of my better pics:

Cory2.jpg


Cory1.jpg


Discus_small4.jpg


full_tank4b.jpg


Apisto2b.jpg
 
ranarama said:
"Advice in capturing live fish "

I was going to suggest a fishing rod...seems the others have it covered though.
Click to expand...

I was waiting for the joker.... i thought 'net' would be in the response!

Isn't 'capture' the preferred mode of identification in pic-speak though?;)
 
:thinking: would a polarizing filter help avoid unwanted reflections from the tank glass?

anybody know? :shrug:
 
it should do but it will also slow down the shutter speed
 
Rather than a polariser I'd get a sheet of black card and cut a hole for the lens and shoot through that. Keep the room dark and you won't need to worry about reflections from the room and the card will stop any from the camera.
 
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