Zoo Picture

[JFisher14]

I went to the zoo today and this was the best I can come up with... I had trouble shooting thru the glass indoors. I used my 50mm f/1.8 without the flash (I don't like using the flash with Zoo animals). Also, having problems with the glass not being clear.

Any suggestions on how to better this picture (I know the dof is very small on this picture - struggling with balancing the ISO, shutter speed and dof with these indoor zoo pictures).

Any suggestions in general regarding this type of situation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Jason

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

[windrider86]

I have a lens hood that is made out of rubber that I like to bring with me to the zoo. That way you can place your lens right up against the glass. Helps with the glare and reflections.

[Hartzler]

It's a very good shot. I love the composition. In terms of glare and reflections off the glass, you might try a polarizing filter.

Another thought is experiment with opening your aperture up a bit (maybe to 4.0 or even higher as the background doesn't look too bad there) so you can lower your ISO and maybe bump up your shutter speed a bit. Your shot looks pretty sharp, but it never hurts to get crisper images.

Those are just suggestions. In truth, you've got a darn good shot as it is.

[Sterling]

^^^??? Changing the aperture from f/2 to f/4 will provide less light, not more (this would close the aperture, not open it). Doing this would mean that you'd have to either more than double the ISO or slow down the shutter to around 1/10 second to get the same exposure.

The only way to let in more light would be to open the aperture up to its maximum f/1.8. This would've allowed a slightly faster shutter speed or a slightly lower ISO. If you are handholding the camera, then I think the faster shutter speed would be more valuable, provided the depth of field didn't become so shallow as to put critical areas out of focus.