Aquarium Photos with a Canon D20

[jmac1961]

I am going to the Monterey Bay Aqaurium and want to take some "good" photos. I have a Canon D20 with a Tamron 28-80mm, 1:3.5-5.6 lense. I am looking to tips to take good photos since I will not be able to go back anytime soon. They do not allow tripods or monopods in the aquarium. Any suggestions. I am really new to photography and while I have read several books, I am more of a hands-on person. I could really use some guidance here. Thank you!

[SusanH1970]

Pick up a 50mm f/1.8 lens (less than $100) and check this thread out: How to take aquarium photos?

The lens you have isn't fast enough to get good photos in such low light situations - you'll LOVE the 1.8.

[Eastree]

Also be aware of the minimum focusing distance of WHATEVER lens you use. A mistake I made far too often was trying to get too close, or trying to photograph things that were very close to the lens.

If you like the width of the 28mm, I'll definitely recommend using a wide aperture, but still be aware that it won't let in a great deal of light. So if you're in a dimmer or even dark area of the aquarium, you'll need to greatly boost your ISO (I have a 30D -- same sesnor, so beware things start getting a bit grainy above ISO 800 ... so be prepared to denoise after). For the most part, the aquarium may try to simulate the natural lighting conditions for any exhibit. So expect variable lighting.

But most importantly, post your best on DPS when you're back

Before I forget!! Go to the menu, Custom Functions, Custom function 08. Enable ISO expansion. It'll enable ISO 3200, which will help out in the dimmest areas of the aquarium.

[jmac1961]

Thank you both. I could not get a 50mm f1.8 before I went, so I had to try to make the best with what I had. I got a lot of blurry photos, but a some turned out pretty good. I had better luck using the auto/action setting. I'll have to make another trip after I can get a 50mm lense. Here are some that looked pretty good.

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[SusanH1970]

Looks like you got some GREAT shots! Thanks for sharing, glad it worked out for you.