Close Up Of Fish - Whats Best Type Of Camera

[clivealive]

iam useless at taking pics and only have a camera phone. samsung s2
what the best camera to get or what setting are best.   slow fast etc
basically i want good pics and with fish moving this isnt easy.
 
any suggestions    or even any to get better phone camera pics
 
 
cheers
 

 

[sawickib]

You could take a video and take photos from the video.
 
Or you can buy a professional camera, canon and nikon are probably the best brand name. Whether you get a good photo or not is based on your patience, lighting, lens, and shutter speed. 
 
They arent cheap though i might add, may not be the best thing to buy just for taking photos of fish. I mean i love taking photos of fish, and you can never forget them, esp if you have really good photos of them but idk how much id pay just for fish photos. I use my dads ESI 2 canon series. He has 4 lens, but i generally use manual focus as you can focus quicker before the fish moves. You can also use a tripod to get photos, but in this case you need to wait for the fish to come by. 
 
What fish are you photo graphing? 

 

[fish48]

photo from my canon Ixus 135 

 

[Alasse]

 
Sony A58

 

[sawickib]

CANON esi 2

 

 

 

[maurizio]

If you have no particular experience with photography, ANY camera of decent quality will make it. What you need is a few hints, patience, and a bit of practice. Obviously, an SLR will make things way easier, once you learn how to use it. A good alternative is a compact that allows Manual mode, which gives you all the flexibility you need.
 
Finally, there's a good thread pinned in the Photo and Video forum, on how to get good shots.

 

[sawickib]

 
1) Before you attempt taking pictures clean the glass inside and out
2.)take the pictures at night with all light sources off except the tank
3.)get as much light as you can into the tank add lighting if you can
4.)use the fastest speed your camera has
5.)NO FLASHES it washes out the fishes color.If you can't control the flash put a piece of masking tape over it to diffuse the bright flash.
6.)Press the shutter button half-way down to focus, than all the way down to take the picture. thank you vanimate for this one.
7.)Do not use digital zoom, only optical zoom for really clear pictures
8.)shoot from a tripod
9.)A remote shutter release(if possible for your camera)is best because sometimes presing the shutter can shake the camera
10.)give the camera time to auto-focus... do not rush pictures
11.)let the fish come into your view of the camera,don't chase it down
12.) Plenty of light: The more the better, no matter those are tank lights or top-down flash light. Lighting is the key toward good aquarium photography (actually, apply to all photography cases).
13.) Faster shutter speed: 1/100s and faster is safer, and 1/200s is nearly OK for turning around bichirs.
14.) Smaller aperture size (the larger number): 11 or above (the smaller aperture the larger depth of field). 
15.) Top-down external flash light on tank top is good (studio flash light is even better), built-in flash light is not good.
16.) Be patient, and spend more time (you'll get reward).
I mostly use 1/200s~1/250s, F16~22 for aquarium photography (I do setup plenty of lights for the tank)

 - beblondie from another forum -