# what DSLR in 2017 for aquarium photography and filming



## Kaiede (Sep 11, 2017)

Full frame will generallly handle higher ISO a bit better, as you can get one with more pixels, but still have bigger pixels. But the cost is higher.

I’m a bit set in my ways at this point, but if low light is important, I’d definitely look at either a Nikon full frame with a Sony sensor, or a used Sony A7 model of some kind. If price is a concern, the Nikon will be easier to digest in terms of glass, but if you don’t mind using a fully manual lens, you can get some rather nice older glass for the Sony system and adapt it, but will require a bit more research on your part to know what lenses from the 80s/etc are still good performers compared to today’s lenses. But there’s always Samyang/Rokinon for cheap modern lenses.

As for macro, those lenses are lenses with very short focal ranges. And a good one will have a faster focal ratio. That’s it.

What do I use for aquarium stuff? A Sony A7r I bought used from Amazon Warehouse Deals (40% off, <20 shutter uses on the camera, it was a good deal at the time). For wider shots, I use a small table tripod and an old 50mm f1.7 Zeiss Contax lens adapted to the camera. Can be found for 100-200$, and does pretty well for low light, for the price. But I also use a Sony 90mm Macro lens, which is hard to get a good deal on. I only really saved 10% buying used, and the lens cost me almost as much as the camera itself did. But I also use a 35mm lens with the 50mm on vacations and do some nice landscape photography with them.

That said, if I was looking to get cheap lenses for mine, I could look at older Minolta MD lenses. There are decent fully manual lenses for the under 100$ range here. They aren’t quite the same quality as the latest, but they will get the job done for the hobbyist. They are mostly cheap because fully manual lenses aren’t popular anymore. And they do get a little false color in the bright highlights.

Overall you have a decent amount of options to try to fit a budget. The question becomes what you want, and that starts to determine the final prices, IMO.

But I would try to go full frame for low light if the Samsung isn’t cutting it. You already are on APS-C, and you won’t really get the amazing improvement in low light you seek with another APS-C camera. But an A7 at 24 MP full frame might be interesting for you. Better low light and higher resolution without getting too nuts. I can’t remember what the Nikon model that uses the same sensor is though.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Such a broad topic hard to answer really..

Only general thing I can add is if money is no object buy new.
If money is well I have no qualms in buying second hand..
KEH Camera exchange is a well regarded commercial used site that, historically at least, under-rates their cameras i.e "good" is others "vg"..........
Unfortunately they seem to be concentrating on the "big 2" Canon and Nikon.
Like the "old days" I'd probably shy away from used FF since they are generally heavier used..

Full frm vs crop will forever be an argument until ff is equiv. priced.. 
Or "acrual" focal lengths are wanted to be used w/ orig ff lenses (SLR)..

The recommendation that one buys a "system" not a camera is still mostly valid as well as major intended use like sports/action vs still life.
Also specific lenses will partially determine it.
As to shutter counts, staying around 1/2 the manuf rating seems fine nowadays.. 



> is that It would be nice if I could shoot with higher ISO w/o losing picture quality.


a lot of things like this are not "just" the camera...

My heart will always be w/ Pentax (now Ricoh) and my brain w/ Nikon..

My current (bought used) Pentax K3, though no iso warrior is a really sweet setup w/ tablet tethering (needed an add on part but some models wireless is built in) and a tripod.
no AA filter..and a quality macro can't be beat ..well for me..but it def. is a "luxury" ..


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

Kaiede said:


> You already are on APS-C, and you won’t really get the amazing improvement in low light you seek with another APS-C camera..


I would be really disappointed after investing the money with just a slightly improvement...



jeffkrol said:


> Such a broad topic hard to answer really..
> 
> My current (bought used) Pentax K3, though no iso warrior is a really sweet setup w/ tablet tethering (needed an add on part but some models wireless is built in) and a tripod.
> no AA filter..and a quality macro can't be beat ..well for me..but it def. is a "luxury" ..


Nice picture! What macro lens do you have? 

After some other research I came to the conclusion that a crop sensor camera / entry dslr is probably the way to go (cheaper). Although if the improvement is just a little is it all worth it? I have skipped the macro lens as it is way to expensive now for my budget. I will upgrade on this later. 

Got this lens as a tip (affordable)
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/tokina-12-24-4-n15

And trying to make a "decent" body dslr list to hunt them second hand. Feel free to give some specific models to add to the list. Main goal is entering contests with full tank shots and some filming for Youtube videos. 
Current list:
- Canon 7d
- Canon EOS 70d
- Canon eos 800d
- Canon 700/ 750/ 760D


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

If your on a budget you might want to look at the Canon rebel line (t6i, t7i). These have the same sensor as I believe the D line 60d, 70d, 80d, and are an excellent choice for video when paired with a Canon STM lens. The STM will give you silent auto-focusing. The 70d might do that as well, I'm not sure. The STM lines are not expensive the 24mm pancake is only $125 and it's fast at f2.8 The lower ther f number the faster you could work the shutter to get rid of blur.

Light is king, so a fast lens sometimes is enough if you put some extra light over the tank, otherwise you have to go to off-camera fish or a continuous lighting sytem.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> If your on a budget you might want to look at the Canon rebel line (t6i, t7i). These have the same sensor as I believe the D line 60d, 70d, 80d, and are an excellent choice for video when paired with a Canon STM lens. The STM will give you silent auto-focusing. The 70d might do that as well, I'm not sure. The STM lines are not expensive the 24mm pancake is only $125 and it's fast at f2.8 The lower ther f number the faster you could work the shutter to get rid of blur.
> 
> Light is king, so a fast lens sometimes is enough if you put some extra light over the tank, otherwise you have to go to off-camera fish or a continuous lighting sytem.


Thanks for the tips. 

More light is currently a problem as there is not really much more space for more floodlights above the tank. Which is now the main problem that the shutterspeed can't be 1/200 (now at 1/60). So hopefully my DSLR can shoot at a ISO of like 1600? I could try adding light in front of the tank not sure if that will work..

What is the difference between this one: 
*Canon EF-S 24mm F/2.8 STM *
and this one
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/tokina-12-24-4-n15

I find it very hard to understand lenses...

Only thing I know that a good average setting for FTS (DX lens) = 18-20mm.

Another question there are lenses with like 18-135mm why would one buy a lens then with 12-24mm (if you can buy for the same money a 18-135mm lens?) Is it more specialised in this range of mm?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

The better the sensor the more critical the lens.. 
I used a 100mm Pentax 2.8 Macro for that shot.. I believe. 

single focal length lenses are generally the sharpest lens you can get..well a good one

All zooms make compromises in image quality..

consider a kick around zoom and a good macro..
I'd rather get a $100 used DSLR and a $300 macro than a $300 DSLR and a $100 zoom..

So put the most money in the lens.. almost every current DSLR is "excellent"........

Been a long time since I've brand shopped so can't be much help there..and adding video. which I consider sacrilege..isn't my thing though admittedly even average ability is
fine, for like U-tube vids ect.. ..

BTW: This was my new baby.. $400 including flu-card (wireless card)30,000 shutter actuations, a bit high for most used DSLRs but


> Pentax K3, 200,000 shutter actuations stated on Pentax Webstore Website


https://www.dpreview.com/products/pentax/slrs/pentax_k3/review
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/pentax-k3/pentax-k3A.HTM
But my least wants was vid and sports uses.. 

spend a couple days w/ the reviews and then shop..


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## TSLA_pi_16 (Sep 18, 2017)

I own two Nikon camera bodies and a few Nikon lenses (fixed focal and zoom with macro, and telephoto). I always bought them new up until one day, one of my colleagues told me about used lenses at KEH.com. After all the research and reviews I bought a used Nikon zoom lense from them. I?m glad I did because I had saved at least 50% of the market price. And the quality was just as good as the brand new item. But I bought the camera body first otherwise I would buy used. 

As far as shooting macro of your aquarium. I would NOT recommend a macro lense of any sort. The reason is your objects move. My experience with macro shots is any slightest movement of the subject, you will get blurry result. 

For general purpose shooting, I think a zoom lens, 24mm to 85mm (FX format) is better. This lens covers wide angle as well as telephoto.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

TSLA_pi_16 said:


> ...As far as shooting macro of your aquarium. I would NOT recommend a macro lense of any sort. The reason is your objects move. My experience with macro shots is any slightest movement of the subject, you will get blurry result.


Are you kidding me? Pretty much the best shots, the most sharp of moving objects in an aquarium are with macro lenses. What does the word "macro' have to do with getting blurry shots. It's all based on light and how fast you could set the shutter.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

Will there be a big difference between this one
tokina 12-24mm 

and this one
Canon EF-S 24mm F/2.8 STM

My budget allows me to buy the canon 24m pancake new or the tokina second hand. What would you do? @jeffkrol @houseofcards

The tokina had a price tag of $490 when introduced in 2004. Can I assume based on the price tag that the tokina will shoot sharper images? I know it is a while back 2004 but the reviews are really good about the tokina. 

There are a lot of canon 700d on the market and it suits my budget but am I sure this DSLR is enough with a good lens like the tokina or the pancake? For FTS. The 750 / 760D are not so much ATM on the second hand market, and they are like $100+ dollar more. If it is all about the lenses why would one bother buying a expensive DSLR body?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

If you want to do video with the 700d (ti5) it would be crazy not to use the STM lens. The STM (Stepper Motor technology) allows silent autofocusing otherwise you will get like a 'clicking' sound when it refocuses. If you haven't look at some youtubes with that camera and an atm lens.

The 24mm pancake is a very sharp and pretty fast at f2.8 maxiumum aperture. I know it's only $129 but it is sharp. This will give you the ability to use faster shutter speeds then the Tokina you linked to which has a maximum aperture of f4. The Tokina is considered wide angle because it's focal range is from 12mm. This is usually used for landscape photography. You don't need it to be that wide for aquariums. 24mm will put you pretty close to the tank and still be wide enough to get the whole tank in. The tokina might also have image stablization which is good when your hand holding at slow shutter speeds. Again not important for aquarium photography since you need fast shutter 1/125+ which you can hold or tripod mount. Fore the price of the Tokina. You could get the 24mm (FTS) and the 60mm macro individual fish shots for around $500 new for both lenses.

The 24mm is a no-brainer since it's so tiny it makes a great walk around lens just to have on your camera and the 24mm is great for street and other people photography.

This FTS was taken with the 24mm with just aquarium lighting at iso 800 shutter speed 1/125.










These were taken with the 60mm macro


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

TSLA_pi_16 said:


> As far as shooting macro of your aquarium. I would NOT recommend a macro lense of any sort. The reason is your objects move. My experience with macro shots is any slightest movement of the subject, you will get blurry result.


Ignore this. In this situation the problem is the photographer, not the lens.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

I think I made my choice:
A canon 700d (affordable and enough on second hand market) with the pancake EF-S 24mm f 2.8 lens (new)

For macro I still need to decide. Suggestions welcome current list:
EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM or canon ef-s 60mm f2.8. Which one do you guys recommend? I wanna shoot some pics/videos of plants, shrimp and schooling fish.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Nigel95 said:


> I think I made my choice:
> A canon 700d (affordable and enough on second hand market) with the pancake EF-S 24mm f 2.8 lens (new)
> 
> For macro I still need to decide. Suggestions welcome current list:
> EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM or canon ef-s 60mm f2.8. Which one do you guys recommend? I wanna shoot some pics/videos of plants, shrimp and schooling fish.


I think your making a good choice. the 24mm is a good lens and for the money you can't go wrong you can always add a zoom lens later. The 100 and 60 macros are both extremely sharp as most good macros are. The real advantage of the 100mm is that you don't have to get as close to your subject because it's a longer focal distance 100mm compared to 60mm this is usually very handy for insects, since when you move closer the insects might fly away for fish in a tank it's not as important. The 100mm is a lot bigger and more expensive it's also harder to hand hold. 

I think @doylecolmdoyle uses it for may of his nice fish shots.


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Tamron and Sigma both make really nice macro lenses too...so check them out. Being 3rd party you might save some cash. Maybe enough to grab a 50mm f/1.8 lens too. That's another classic and fantastic lens that every camera bag should have. I shot Nikon and had the Nikkor thrifty fifty but the Canon version is quite similar in that it's cheap and a really good lens.

Also...I shoot a Tamron 90mm macro lense and love it. I'd also strongly advise getting a sturdy tripod and a remote shutter release too. Makes a world of difference when shooting macro.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

The tamrons a good macro as well. One thing you should be aware of is that the 60 as I mentioned is much smaller than the tamron 90 and canon 100 so it' easier to handhold it. Not only because its lighter and smaller but the rule of thumb is you can hand hold a lens and shot at twice the focal length in shutter speed. In other words if the lens is 60mm you can usually hand hold at 1/120 for a shutter speed. If your using the 100mm you would need a minimum shutter of 1/200. 1/120 is usually achievable at what you usually need to get clear fish pics, but 1/200 is much more difficult to not get blur you would have to put the bigger macro lens in a tripod. With the 60 you have the option. Almost all of my pics with the 60 are handheld.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Fun lens.......
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/canon-...ffcode=pg174576&ksdevice=c&lsft=ref:212,loc:2



> Canon has introduced a compact 35mm F2.8 IS STM macro lens for crop-sensor DSLRs. Similar to the EF-M 28mm F3.5 Macro lens introduced a year ago, the 35mm F2.8 has a built-in LED ring light.
> 
> The lens, which is equivalent to 56mm when mounted on crop body, has a minimum focus distance of just 3 cm (1.2 in.). It uses Canon's 'Hybrid' IS system, with up to four stops of shake reduction. Canon says that the lead-screw-type STM motor allows for quiet AF operation, which is ideal for video capture. The lens has seven rounded aperture blades as well as a glass-molded aspherical element.


https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-35mm-f-2.8-Macro-IS-STM-Lens.aspx


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Hmmm....that's pretty cool....a 35mm macro. Perfect for hiking and going out and about. Yeah...my 90mm is a bit of a beast. I mean it's not a 70-200 f/2.8 but it's definitely not a 50mm f/1.8 either. A small macro would be really awesome. Just wish there was a native for my camera that I have now which is a Sony a6000. The Tamron I have is adapted but it would be nice to have a native macro. There is the Sony 90mm but it's stupidly priced. Something smaller and <$500 would be killer.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Nubster said:


> Hmmm....that's pretty cool....a 35mm macro. Perfect for hiking and going out and about. Yeah...my 90mm is a bit of a beast. I mean it's not a 70-200 f/2.8 but it's definitely not a 50mm f/1.8 either. A small macro would be really awesome. Just wish there was a native for my camera that I have now which is a Sony a6000. The Tamron I have is adapted but it would be nice to have a native macro. There is the Sony 90mm but it's stupidly priced. Something smaller and <$500 would be killer.


Best fun part is the built in ring light.. 
Less functional than advertised I suppose and usual ring light properties I suspect but really at that price it's almost free..

Want a beast??









Got one of these .....


> Lens mounts: Canon FD, FDn, Konica AR, M42, Nikon F (FX, DX), Olympus OM, Pentax K, Minolta SR (MD, MC)


old school..
i'm sure you know Sony makes a50mm Macro.

ALL of them (Sony or 3rd party) seem to be $500-600..or up


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

That 35mm macro could work as well. The ring light and the IS will not be applicable to aquarium photography but would certainly come in handy with general photo work. The other thing with the 35mm distance for macro you will have to be very close to the subject to pick up "macro type" detail.


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

jeffkrol said:


> i'm sure you know Sony makes a50mm Macro.


I do now....lol....I don't know if that's a newer lens or I just never paid attention since I've not really been in the market for a new macro. But nice to know it's out there. I may have to check into it and see how the image quality is and maybe think about getting one next year. I do LOVE my macro lens but honestly have no issue using one manual.

My Tamron was like $300 used so I can't complain about that. The Sony FE 90mm is $1000. No thanks.

How's that Vivitar? Looks like it would be a workout hauling that thing around.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Well it's more of an "oddity" but has stellar optical qualities, for an old "zoom".... 
https://www.cameraquest.com/viv90180.htm


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

There's a ton of macro lenses out there, but at $300-$400 there's no reason to look at a sony or other 3rd party macro lens. Usually when you get into more expensive many go that way. Other than insects I don't see much benefit in a macro with a longer reach than 60mm. The smaller macros are also fully functional handheld anything larger you will always be using a tripod. 

Also to the OP, macros also make excellent portrait lens as well since they have the wide aperture (f2.8). If the macro is wide enough (35mm/60mm) you can walk around with it and take general shots easier as well.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> The 100mm is a lot bigger and more expensive it's also harder to hand hold.


This makes it really hard to make a choice between the 60mm and the 100mm. 

The 100mm will go for like $300 second hand and the 60mm for $230.

Beside fish and shrimp it would also be nice to shoot like 1/4 of the tank on video (a combination of plants/hardscape together.) To make the videos more interesting than only FTS. Is this possible with the macro and if so which one would be better for this the 60mm or 100mm?

Both lenses make very nice photos 60mm @houseofcards / 100mm @doylecolmdoyle

Btw @houseofcards how do you shoot that nice pictures w/o a flash? Would my floodlights help above of the tank with shooting macro photos / filming?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-60mm-f-2.8-Macro-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

This is a nice reasonable assessment..........


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## IntotheWRX (May 13, 2016)

Nigel95 said:


> Currently I own a compact camera the samsung nx300m just the body with a simple lens.
> 
> 
> I have improved my pictures with hanging more light above the tank.
> ...


cheap cameras today are light years better than cameras from an age ago. whatever you buy now will be great.

highly recommend buying second hand. you shall save a lot of money. both camera and lenses. 

choose what eco system you want to go into. cannon, nikon, sony etc. Sony has been #1 lately.

full frame is nice, but overkill for most people. 

first things first, stay hydrated. and have fun with it.


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## evilgenius (Nov 15, 2017)

I can only speak to what I have and how good I view that. I've a Canon EOS Rebel T3. I've been using it for almost four years now. I bought it on a shoestring budget. I mostly do landscape photography, but sometimes do a little of everything. My go to lens these days is the EFS50mm f1.8 STM which retails around $125.00. I love this lens and the images are much sharper with this prime lens than anything else I have. I also use the EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM. This lens is pretty sweet for grabbing that wide shot when you can't move backwards to frame the shot. I got this from a friend who dropped his camera into the ocean and figured the benefit of gifting it to me was greater than the resale value. I'm forever in his debt. I also do a lot of photography with my iPhone 6s.

My only real issue with my Canon T3 is how much noise I get at low light. It really does rather poorly, but I'm getting really good with cleaning that up in Adobe Photoshop. I haven't done video, but there are samples of video with various lenses on YouTube. Since I've started this aquarium hobby I'm seriously thinking I should try that out. If I can swing it next year I'd like to upgrade to either the 80D (better for landscape) or the 7D Mark II (faster shutter speed for motion)

Here's a shot I got just the other day with the nifty 50.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

You won't go wrong with either the 60 or the 100mm. They both have excellent IQ (Image Quality) the big difference really is the size and focal length. You will have to back up more from the tank to use the 100mm not only because of the focal length but the minimum shooting distance I believe is 12" compared to the 60s 7.8". 

You'll also always be shooting on a tripod with the 100mm since it will be much harder to achieve the shutter speed necessary to handhold it. Remember macros are also used for portraits and other photography so if you'll be walking around with it the 60 is much easier. Go on to flickr or something and do a photo search on Canon 60mm macro and 100mm macro and you'll see a ton of photos.


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## joziphoto (Sep 21, 2017)

Nigel95 said:


> Currently I own a compact camera the samsung nx300m just the body with a simple lens.
> 
> 
> I have improved my pictures with hanging more light above the tank.
> ...


Have you considered the Fuji XT2 range. 4K video and great in low light. 

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Nigel95 said:


> Both lenses make very nice photos 60mm @houseofcards / 100mm @doylecolmdoyle
> 
> Btw @houseofcards how do you shoot that nice pictures w/o a flash? Would my floodlights help above of the tank with shooting macro photos / filming?


I cant talk for the 60mm as ive never used it, but I am able to hold the 100mm by hand for my macro shots, never used it on a tripod, tho i does get heavy. I should try i ton a tripod one day but I think it would be hard to track fish to get the shot, I would be waiting for fish to enter the frame to shoot, which could work... may even try take some photos this evening. 

I find I need to use an external flash mounted on my camera, never had luck shooting macro without, without flash the f-stop needs to be down around f2 to get light in, then the DOF is to much and I never get anything in focus.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Off Camera flash changes everything. It allows a faster shutter speed because of the additional light from the flash. Also in many cases depending on how direct the flash light is on the subject the flash actually will freeze the movement regardless of shutter speed since the flash speed is many times at 1/1000 and anything lit by the flash will be crisp. 

We weren't really talking about OCF (Off Camera Flash) so I didn't include it when I mentioned putting the 100mm on a tripod since it's harder to achieve the necessary shutter speed to handhold a 100mm vs a 60mm. Again they are both excellent lenses and you can't go wrong either way IQ wise, but there are differences in their use. 

In very simple terms. The longer the focal length of the lens the further away you are from the subject, the more light is needed to light the subject. Might be why I can take many pics without a flash and achieve the necessary shutter speed.


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## evilgenius (Nov 15, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> Off Camera flash changes everything..


That's one of those things I'm now looking to expand into. I might start with something cheaper though, just to get a feel for it.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> Off Camera flash changes everything. It allows a faster shutter speed because of the additional light from the flash. Also in many cases depending on how direct the flash light is on the subject the flash actually will freeze the movement regardless of shutter speed since the flash speed is many times at 1/1000 and anything lit by the flash will be crisp.
> 
> We weren't really talking about OCF (Off Camera Flash) so I didn't include it when I mentioned putting the 100mm on a tripod since it's harder to achieve the necessary shutter speed to handhold a 100mm vs a 60mm. Again they are both excellent lenses and you can't go wrong either way IQ wise, but there are differences in their use.
> 
> In very simple terms. The longer the focal length of the lens the further away you are from the subject, the more light is needed to light the subject. Might be why I can take many pics without a flash and achieve the necessary shutter speed.


I was very surprised how I improved my FTS with just cheap led floodlights. Will there be a big difference for FTS if I use OCF instead of continuous light? And if I get flashes how many would I need for a 80x40x40 cm tank? I have seen people using already 2 flashes on a 40cm tank. Does that mean I need like 4? If I also have to buy flashes it gets expensive and I want to know if it's really worth it. That said w/o OFC I will be better of with a 60mm macro? Because I can shoot in lower shutter speed? Beside that the flashes are only nice for pictures, for filming my led floodlights are better. 

Beside close ups of shrimp , fish I also want to shoot some videos where there is a combination of shrimp, hardscape, plants. For this purpose does it matter if I own the 60mm or the 100mm? 

Will I be able to shoot the back of the tank with the 60mm? tank has 40cm depth. 

I have asked several people now and both say you can't really go wrong. The recommendations are like 50/50 which is why I still don't know which one to buy. Wanna make the best choice 

I was pretty confident about the 100mm but now I am doubting about the 60mm lol..  Maybe the 60mm is better because I also want to shoot videos of a combination of hardscape, plants, livestock?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Nigel95 said:


> ...Beside close ups of shrimp , fish I also want to shoot some videos where there is a combination of shrimp, hardscape, plants. For this purpose does it matter if I own the 60mm or the 100mm?
> 
> Will I be able to shoot the back of the tank with the 60mm? tank has 40cm depth.


I'm not sure how many OCF you would need. At least two with a diffuser to spread the light across the tank. Like an umbrella or something. I haven't really taken FTS with my continuous light or OCF but yeah if you want a school of fish swimming by to be sharp then you would need the additional light to get the shutter speed fast enough.

Just so you understand the 60mm or 100mm needs the same shutter speed to get the fish sharp, the difference is you are further away from the tank. So you need more light to achieve the same shutter speed, thus the use of OCF if you can't put enough light over the top to get to probably 1/125. It's easier for the 60mm to get to that since the lens is closer. 

They can both take video of a portion of the tank you just have to be further away with the 100mm, but I think if you doing that you would be using the 24mm STM lens which is really a great video lens. It has a very short minimum focus distance of only 6" and would help even more with lower light. 

Besides that the only real difference between the 100mm and 60mm is the size. It's also easier to walk around with the 60mm if your going to be taking it outside and doing different things since it's much smaller. The 100mm is really good for insects since your further away or other objects you can't get that close to.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

Thanks for all help 

If you would sell your 60mm lens what price would you ask minimal? @houseofcards

Just curious so I can hunt them on the second hand market for not to much.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

If its $400 new I don't think you should pay more than $300. I bought and sold from ebay a few times you just have to make sure the person has alot of good feedback. I would also ask for the serial# if they don't show it. From that you could find out how old it is. 

There's also a site POTN (Photography on the Net) it's a forum like TPT for photography and many sell there lenses there and long-time members won't screw anyone. So you could check that out too.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

Prices of 60mm and 100mm on second hand market are pretty much the same. Around $230. Pretty much all lenses I asked for are 4-5 years old. I think lenses should last pretty "long"? @houseofcards Think I just go for the one that has the best price w/e if it's a 60mm or 100mm.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

I don't know if you could see this link if your not a member but someone has a 60mm for sale on POTN for $230 in excellent condish.

Canon 85mm f/1.8 and Canon 60mm f/2.8 Macro -- Classifieds: For Sale in photography-on-the.net forums


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> I don't know if you could see this link if your not a member but someone has a 60mm for sale on POTN for $230 in excellent condish.
> 
> Canon 85mm f/1.8 and Canon 60mm f/2.8 Macro -- Classifieds: For Sale in photography-on-the.net forums


Nice thats only a 2-3 year old lens. Only problem is shipping cost that adds a lot probably from America to The Netherlands.

The 24mm pancake is btw a great lens thanks for the recommendation!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Nigel95 said:


> Nice thats only a 2-3 year old lens. Only problem is shipping cost that adds a lot probably from America to The Netherlands.
> 
> The 24mm pancake is btw a great lens thanks for the recommendation!


Right, forgot that you were in The Netherlands. Your welcome, enjoy the lens. That one is on my camera the most since it's small and the focal length has alot of uses.


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## saiko (Mar 30, 2007)

well, let me add my few cents too. Am not a regular DSLR user. And even I got myself a used kit except the OCF and tubes.

My gear is 
T3i
18-55mm
Macro tubes
and 1 OCF from YN.(----- really makes a big difference)

This kind of works for my macro work as I dont regularly shoot, and convinced myself than buying more.

I still want to get a suitable lens that will help me shoot a better FTS... some day!


Few pics I took, all hand held. 
x_IMG_7287 by Saikumar, on Flickr

x_IMG_6944 by Saikumar, on Flickr

x_IMG_6263 by Saikumar, on Flickr


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## Rogozhin75 (Aug 15, 2017)

I just bought a used Ai converted Nikon 55mm micro ($40) for my old D70s, talk about a cheap setup.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> , and are an excellent choice for video when paired with a Canon STM lens. The STM will give you silent auto-focusing. .


I have tried manual focusing but the auto focus wins slightly but not much difference. This is probably me being a noob. After reading manual focus is the way to go for pictures and filming.. I have a question about filming the aquarium. If you go for manual does one only have to focus before you start filming and let it go, or does one have to focus constantly during the video? It is very hard to see if the fish are sharp on a tiny lcd screen. I assume you can't zoom in when filming right? A monitor could work maybe. Or is the auto focusing so good that it isn't the hassle worth to go manual?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

saiko said:


> I still want to get a suitable lens that will help me shoot a better FTS... some day!


Go with the 24mm STM. Great for FTS and general walkaround.


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