Camera Phone Lens for Middle/Back of Aquarium

[ZoeyFish]

Hello,

I'm working on my aquarium photography and I'm looking for recommendations for a camera phone lens that can shoot the middle and back of tank for an Android phone. I have a 75gallon tank and the depth of the tank is 18" from the front glass to the back. I recently bought a Macro Lens from Amazon that has a shooting distance of 1.18-3.54 inches which works great for photos near the glass but obviously does me no good past that 4" mark.  If anyone has any recommendations (please provide link) I'd appreciate it. 

 

[Zenzo]

On 9/27/2021 at 10:35 AM, ZoeyFish said:

Hello,

I'm working on my aquarium photography and I'm looking for recommendations for a camera phone lens that can shoot the middle and back of tank for an Android phone. I have a 75gallon tank and the depth of the tank is 18" from the front glass to the back. I recently bought a Macro Lens from Amazon that has a shooting distance of 1.18-3.54 inches which works great for photos near the glass but obviously does me no good past that 4" mark.  If anyone has any recommendations (please provide link) I'd appreciate it. 

 

I have experimented with this quite a bit over the years. While I now use cameras and expensive lenses, when I first started making video content, I used an iPhone. I invested in the Moment lenses that attach to the phone to allow for tighter, wider, and macro shots.

There are some downsides to these though:

1. I have found that the lenses don't do well when trying to focus through glass towards the center and the back of the tank. The macro is the only exception as far as any usable tank shots. These lenses are better for non-aquarium shots.

2. The lens are quite expensive ($80 - $130).

3. Cameras continue to improve on cell phones, making these lenses less useful. 

Because you asked this question, I threw on a couple of my lenses (I still have them) to test on my iPhone while focusing into a tank. Not very good success. The native camera worked much better in this scenario. I know that that I am using an iPhone (12 Pro Max), and you mentioned that you are using an Android, but I assume that the tech and functionality is similar.

Here is the link to Moment: https://www.shopmoment.com/lenses/phone-lenses

[ZoeyFish]

Thanks for the reply Zenzo!

On 9/27/2021 at 1:50 PM, Zenzo said:

These lenses are better for non-aquarium shots.

I don't doubt that at all.  

 

On 9/27/2021 at 1:50 PM, Zenzo said:

The lens are quite expensive ($80 - $130).

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about.  The Amazon lenses I just bought was three for $20 and I'm hoping to find another deal for some more but I did take a look at the Moment lenses you linked so thanks for that.

 

On 9/27/2021 at 1:50 PM, Zenzo said:

Cameras continue to improve on cell phones, making these lenses less useful. 

I completely agree that they are getting better.  The main issue I have with my android phone is that the digital zoom makes the picture look horrible.  So right now I'm unable to use my camera phone for anything other than a non-zoomed in photo.  This works for snails and sometimes shrimp but I personally haven't had much luck with fish coming up close and hanging out.

I've also tried using photo apps like Adobe's Lightroom and Open Camera so that I can adjust some settings to hopefully get shots of fish moving but haven't had any luck.  Mostly I just have blurred shots.

But this is a journey and I'll keep working on things.  I'm wondering on how much of a difference a x2 or x4 lens would make when trying to shoot the middle/back of tank.

[Zenzo]

On 9/27/2021 at 11:11 AM, ZoeyFish said:

Thanks for the reply Zenzo!

I don't doubt that at all.  

 

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about.  The Amazon lenses I just bought was three for $20 and I'm hoping to find another deal for some more but I did take a look at the Moment lenses you linked so thanks for that.

 

I completely agree that they are getting better.  The main issue I have with my android phone is that the digital zoom makes the picture look horrible.  So right now I'm unable to use my camera phone for anything other than a non-zoomed in photo.  This works for snails and sometimes shrimp but I personally haven't had much luck with fish coming up close and hanging out.

I've also tried using photo apps like Adobe's Lightroom and Open Camera so that I can adjust some settings to hopefully get shots of fish moving but haven't had any luck.  Mostly I just have blurred shots.

But this is a journey and I'll keep working on things.  I'm wondering on how much of a difference a x2 or x4 lens would make when trying to shoot the middle/back of tank.

The issue with shooting into a tank is glare and some distortion. Usually polarizing filters can help, but I am not aware of a polarizer that fits on a phone lens. 

If you have a little bit of a budget and are looking into taking more fish photos, there are some reasonably priced cameras out there that you can find on the used market. APS-C cameras from Sony and Canon are good options because of their focusing systems. Sony makes good point and shoots too. 

Otherwise, experiment with different phone apps, and maybe look into camera specs when upgrading your next phone. 

[Torrey]

On 9/27/2021 at 12:11 PM, ZoeyFish said:

I completely agree that they are getting better.  The main issue I have with my android phone is that the digital zoom makes the picture look horrible. 

We literally just discussed how to photograph aquariums at our club meeting, so this thread is timely (and I have the information fresh from the professional photographer).

1. Look in your camera settings on your android and manually adjust your ISO. Sadly, ISO is no longer an International Standard with digital cameras the way it was with film.

2. Practice taking pictures with different ISO settings. You may want to keep a journal to document which jpeg# match which ISO you used.

3. Use a tripod. Period.

4. Ensure the camera is 'head on' to the glass, otherwise you are dealing with the refraction of the glass, first, coupled with the refraction of the water. 

5. To get better shots of the whole tank, invest in a black 'backdrop' to hang above the tank and block the actual light apparatus. Turn off all lights in the room, use the tripod to ensure no movement, and use a Light Cube or equivalent with warm light (~5000 k) shining straight at the tank from just under the camera/phone camera.

These shots will be about 6' away from the tank.

For close ups, he built a 'fish photography tank' with a glass front and acrylic sides and bottom. It's only 2" from front to back.

6. Properly prepare the tank for photographs:

A. Siphon mulm from the bottom, and clean the plants, 3-4 hours before the shoot.

B. Turn off all things that move the water 45 minutes before the shoot.

C. Feed fish heavily an hour before the shoot.

D. Have lens flush against the aquarium glass to minimize distortion. 

E. Shine a warm light onto the fish with one hand, while taking pictures with the other hand. 

F. Have an assistant drop / squirt a tiny amount of live food right in front of where the camera is set up.

E. Click away.

 

ISO controls the aperture, which controls the amount of light coming through. Unfortunately, because it is no longer a universal standard of measurement, and varies from phone to phone, you literally have to play with several different settings to find what is best for **your** camera.

The only lens filter that is truly necessary, is the amber to get clear photos of marine tanks.

Be prepared that images, and especially macro shots, will look best when the subject is broadside in front of you. 

 

Add the slightest amount of angle, and you end up with the eyeball in perfect focus, but the tail is completely faded/blurred out.🤷‍♂️

 

This is why photographers take hundreds of pictures to get the one perfect shot.

 

There was a lot more information on how to get excellent tank shots for IAPLC, but I think Josh Sims covered that pretty well. 

Oh, and don't use the digital zoom, it's better to crop the photo afterward. 

[Streetwise]

I don’t always bother with this, but if you have a light with both Pro and Manual settings, you can run Pro for your schedule, and Manual for your photos.

I also recommend enabling the grid of thirds view for your phone camera, to help you square-up your shots.

[ZoeyFish]

@Torrey Whoa, thanks for all that info!  That's a lot of help.  One thing I have tried is adjusting the ISO but I didn't realize it's not standardized anymore so that will help me adjust what I'm trying to what I read online. I also have a photo that's like you described, the fishes face is in focus but the tail isn't because the fish wasn't lined up properly.  Good to understand exactly why!

 

@Streetwise Thanks for the information, will look into that.  I did find the grid of thirds setting so will also use that along with the leveling icon.

 

[Torrey]

On 9/27/2021 at 7:34 PM, ZoeyFish said:

@Torrey Whoa, thanks for all that info!  That's a lot of help.  One thing I have tried is adjusting the ISO but I didn't realize it's not standardized anymore so that will help me adjust what I'm trying to what I read online. I also have a photo that's like you described, the fishes face is in focus but the tail isn't because the fish wasn't lined up properly.  Good to understand exactly why!

 

@Streetwise Thanks for the information, will look into that.  I did find the grid of thirds setting so will also use that along with the leveling icon.

 

One more thing for after you take the picture:

Play with increased clarity & decreasing exposure, and increased exposure while decreasing clarity.

This is the easiest way to see how digital cameras are not consistent in ISO, and how to compensate accordingly. 

Have fun photographing your fish!

If you decide you want to go professional, there is no way a phone can compete with the Canon. Not for tanks, and the distortion from the water.

I felt much better when we were able to see the comparison between the iPhone aquarium images and the Canon images (we see iPhone footage in film, btw) of the aquarium. 

Turns out my cheap little android is outperforming the uber expensive new Samsung phone camera. 

[meadeam]

Timely, as I have been wanting to buy a macro lense for my phone to shoot fish but didn't know where to start.  It seems like it would be a good idea to shoot HD video and the pull still images from the result. Rather than trying to capture individual shots.  Is there a disadvantage to that?  I've never tried it, maybe the still images are of lesser quality than the video.

I actually like the shots where only the nearest part of the fish is in focus sometimes.  It accentuates the scale and close proximity.

Edit: drat, I didn't notice how old this thread is... carry on!

Edited November 16, 2021 by meadeam