Shooting photos through acrylic?

[Reefer831]

The majority of all my tanks have all been glass… I am now trying to figure out what I want to go with for my frag tank and I was most likely going with acrylic… My question to all you photographers is do you notice any difference when shooting through acrylic? And if you do is there a big difference when shooting through 1/2in or 3/4?

 

[gparr]

Acrylic tanks can be a non-issue or a difficult-to-impossible surface through which to shoot. When preparing to photograph through an acrylic tank, your first step is to look across the front panel. If it's bowed out, which is usually the case with lower-grade/cheaper acrylic tanks, you will have a difficult time achieving undistorted/in-focus shots. If there is a slight bow and the coral is close to the glass, you have a chance of getting a decent shot. Any animals that are very far into the tank will be distorted/out of focus because the front panel acts as a magnifier. If I see any bowing in an acrylic tank, I don't even bother getting the camera out of the bag because it won't be worth the effort. You usually have a better chance with higher-quality and/or larger tanks, because the front panel won't bow out much or at all. With those tanks you can shoot as if shooting through glass.

I don't consider the clarity of acrylic to be a factor because it's very little light gain, compared with conventional glass. Usually the biggest problem with acrylic tanks is scratching, particularly micro-scratches. Often times they are overlooked until you start doing post-processing work. They can be noticeable as scratches, scratches with algae in them, or can cause a slight haze if there are a lot of micro scratches.

Difference between 1/2- and 3/4-in.-thick acrylic? Not in terms of whether you can get a sharp image. If it's good quality, unscratched acrylic, that isn't bowed, the shots will be fine. The only consideration is that, as the acrylic gets thicker, your lens face must be almost absolutely parallel to the acrylic face. Very much movement out of parallel will result in distortion and likely some rainbow effects in the image.

This image was shot through a top-quality acrylic tank.

Gary

 

[revhtree]

Great advice Gary and beautiful photo!

 

[Reefer831]

Thanks Gary the awesome reply...it almost answered all of my question in clear detail.. I really appreciate your response... I completely understand what you're talking about with the bowing...one of my I my old tanks was a 72 bow...man that was impossible to shoot through... Especially with my 100mm... Once I got my normal glass tank shooting pictures was a lot simpler..this tank is for a frag tank 36x24x12... At first I wanted to go brimless because I like how clean they look and how they are easy to get top downs from... Then they told me I would need to use 3/4 acrylic... I didn't like that idea because I have heard that they are a pain to shoot through at different angles like you had explained and also a pain to get magnets to work right... So then I decided to go with a euro brace that would be 1/2in... After you pointing out the fact that they scratch easy and if there is any slight bow it might create major problems I am considering to go with a glass tank... My current display has all StarFire glass and scratches very easy and I can't stand how it looks like when I'm doing my post editing like you stated... I don't feel the clarity you get out of the StarFire is worth the soft easy scratching glass... So now I'm debating whether or not to go with a 1/2 Euro braced acrylic tank or a glass tank...I shoot mainly from the side with a 100mm... What would you guys recommend to go with a glass tank or a acrylic? If both tanks are in brand-new prime condition what seems to be the better one to shoot through glass or acrylic?

 

[gparr]

My choice is always glass, particularly for a frag tank that's going to get a lot of wear and tear. Acrylic or Starfire will get beat up in no time. If you're wanting to take pictures to help you sell coral, consider plumbing a small glass cube as part of your frag-tank system. Put it in a place that offers easy access and do all of your photography in that tank. If you use the same water/system as the frag tank your corals will quickly recover from being moved from frag tank to photo tank. If you put a couple of shelves in and paint the cube back black, you can set up several corals for photography at one time, then return in a couple of hours when they've recovered and shoot them rather quickly. Since it's a small cube, lighting will be uniform in all areas, making your results consistent. If you have a shallow frag tank, top-down shots are rather easy. Simply move the corals close to the edge, turn off all flow, lean your tripod against the tank/stand and tilt your camera so the lens face is parallel with the water surface. Once the surface is still, you can easily get nice sharp shots.
Gary

 

[Sicks Rocks]

Yoy can grab a glass vase from hobby lobby. My camera is rectangular so I got the rectangle shaped vase. Its 2ft tall. I used to put a camera in there and lower it into the tank. Easy to maneuver and close up shots.