curved glass pictures

[EliteReefs]

hey guys.

I can take fair to good quality pictures in our tanks with no problem.

the problem i am having right now is with the biocube nano tank. the side of the tank is no problem because the sides are flat but full tank front shots always suck no matter what i do. i assume the problem is the curved glass in the front. I was hoping someone has a trick to over come that.

 

[JuniorMC8704]

not much you can do about it, unfortunately. The curved glass will not reflect the light straight back into the sensor, so the pics will always be distorted. You shoot top town, but with a bio cube, that also means taking the lights off, so that doesnt really work either.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

 

[Poseidon]

Welcome to the world of refraction.

I have not had much success with curved glass myself, it is a real PITA. I have only shot one tank that was a 1/2 round and I came away with a few decent shots, but they all lacked sharpness.

I want to stop short of saying it can't be done, but I sure don't know a way to do it easily and cheaply.

 

[Viva'sReef]

Might have some funny looking shadows but, you could take your hood off and light the tank through the front glass and take top downs. Might be worth a shot..

 

[EliteReefs]

yea thats what i figured. the pics i get are not to bad so i guess i will just live with it

 

[SaraB]

I have a 92G corner tank with a bowed front and it has been nothing but problems with trying to capture photos. I pretty much have had to move every coral up to the front glass to get a photo of it. That tank is coming down real soon

Okay, I have to admit that I don't take the photos ... Gary does and he hates my bowed front tank too!

 

[EliteReefs]

i posted thess in the past but to date this is the best pic i can get of the full tank. has no detail at all IMO. looks ok but since i know how much better it can be when i compare it to pictures i take in the other tanks it is frustrating

time for solona

 

[gparr]

I HATE BOWFRONTS!!

Yes, agreed with Poseidon and Junior. If the corals are near the front and you're careful, you can get reasonable shots with a bowfront. As the corals get further back in the aquarium, distortion rapidly increases and eliminates any chance of a decent shot. I did have success with a large bowfront aquarium, i.e., rather gently curved front glass, with a colony that was half way back in the aquarium (see image below) using my 24-70 lens. The wider angle seemed to offset the distortion. I've not experimented with the technique since this shot because I usually sprint in the opposite direction when I see a bowfront.
Gary

 

[gparr]

Okay, I have to admit that I don't take the photos ... Gary does and he hates my bowed front tank too!

You have to admire the woman's honesty!

From my photographic perspective, it'll be a joyous day when that "tank" goes away from Sara's system. She'll be happy for a boatload of other reasons. Even better is it's getting replaced with a flat-sided box, with the viewable sides made of Starfire glass.
Gary