Silverman Loc: Michigan

I am going to take my Grand kids to the Detroit Zoo in May 2018, I want to take some quality images of the Animals, some of these will be behind some type of Screening, Fencing or Bars, So my question here is this;

How do I capture my images of these wonderful animals and not have the obstructions mentioned above in my images?

I will be shooting with my Nikon D3300 with the Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens, the Nikon 35mm 1.8 lens, and the Nikon 55-200 Zoom lens.

I would prefer keeping "ONE" lens on my D3300 all day, but if another will Capture better images I will use it too.

I am a Newbie in DSLR Photography, so my Animal Photography experience is quite limited.

I will look forward to your replies.

Thanks for all of your Suggestions and Advice.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

The longer and lower f-stop of the lens the better. Get the lens as close to the fencing as possible and hopefully, your subject will be a decent distance away from the fencing - shoot the lens wide open, this will make the fencing disappear for practical purposes - oh, and the fencing should be black and in the shade with little to no direct sunlight hitting it. An XX-300mm lens would be better for you.

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maggiemae Loc: North Carolina

Depending on the Zoo I would suggest leaving the 55-200 on your camera. The other lenses will probably not give you enough reach except maybe for some indoor exhibits. I was at the zoo the other day and ended up leaving that lens on my d3300 the whole time. I got several good shots. Don't know what to tell ya about the glass. If there is no glare on it it should be fine, I only had issues with glare on one indoor exhibit that was low light and right next to a door. Every time the door would up open (constantly ) it would make a big glare. I gave up on that photo. Have fun, good luck with your shots.

jcboy3

Use the 55-200 and stick it right up against the obstruction. Shoot between bars; shoot through holes in chain-link fence. Shoot at your fastest aperture. Try to shoot at maximum focal length.

Shoot where the obstructions are in the shade; sunlight on the obstruction will cause flare and make them more visible.

Also, try to shoot while the animals are well away from the obstructions. The closer they get, the more resolved the obstructions become.

If you can't get really close to the obstructions, then you need a faster lens. Shallow DOF is needed to avoid the obstructions resolving in your image. I only shoot with lenses that are f/2.8 or faster. You might try renting a 70-200 f/2.8 lens.

Finally, at some zoos I have been able to use a monopod to raise the camera above the fence. Your camera is really not suitable for this. You need a tilt screen and remote shutter control as a minimum (so you can see where your pointing and shoot when you need to). But better is a camera with wireless remote control; I have a bracket that attached to the monopod and holds my iPhone. I can see the camera view on the iPhone, focus, adjust settings, and shoot.

I would not try this with a rental; you need time to figure this out. But you can easily do this with a modern compact camera. I have a Panasonic LF1 that shoots RAW, has WiFi control. I would check first with the zoo, to see if this is allowed.

deer2ker Loc: Nashville, TN

I agree with the others on the 55-200. It is an inexpensive lens but will take pretty nice pics! I took a number of zoo shots that I am quite proud of with that lens unexpectedly.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Hi Silverman! I've done a little bit of zoo photography and have a few suggestions.

1. Here's a link to a photo album of the Detroit Zoo. If you click the thumbnail (tile) images in the "pool", you can see the camera and focal lengths, when the photographer has stored this information in the image details. I see many of the images reporting focal lengths in the range of 150mm to 300mm. http://www.flickr.com/groups/detroitzoo/pool/ I would expect your 55-200 is going to be your most useful lens for photography of the animals at this zoo.

2. You didn't say how old the grandkids are. My experience with family groups is the lone photographer tends to be an undesired anchor on the freewheeling movements of the kids. You might want to reconsider having a animal photography focus on a equal footing with spending time with the grandkids. If your group will be larger where you don't have to provide a parenting role, maybe you can move at your own pace without being a burden to the group's movement.

3. Your 55-200 would be most useful for animals at a distance, where your 50 f/1.8 will be most useful for the indoor / lowlight displays. Your 35 f/1.8 will be most useful for close-ups of the children and / or images focused on the children in front of animal displays. Your desire for one lens is probably going to be best served by the zoom.

As a coincidence, I was renewing one of my memberships this morning and happened to download the list of reciprocal zoos and noted the Detroit Zoo is on the list. I made a mental note to stop there on some summer travels that will bring me into Michigan.

Have fun!

illininitt

55-200 is all you need!

illininitt

55-200 is all you need!

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

The 18-200mm is a great DX lens.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

Bill_de Loc: US

Avoiding bars and other unsightly obstructions is thankfully getting easier than it used to be.

If you were going alone, maybe a second lens could be a good idea. But under the circumstances you will be dividing your time between the animals and the grandkids. Keep the equipment as simple as possible.

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What it used to be :-(

YeloCab1

(Download)


(Download)

Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

As previously mentioned, wide aperture - try not to go smaller than f5.6. The subjects need to be away from the bars or mesh of the cage in order to make the cage appear transparent. You may find using manual focus easier than autofocus. There are zoo tutorials on YouTube if you are still in doubt.

Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

As previously mentioned, wide aperture - try not to go smaller than f5.6. The subjects need to be away from the bars or mesh of the cage in order to make the cage appear transparent. Go with your 55 - 200mm lens - you may find using manual focus easier than autofocus. There are zoo tutorials on YouTube if you are still in doubt.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont