M150 Bug Eye help please

[Layla]

Canon S95, Canon housing, 2 x S2000

Well, I got the Bugeye, and took it to Komodo with me and got some really terrible pictures :depressed:
Everything was out of focus

From the other threads I've read, I have gathered:
use F8
zoom right out
need lighting
get really close
will get blurred edges
screw the lens in as far as it goes

Then it struck me this morning - am I supposed to put the camera on macro setting?

What are those dots down the barrel of the lens, does that mean anything?

Thanks very much

Layla

 

[derway]

I think you are supposed to zoom all the way in, not out.

Try it in a bathtub.

 

[Layla]

I went down to the lake today and got some really nice pictures and some that were blurry
I took four sets of pitures one set in each of in four locations

I can't work out why one complete set was out of focus all of them, maybe I was catching back scatter in that particular locaton

I tried a few different distances from the marco target object and moved to different angles to get various angles of the environment

I have now seen the potential of the lens .... love it!!!

 

[derway]

Why don't you post some pix, so we can all see. This lens interested me too, but I never saw anyone else using it!

 

[timthefish]

i thought you had to screw it in and out to find your cameras sweet spot??? i'm sure i read some article on that lens and some tips on reefphoto.com website

 

[ozziworld]

I have the same lens. It is ok at best. Have mixed feelings on whether I would recommend it to anyone.

You have to set it up before using it. The dots on the barrel are just an index for you to see the location of the lens relative to the ''sweet spot'' your housing/camera likes.

For the most part:

1. Install the rubber "O" sticker in the back of the lens.
2. Install the adapter to the housing.
3. Screw the main lens body on to the adapter all the way - slowly. Unitl it ''nudges the housing port. Back-off half a turn and lock the it in that location.
4. Zoom in all the way for the really little critters. for fist size subject you can zoom out a little

This should put you int he ball park. The lens wants to suck in all the back ground with it's unique perspective. So you may want to have lighter back grounds than normal for macro.

In Av Mode - try setting F5.6 or F8, ISO 200, shutter will default to 1/60, S2000s set to sTTL. +/- EV to lighten or darken. This will give you a nice blue background depending on how deep and sunny.

What housing and adapters are you using?

Here are some photos first impressions I had on using the lens.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.227298990676273.55134.100001885200899&type=3

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The lens is best used with really small subjects where you have an opportunity to shoot up. As you can see from the link. Medium size subject are are not its forte -corners go soft and hard to light up properly.

The best shots I have seen are small shrimp or gobies on whip coral with divers in the back ground. Like extreme close focus wide angle.

I managed these shots more recently.

 

[Layla]

I wouldn't recomend it to anyone either ... but I think it's great

S95 + Canon housind + 2 x S2000

Blue water ... I was in a lake and it is a nice deep green colour )

I have the same lens. It is ok at best. Have mixed feelings on whether I would recommend it to anyone.
This will give you a nice blue background depending on how deep and sunny.

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Your Rhinopia is great, but it's just a picture
To show what the lens is really designed for, you need something in that negative space top right

 

[ozziworld]

I like the lens enough to say I don't regret buying it.

Yes it kinda demands a diver or something in the negative space which is not always convenient to have around at the right moment. I have the same shot with the rhinopias but the diver was cut-off at the wrong place. Was not a model so I could not make him 'stay' in the right position. ; )

Here is the same rhinopias but the diver was too close and the rhinopias was too far.

Unfortunately, the shots I have so far posted are what I have. The best shots I have seen are the really little creatures with nice negative space. The shots I have posted above are 2 to 5 inch critters that do not make the most effective use of this lens's unique perspective.

I need more time with this lens to get the most out of it. The soft corners don't bother me so much anymore now that i am used to it.

Have tried but failed on several attempts to get a shot of a goby or shrimp on a whip coral. with the subject just an inch away from the lens and whip coral waving around, just could not get a decent shot. Most critters are closer to the bottom making it hard to get an upward angle.

Layla, please post some pics. Would love to see others people's shots with this lens.

Oh, check out this website. I understand this Japanese photographer patented the bug eye lenses and licensed them to Inon. Web ƒ^ƒJƒWƒ“f‚“

He has a lot of interesting shots posted in his galleries.

 

[Layla]

I love this picture!!

 

[maria munn]

Really great to hear that my advice helped you Layla ,

I loved using it with the porthole effect without zooming .... You definitely need certain kinds of subjects to make it work, but it definitely gives a "different" effect.

Here is one taking whilst on the Liberty at the end of last month ... I really needed the diver to be a little closer though ....