Over compacts!

[chris kippax]

I am currently not enjoying my photography as I can never get the Dof or image sharpness I am looking for. I am and have been for the last 5 years using a g12 in Ikelite housing with Dyron +7 macro and the Dyron 8mm ultra wide angle lens and twin ds160 strobes in Manual mode. With the macro diopter the Dof is razor thin sometimes a minute portion of the image, auto focus is non existent and the diopter is sharpest at full zoom so composure can be limited at times. I am feeling definately limited by my camera and was thinking of upgrading to a g16 but am now unsure. A possible upgrade to SLR may be better as I already use a Canon slr topside. It is an older 5dmk1 but still takes great images. I already have a 100mm macro and would buy a tokina 10-17 as well. I have found a cheap enough ikelite housing so being such an old system is it a worthwhile investment? I can't see getting an slr underwater being a cheap exercise but this scenario seems doable.

 

[Reefwalker]

You should be able to get reasonable depth of field with a Canon G12 along with a Dyron +7 wet lens. What aperture/s are you shooting at?

 

[chris kippax]

@Reefwalker
F8 when shooting macro. Reasonable is not a word I like use to describe a camera system worth close to 5k new. For example when shooting yesterday I was shooting an allied cowrie and at no angle could I get the entire object in focus. On another occasion photographing a Nudibranch head on I could not get the mantle and Rhinophores sharp it was either one or the other. The diopter just reduces the Dof to an unreasonable level and when stacked is even worse.

 

[dhaas]

When you add high magnification by your super macro lens the depth of field is always going to be razor thin. Even if you shoot a creature totally parallel to your sensor plane not all will be in focus. Physical size of the creature and lens to subject distance also play into the final outcome.

F8 on your Canon G12 is almost like f32 on a SLR lens. Anything past f11-16 (SLR lens) will also introduce DIFFRACTION meaning a softening of sharpening fighting against any increase however small in depth of field.

You likely could shoot your Canon G12 at f5.6-6.3 and be happier with the sharpness.

You can go ahead and buy a new expensive system but you likely will still be frustrated with depth of field at such high magnification ratios. Shooting compacts alongside SLR macro lenses I've found shooting just the camera zoomed in and macro enabled at lowest ISO I can likely throw away pixels in editing and have a sharper shot.

Just some thoughts

David Haas
www.haasimages.com