Canon 10d - Which Lens ?

[JONATHAN A]

Hi,

I'm about to take the plunge on a Canon 10D and am trying to work out which lenses to buy. I'll be looking to shoot both wide angle and macro and am thinking in time about investing in 14mm and 50mm Sigma lenses. What I'd like to know is whether it is better to buy a fixed lens or go for a zoom, for example the 17-40mm Canon which I guess offers greater flexibility ??

Please be gentle with me, I'm a bit of a newbie.........

Jonathan

 

[Aquawookie]

This may be incorrect, as I do not use a SLR underwater, but isn't it impossible to use a Zoom on a SLR in a u/w housing??

I believe you need to use a std lense as you were thinking.

Have a great dive!
Paul.

 

[fdog]

Being a Nikon shooter, I can't really address your question in terms of model number, but:

I've seen that most Canon housings, like their Nikon counterparts, work well with wide angle zooms. I know for sure that Aquatica, SeaCam, and Subal do. Some require a diopter, but that's life. I have heard good things about the Canon 17-40 from a former colleague; she's not a diver, but says it's tack in the corners (a common problem for wide angle zooms).

With that said, I shoot only "prime" lenses. Single focal length, that is. Generally, they are faster, sharper, and focus closer (so I don't have to use a diopter).

The price for primes is that you are locked into a single focal length. In the past, I've been in the water with three housings, just to have a bit of focal length flexability. If you pre-plan a bit, though, this isn't too much of a problem.

The advantage of zooms is you do get the focal length flexability. The cost is slower lenses, not quite as wide, more flare, generally not as sharp. And sometimes, extension rings for the port.

Pure price, it's usually cheaper to buy a single zoom, rather than a couple high priced, high quality primes. The Nikon 14mm is about $1200.

I generally do a dive cameraless when arriving at a new site, kind of mentally cataloging the shots and picking the best lens for the scenery. The next dive, I'll select a wide angle, or macro, or whatever, and shoot what I saw. With a zoom, you can take it on the first dive, and be equiped for shots of opportunity.

All the best, James

 

[ChrisM]

This may be incorrect, as I do not use a SLR underwater, but isn't it impossible to use a Zoom on a SLR in a u/w housing??

I believe you need to use a std lense as you were thinking.

Have a great dive!
Paul.

Nope, they make zoom gear that will operate the zoom in a housing.

As James says, prime lenses generally have better optics but are limited to that focal length.

A good quiver to have is a 14 or 15, a 50, and a 100, as well as perhaps a mid range zoom

Chris

 

[Scubatooth]

james

i have had a chance to use the 17-40 (its a F4) and its a good lense its designed for people who dont want to spend the 11-1200 for the 16-35 F2.8 L. and your observation of it being sharp in the corners is correct, which amazed me as previous versions of the16-35 had a good bit of fall off in the corners.

Also did you say 3 bodies when going in, did i read that right ? and if so how do you do that ?


but for underwater and when i get my DSLR housing i was going to get the 20, 50(i will probably have that well before then) and then maybe the 24-70 for zoom. for me and canon lenses since thats the system i have (nothing wrong with nikon i love some of there lenses and bodies) will have to get ones with the USM in them as the other lenses without USM focus can be tricky in very low light.


FWIW

Tooth

 

[fdog]

Tooth:

Yep, three housings at once. At the time I owned 4 housings, and used a safety diver/porter that carried around the two I wasn't using. Occasionally a housing that was at the end of the roll would be "parked" on the bottom until the end of the dive.

All the best, James

 

[Scubatooth]

dang man that must be a feat and i would be nervous leaving a housing on the bottom. well if you ever need a UW assistant give me a email because i would love to see this.

BTW what slrs are you using underwater and what strobes?

tooth

 

[fdog]

Tooth, I don't want this to turn into a thread hijack, but:

For bodies: F3, FM2, D100. Aquatica housings except for the FM2, which has an Ikelite MD housing.

Strobes are pretty much all Ikelite, I've tried most others and reliability has made me return. MS 50's (a beautiful little slave that tragically is not made any more), 100, 225, 400.

There's a couple Nikonos bodies around, too.

No, I'm not telling my address.

All the best, James

 

[Scubatooth]

geez didnt mean to sound like a stalker, just that i hadnt ever thought about having that many cameras in the water at once, but i guess being a pro affords you that opportunity as well as necessity.


ok now back to the lens discussion

tooth

 

[Aquawookie]

Nope, they make zoom gear that will operate the zoom in a housing.
Chris

The more ya know, the more ya know ya don't know!
I stand corrected.