Choice Lenses for a 20D

[Skoobadiver]

Hey guys (gals)
I'm taking the plunge and moving from my Nikonos V to a 20D with Ikelite housing and want to take advantage of the rebates before they expire on the 15th. Quick question. What two lenses would you choose to match up for a good starter setup. I take a lot of Macro shots since we have mediocre vis here in the Pacific NW. Other passion is wreck diving and have a trips to Truk and Aruba this summer; so would like a wide angle that matches my 20mm Nikonos lens. Would like to keep both lenses under $1200....thoughts and opinions?

 

[alcina]

I would say the 60mm macro (or 50mm macro if you are worried about the 60mm being an EFS lens - I wasn't and I love this lens) and the Canon 10-22 or Sigma 10-20. I went Sigma as I have a love/hate WA relationship and it was about 1/3 the price . If you want a single focal length - go the Sigma 15mm...fabulous.

I have also been using my Sigma 18-200 underwater...it makes a pretty good recon lens and I've had fun. I wouldn't put it on my short list, but I already had it and it just so happens to fit in the ports I already had I've gotten good nudibranchs and good reef scenes and good fish portraits - so it has it's uses for my diving.

 

[alcina]

Oh, I'd add a Woody's diopter, too!

 

[Skoobadiver]

Do you have a source for the Woody's Diopter?

 

[alcina]

Ryan at ryan@reefphoto.com www.reefphoto.com

I take mine on every dive

 

[jgiddings]

I am in a similar situation. I am moving up from a Olympus 5050 to the Canon 20D with the Ike housing and need to decide on lenses and ports. My ideal would be to have the "basic" 18-55mm (or a 17-85mm) lens a wide angle lens and a macro lens. I can't afford three lenses right now. I am going to Cocos, Costa Rica within the next few months which will consist of almost no macro but lots of schooling fish, sharks, rays etc. so I'm thinking of a wide angle lens. Would the 18-55mm or 17-85mm work for these or do I really need to go more wide?

Thanks.

 

[justin-branam]

Would the 18-55mm or 17-85mm work for these or do I really need to go more wide?
Thanks.

Hey,

i just got my 350D setup a while back. My lense choices were of course the stock 18-55 lens, then i got a 15mm Sigma wide angle lens, the canon 60mm lens for fish portrait shots and the canon 100 for macro shots. i am hoping to get the 8" ike dome port whenever they decide to get them shipped out, but I have the 2.5in-3.5in flat port, #5502, which will handle the kit lens and the 60mm, and i also bought the canon 100 specific focus port.

If you can afford one lense, i would say go with the 17-85. it is a fairly good all around lens, and gives you a wide rang of items to photograph, its just not as sharp as the prime lenses will be. If you want to go with prime lenses, i would say the sigma 15 and the canon 50 or 60. it has a lot to do with what you want to photograph. i personally like macro, so i will use my 60 and 100 more than anything, so those were the lenses i bought first. its all up to you, just remember, you get what you pay for. A lot of these lenses can cost more than the camra itself, but also remember, they hold their value, and you can use most of them in the future if you upgrde cameras.

 

[alcina]

Check that the 17-85 fits first! I know it has a little sticky out bit on the barrel that you need to make sure your zoom ring can go over.

The 18-55 isn't a bad choice to get started and it's relatively inexpensive. All zooms will be a compromise of some sort.

I even take my Sigma 18-200 down on some dives and really like the flexibility it gives me. It isn't perfect as in a flat port I lose the widest settings, but it works for a recond lens and I am happy with the results. Again, it's a matter of knowing what your lens can do and working with it instead of against it!

The biggest downside of dslr is the inflexibiity I enjoyed with the Oly 5050 set up

 

[fsudiver]

All your advice is SO greatly appreciated. I also just bought the 20D. If you could only afford one lens, which one would you start with? I don't have a housing yet, and won't be buying one until I've tried out different lenses above water. Ultimately I'd like to have all the lenses you've mentioned that you use and liked, but which one is your favorite? Thank you!

 

[Diver Dennis]

My favorites are 10-22mm or 100mm.