Confused about lens choices for high end camera package

[danvolker]

Both Sandra and I shoot with Canon 5 D mark II cameras....She shoots stills primarily, while I use mine for video.
She has the Sea and Sea housing, while I got the Aquatica. She has a Canon 17 to 40 lens , and the nice 100 that Canon makes...as well as the Sigma 50. I got the 16 to 35 wide angle canon lens..... We have seen my 16 to 35 is a better lens than the 17 to 40....for wide angle use.... For super macro ( nudibranch around 1 to 2 mm), the 100 mm lens with a 7X macromate adaptor does the trick well....For octopus, sea horses, etc, the Sigma 50 is much better than the 100.
One benefit of the Aquatica that may ( or may not) be available with Sea & Sea housing, is the zoom gear and manual focus I can use for stills or video...while Sandra has to settle for auto focus only. In low contrast areas, the manual is much nicer for sharp focus results....Her solution is ALWAYS using good Focus Light to enhance auto focus.
She has two inon strobes...I use a big dual head, canister style Cave video light system by Halcyon, for video or stills.

Check out sfdj.com to see some of Sandra's stuff.

 

[plok]

Consider housing and ports, when selecting lenses. Housing manufacturers do not make ports for each and every lens available for Canon cameras. Otherwise you may end up with the good, expensive lens, but no port or zoom/focus gear available. I have the 60D and the Nauticam housing for it. It is a solid, easy to use housing providing access to each and every button of the camera (not always the case). There is a Nauticam port chart that you can download from their website. Do not hesitate to contact Nauticam US; they were very responsive and helpful when I needed.

 

[bvanant]

I am not sure that I agree that the Sigma 50 is "better" than the Canon 100 macro lens; in terms of IQ there is no comparison, the Canon is (to my eyes at least) a whole lot nicer and more importantly the sigma 50 grows quite a lot as it focuses closer making port choice a bit painful. Both lenses do 1:1 so there is no magnification difference but for super macro the 100 will get you a whole lot more magnification than the 50 with the same diopter. The only advantage that I can see is that the FOV with the 50 is wider so it is easier to find your subject. The sigma also focuses quite a bit slower (on my 7D) than the new Canon 100.

Bill

 

[danvolker]

I am not sure that I agree that the Sigma 50 is "better" than the Canon 100 macro lens; in terms of IQ there is no comparison, the Canon is (to my eyes at least) a whole lot nicer and more importantly the sigma 50 grows quite a lot as it focuses closer making port choice a bit painful. Both lenses do 1:1 so there is no magnification difference but for super macro the 100 will get you a whole lot more magnification than the 50 with the same diopter. The only advantage that I can see is that the FOV with the 50 is wider so it is easier to find your subject. The sigma also focuses quite a bit slower (on my 7D) than the new Canon 100.

Bill

What I was referring to was how the L 100 is better for Super macro subjects at the BHB with diopter attached , but with the choices of creatures to shoot at BHB, Sandra prefers the Sigma 50 for how well her shots will come out for Sea Horses and octopus sized creatures. Issues include how far back you have to get with the 100.

 

[Hashsaz]

Depending on type of photos you prefer, i.e. wide angle or macro.

Here's an url which i think it's good for your reference, where you will understand what kind of lenses are good or bad : http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/underwater-photography-lenses

 

[dwilliams]

Ok So now I feel like a complete fool. I hadnt returned to my original post because I thought I would receive an email notification if anyone had replied or posted a response.So I just want to say thanks to everyone who replied and I'm really sorry that I didn't respond to any those replies but I do appreciate the excellent information everyone has taken the time to provide. And please excuse me for being such a noob.There was some really useful information that I've supplemented by doing a little of my own research. I hope people don't mind if I ask a few more questions.One of the biggest points I've taken from the replies is that whereas my RX100 was a 1 camera shoots all proposition, if I understand correctly with a DSLR I would be aiming at only shooting a specific type of shot (wide angle, macro, super macro etc) on any given dive. So I need 3 lenses (and ports etc?) and I decide before the dive what I'm going to shoot and fit the appropriate lens and port for the task. Is this correct or is there a way I can shoot both macro and wide shots on the same dive and still get good quality images?I've seen a lot of people recommend the Tokina zoom lense but as far as I'm aware I would not be able to use it on the 5D markIII. I also note that the 5D markIII has a full frame sensor and that Nauticam have a better range of ports for cropped frame camera's so I'm wondering whether I should maybe just opt for a 7D. If I do this how much am I losing in funcitionality and potential image quality.I have an online store where I will be using the shots I take on posters, canvas prints etc. The reason I want to go with a good DSLR setup is to ensure I get the most out of the shots I take as the number of dive trips I can do each year is limited. Most of the shots I take would not be super close macro but I do need to be able to get good clownfish and lionfish shots which is fairly close up work. Outside of that I'm taking shots of sharks, dolphins, turtles, whales, schools of fish and anything that I feel would look good on a print. The RX100 I just sold took some nice shots but didn't quite have the detail I wanted when cropped and I'm hoping a good quality DSLR will provide better results provided I learn how to use it properly. (I've learnt the basics in terms of aperture, shutter speed and exposure but am still very much a novice).Oh and one last thing that I was wondering was what its like using a viewfinder rather than the LCD display. The RX100 has the 3 inch panel on the back that you view whilst shooting but I understand with a DSLR like the 7D or the 5D MarkIII that you use the viewfinder. Does this make it easier or harder for shot composition?

---------- Post added December 4th, 2012 at 01:55 PM ----------

Oh and if anyone can advise me on how I get paragraphs into my post I would be grateful! I never meant to put up a wall of text

 

[stano]

I shoot a 5DII. The mkII is a super camera and my fourth DSLR. So far I only have only one L series lens but am impressed with the quality and build. As noted the L's run in the 1200-$$$$$ range. I had bought several other lenses previously in the 500-700$ range that are decent however. If you are buying a 5DIII I would stick with L series. The advise given to me buy some excellent photographers and mentioned several times here above is spend the money on glass. Have fun can't wait to see your photos.

Stano