How to use the Inon 165 close up lenses?

[Siki]

I have a Fujii E900 in an Ikelite housing with two SB 105 strobes with a Heinrichsweikamp Synch.

Recently purchased two Inon 165 close-up lenses and a 105 Inon Wide Angle. I am very pleased with the wide angle lens.

However, I don’t understand the use of the close-up lenses. Every configuration that I have tried with the close up lenses, I can match with the zoom feature, macro feature, or slight adjustment in distance from subject. It is obviously best to have as few pieces of glass between the subject and the sensor as possible. This being true, what is the value of the close up lenses?

I am afraid that I am overlooking some important consideration. Does anyone have experience in the successful use of the Inon 165 close up lenses?

Thank you.

Siki

 

[friscuba]

Are different cameras different in their ability to use them? I'm suprised you can match image sizes just using the macro or zoom functions.

I just played with my Canon G9 in it's housing with and without the lenses. Without the lenses, in the housing, above water, I can lay a ruler down and get a good focus with, at best, just about 2 and a quarter inches of the ruler filling the the entire frame in focus. With one closeup lens I can get about an inch and a half of the ruler to fill the entire frame and focus, with the second lens added I can fill the entire frame in focus with about 7/8ths of an inch worth of ruler.... hardly scientific, but I'm sure getting a smaller object to take up more space on the image frame using the lenses. Perhaps the Fuji can zoom and still focus at a closer range than the Canon G9?

I've just picked up the lenses myself so I've only had them underwater for one or two dives before coming down with a nasty ear infection. It'll be at least a week before I can try some more stuff underwater, but so far I think I'm getting more apparent "closeness" with the lenses on.

 

[Banon]

The Inon 165 macro lenses give about 2X magnification. If you have 2 of them stacked, you should be getting about 4X magnification above what the camera is zoomed to.

Just for grins, put both lenses on, zoom your Fuji as far as it will go, then take a pic of something small. You will probably have to use manual focus, but you should be able to get some fun pics from it.

 

[Banon]

But as a side note, your depth of field will be VERY small... like less than a centimeter.

 

[Siki]

I have been in the pool and tried a number tests.

What I wanted from this close up lens was the ability to shoot a subject from a greater distance so as not to frighten the organism. Using my macro setting, the close up lens is useless for this purpose. I had the same experience when my zoom was at max. However, at the most wide angle setting the close up lens did allow me to move away a little bit and still fill the frame. However, the resulting photograph is a little too soft for my taste.

As mentioned in the previous posts, these close up lens enable you to get right on top of a small subject and still be able to focus. I will use them when I start taking photos of the small commensal shrimp that live on sessile organisms.

I would appreciate anyone who could share their experiences.

Thanks for your comments.

Aloha

Siki

 

[Siki]

Sorry, I am not used to using the editing feature of this forum.

I made a mistake.

Siki

 

[alijtaylor]

I am a relatively new user of two of these lenses screwed together and find I have to get right on top of subjects to get good focus so I am not having much joy with anything skittish. SO far I have concentrated on the plant life and imobile objects. Here are a couple I quite like





Alison

 

[BurBunny]

Unfortunately, what these lenses do is allow you to achieve greater magnification, mainly to fill the frame with your subject, but you do not get much of a corresponding greater distance from the subjects. The best shots will most likely be taken at a similar distance than what you were at without the lenses (or even closer with the closer focus distance), but the critters will fill the frame better.

I used double stacked Inon macros for years and it did help me get ever increasingly smaller critters (including things like pygmy seahorses). However, I also got increasingly better at getting closer and closer to the subject to do it. Skittish critters? Not such good luck, unfortunately. The best zoom with these lenses is with your body. Rocking your camera back and forth can also help with focus - get the shot mostly in focus with your LCD alone. Once it looks decent there, THEN hit focus - you'll get a lot more crisp shots that way.

What you experienced in the softer images is likely the very, very slim DOF with these two lenses. It often feels paper thin. You have to decide exactly what you want in focus, and position yourself so what's not in focus is artistically pleasing. There are definitely tricks to these lenses.

My avatar was shot with a Fuji F810 compact using double stacked macros - on my first day with them - that little octo was no bigger than a quarter across.

 

[AndyT]

If you want to shoot from further away what you need is a teleconverter, not a close up lens.
I don't know that these are available for UW use with a PnS camera.