Inon UCL-165 macro lens with Canon S95 question...

[curiousgeorgie]

I have a Canon S95 with a Fisheye Fix 95 housing. I purchased 2 Inon UCL-165 macro lenses recently. With the 2 lenses stacked, most of my pictures were out of focus unless I was within a few inches of the subject. With only 1 UCL-165 lens, I was able to have a bit more distance between camera and subject. Is this how it's supposed to work? I don't understand this. Unless the subject is a nudibranch or something that can't move, I can never get within a few inches of a subject without it swimming away or withdrawing into some crevice. Is the Inon UCL-330 any different? I feel that I wasted my money on these 2 lenses. Am I doing something wrong?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[VJey]

It's working properly. You only use two lenses with tiny and slow objects.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

A UCL-165 has a focal length of 165mm, which is about 6.5". Stacking 2 together will give it a focal length of 82mm/3.25". That means with your lens focused to infinity, that is where the subject has to be for it to be viewed as being in focus by your camera. So you camera could focus from 3.25" to maybe 2" with the 2 UCL-165 attached.

 

[curiousgeorgie]

Thank you for the info. Should I have the camera in "macro" mode when using these lenses?

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Its different on every camera. You just have to shoot with the lens set to as small aperture as possible to maximize its depth of field.

If your camera has super macro mode, you could probably use that instead.

If you want to have a lens that could do super macro w/o taking it off, you could try a wet wide angle lens. It shoot super wide shots and also does close focusing. But you cannot really zoom the camera into the telephoto range, so when shooting little critters, you have to get really close to them.

 

[Interceptor121]

The S95 has a great macro performance and can be used successfully with both one or two UCL165
Settings manual mode with aperture F8 ISO80 and shutter speed between 1/250 and 1/500. It is useful to use a magnification of the focus area in the center of the frame
I have published a TTL hack for the S95 if you have it use it as S-TTL works perfect on macro otherwise use your strobe in manual
In both cases the shooting technique to use to have maximum magnification at the maximum distance from the subject is to zoom at maximum telephoto and then use manual focus moving the focus point to infinity. Move the camera from further away closer the subject until you see it in focus and then shoot. Depth of field is minimal so be careful as moving the camera 1 cm away from the ideal point will result in blur.
If you don't zoom at all you have to literally be on the subject at wide end and have no room to actually lit it or you scare the subject off which seems to be happening to you, take also into account that some fish have an acceptable working distance depending on their personal space and won't allow you to get any closer
The Inon UCL165 is a +6 diopter which with the S95 is already respectable, with two you have +12 which is extremely strong and give you a 3x multiplier or more. The UCL330 brings half of the magnification +3 for each element.
Don't throw those lenses in the bin they are very good is just learning curve, I recommend you practice on land as the lenses are also dry with one lens and then go into water. Then use two lenses on land to appreciate how hard it is for example on a butterfly or a bug and once you take a decent shot you take it in water. If you can't take a good shot on land in water it will be impossible

 

[curiousgeorgie]

Interceptor121,

Thank you for the advice. I will practice on land to try and get a hold of the proper techniques. Where can I find your "TTL hack" for the S95? I am using my S95 with an Inon S2000 strobe and can use as much advice as possible. Right now, I always shoot in Manual mode with aperture most of the time set at F8. I'll change the shutter speed to vary the lighting and I also use the strobe in manual and rotate the knob for more or less power after looking at the lcd screeen.

 

[JTemple]

The advice to practice topside with the lenses is very good. I would add that practicing with a ruler is also very helpful. It shows you what is really happening with the depth of field, how far away/close you have to be, etc. Mark a point on the ruler that represents your target focus point, and start shooting.

 

[Warmwater Wank]

C.Geo--Think of it as having bought reading glasses for your camera. If you had reading glasses on you wouldn't be driving your car, so on your camera you can't use the UCL-165's to shoot off in the distance. Zooming out to telephoto will certainly get you further back from your subject but close-up work is about getting close, so accept the challenge.

Macro mode does not have to be set on the S-95 to use your Inon lenses and Interceptor's tip about using manual focus might keep it simple for focusing (another reason not to set Macro). By you moving the camera slightly back and forth you can perhaps control focus better--sort of like when using a magnifying glass. To get the magnified focus area that was mentioned just go into Menu>MF-Point Zoom and make sure it is set to On. When you then select Manual Focus you'll then get a nicely magnified center section on the screen to help you focus.

Setting f/8 is you best bet for maximum depth of field but it still isn't much so "use it" carefully. Try to focus on the eyes if your subject has 'em, maybe try to keep your subject parallel to the camera rather than angled away and yep, PRACTICE! It does get easier but it also takes a more practiced effort than just casual snap-shooting. On the other hand, the shots that work can be real keepers so stick with it. // ww

ps--Changing shutter speeds will not "vary the lighting" (or affect exposure) when in close , the strobe output will control exposure--but that is another thread !

 

[Interceptor121]

The S95 CHDK hack is here it works great with Sea&Sea strobes I have not tested INONs
With regards to shutter speed my suggestion of 1/250 to 1/500 is to have a black or dark background, with two diopters the rest is blurred anyway and a high shutter speed avoids any shutter shake issues. As Warmwaterwank suggest the strobe will control the subject exposure, the shutter speed only determines the background
To select manual focus press the left arrow and then choose the MF option, this of course override macro