macro lenses for SRP dome filter

[fish80]

Hi!

I am going to hawaii and using my gopro3 black underwater for diving for the first time (tried snorkeling at home, works well).

I have the blurfix3 SO with the URPRO CYD dome filter by snake river photography (no lights, I want to keep it simple for the 1st time)... do i also need a macro lens? If so, which one works in combination with this filter?

I am not aiming to do super macro movies, just worried that the focal distance of the gopro3 is too long to get really close?

Any info would be great!

Thanks!

Carlo

 

[MB NZ]

do i also need a macro lens?

depends on whether you want to take macro video or not!

bear in mind that the GoPro can focus at 18 inches - 2 feet plus. the reason i pursued the macro route is that where i dive, if you're waiting for dolphins/sharks/turtles, you will be waiting a while, although all are possible.

If so, which one works in combination with this filter?

i can tell you that the SRP 55 mm filters fit very nicely in the Backscatter 55 mm adaptor, so I would assume the reverse to be true. if so, i can recommend the Backscatter Macromate Mini lens. here's Kiwi-Cat again!

[video=vimeo;96653607]https://vimeo.com/96653607[/video]

---------- Post added June 3rd, 2014 at 07:51 PM ----------

also, not sure how well macro would work without lights, probably not very.

 

[fish80]

hahaha meowwww

well but that lens goes out of focus as soon as you are bit distant right?

As I am a beginner I would like to take videos of subjects from the size of a relatively small fish (say the size of a hand, or maybe a tiny bit smaller) to the size of a whale shark... hahah i wish right?

so I think that macro lense is for even smaller subjects right?

Thanks for replying to my post again!

---------- Post added June 3rd, 2014 at 12:04 PM ----------

things like in your great barrier reef video ;-) No macro need for such movie right?

 

[MB NZ]

hahaha meowwww well but that lens goes out of focus as soon as you are bit distant right?

Correct, or too close, you can even see that in the cat video.

hahahaAs I am a beginner I would like to take videos of subjects from the size of a relatively small fish (say the size of a hand, or maybe a tiny bit smaller) to the size of a whale shark... hahah i wish right?

so I think that macro lense is for even smaller subjects right?

Macro is for very close-ups rather than smaller per se.

No macro need for such movie right?

No macro lens used in my GBR video. I think you will do just fine with a red filter. Try that first, then maybe lights, then maybe a macro lens.

 

[fish80]

thank you andrew, today i went snorkeling and tried to get really close to fishes... they seem to look pretty fine / on focus even without macro.. I will try this set up then, thanks!

 

[hellhole]

a macro lens on a gopro will be for subjects that are maybe about at least 2inches long... your typically nudi branch sizes. even that.. we are not talking about 1:1.

and without lights it not going to be very good.

 

[fish80]

hey guys... just a very stupid question (maybe)... i noticed how the gopro is pretty shiny underwater (plus I have a pole which is shiny too)... could that be a problem in place like where there are sharks etc.. ? I heard that you should not wear shiny object when around sharks / barracudas etc...

 

[EL Pistoffo]

I don't thinks sharks will notice or care about about the GoPros reflections. It's a non-issue.

On the subject of GoPro macro. If you are going to use a "macro" lens with your GoPro to get very close up to something, you might want to change the cameras FOV to narrow. Your subject will appear much closer and larger than with the standard wide FOV.

If you want to see some examples of some close up video with a GoPro and "macro" lenses look at this video I made to test it out a bit. I sometimes stacked 2 or 3 lenses (cheapos) to get very close but I think that a single better quality "macro" lense (Macromate, Marumi) would perform as good or better. Watch at 1080.

[video=youtube_share;0PBs3wQGx2g]http://youtu.be/0PBs3wQGx2g[/video]

 

[fish80]

hey thanks, I think I am giving up on the macro, it seems to be for more advanced photographers than me... maybe in the future.

you sure about the shiny gopro not being a problem? I did a quick search on the internet and it looks like shiny object are an issue when diving / swimming near sharks...

 

[EL Pistoffo]

hey thanks, I think I am giving up on the macro, it seems to be for more advanced photographers than me... maybe in the future.

you sure about the shiny gopro not being a problem? I did a quick search on the internet and it looks like shiny object are an issue when diving / swimming near sharks...

There are countless videos of sharks filmed UW with GoPro's. If a shark is going to want a piece of you he's going to want you, not the camera. In murky, very low viz water you might have a point. In clear water you're ok. They are not as mindless as you might think. Only times I've heard of folks getting bit by sharks or cudas for shiny objects was in murky water, usually at the surface, swimming or floating.

GoPro macro is a pain. That's why I switched for a better camera.