Macro Options for S90/FIX

[dhuskins]

I have no wet lenses (WA or macro) and looking to invest in some. I have tentatively selected the Inon UWL-100 28AD for wide angle (pending a good macro choice.)

Fisheye offers two macro choices. I would assume the three lens configuration provides more versatility. As such, I would have expected it to be more costly. It is, however, cheaper. That tells me that I don't fully understand what's up there. I am also concerned about how secure they are. I already lost my bezel on my first dive trip.

Since I plan to attach the 28AD adapter to my port (or other port if I go with a different WA lens), I also do not expect them to be a viable option. So, that leaves me with the question: What should I get?

What do you use and how flexible is your choice? I've worked with diopters on land, but never underwater. What is the recommended strength for the majority of macro work? I'm interested in shooting juveniles (damsels, trunkfish, etc) as well as nudibranchs.

How do you change magnification safely? Do you simply use two sets? Unscrew diopters?

 

[Nemrod]

I have an Inon 165AD macro. These lenses are very nicely made, they can be stacked I think up to three as they have a male/female bayonet, one on each end. They bayonet, of course, right on. I might think if you went with the WAL100-28AD lens then those would be what you want. You would also want an AD lens holder or double lens holder.

I will tell you this, just so you know, the 100-28AD lens is a glass and metal chunk, if you get the dome for it, which is a bigger glass and metal dome, it is rather beefy so I am not sure how much you might take it on and off uw, don't know.

I rarely have any interest in macro, I got the lens on eBay with another item. I used it some last year under the Blue Heron Bridge in Florida. it is nice to have even if I rarely use it. I think it is common to have a set of two and as I said stack them as they are relatively low power.

Info is slow trickling out on these things but at least this time it is because there are so many options instead of so few.

N

 

[dhuskins]

I will tell you this, just so you know, the 100-28AD lens is a glass and metal chunk, if you get the dome for it, which is a bigger glass and metal dome, it is rather beefy so I am not sure how much you might take it on and off uw, don't know.

I thinking of not getting the dome. That would increase my FOV beyond what I want to deal with.

I might think if you went with the WAL100-28AD lens then those would be what you want.

Will the 165AD mount on the same adapter as the WAL100-28AD?

 

[Nemrod]

I thinking of not getting the dome. That would increase my FOV beyond what I want to deal with.

Will the 165AD mount on the same adapter as the WAL100-28AD?

I only currently have AD adapters in my possession but it is my understanding that the AD macro lenses will work on the 28AD mount. I think there is an adapter on the REEF site as well. They, 28AD and AD, also use the same lens holders.

The Inon bayonet system is simple to use even underwater. Much better and more secure than the threading stuff on and off.

You may be smart to not mess with the dome, the example photos on the FIX site look great without.

As to the flip down lenses, the FIX sets look sturdy, long ago I had a similar set for a S&S camera and they just fell apart, froze up and they got circular filed. That was long ago. They may work fine but I think I would go with the Inon AD macro even if I did not already have one. I could be wrong.

I am sure Ryan could answer your questions for certain.

I was hoping to get my FIX in the water in Feb but work related travel has squashed that plan, now it looks to be late March, .

N

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have the flip-down macro lens for my G10/FIX setup. It takes some getting used to, but works reasonably well. There are some limitations I don't care for, however.

First is that the shape of the lens requires you to use your zoom to avoid the "porthole" effect. I'd prefer not to use the zoom, as it makes focusing more difficult. In fact, getting the subject properly focused is the biggest crapshoot with using the setup. It's like trying to focus on a star through a hand-held telescope.

The lens is sturdy enough ... but it's a clip-on, which means that it's not that difficult for it to come unclipped if you snag it on something. That's happened to me a few times ... so make sure you're using the retainer string to secure it to the tray. Also, the piece that attaches to the lens port of your housing has a little plastic rim that "stops" the ring from sliding down the port. That piece is not real sturdy and mine has partially broken away with reasonable use. Not sure how much that will affect the lens once the rest of it breaks away, but seems to me it's not as sturdily constructed as it should be.

That said, it took me a while to figure out how to make the best use out of the lens, but I'm pretty happy with some of the results. This fish, for example, is about an inch long. I took this shot while it was in motion ... which ain't too shabby for a point-n-shoot ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[scottfiji]

I have the flip-down macro lens for my G10/FIX setup. It takes some getting used to, but works reasonably well. There are some limitations I don't care for, however.

First is that the shape of the lens requires you to use your zoom to avoid the "porthole" effect. I'd prefer not to use the zoom, as it makes focusing more difficult. In fact, getting the subject properly focused is the biggest crapshoot with using the setup. It's like trying to focus on a star through a hand-held telescope.


... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Bob, beautiful juvie midshipman shot, I've photographed the same fish down here a few times. Nice work.

FYI, I think the issues you bring up are true of any supermacro setup and come with the territory. Focusing and finding the subject always becomes more difficult, I recommend people use a good focus light. I also recommend zooming in part way with any macro set-up that uses a diopter to get a little more working distance. I think none of this is particular to your specific flip-down lens.

Scott

 

[CompuDude]

Focusing with wet-mount macro lenses on a point and shoot is always the trickiest part. The focal range is literally around an inch, and less if you zoom in. I have to zoom in a bit with one, and farther with two. I've never shot with three. Very manageable, however. It's all part of the setup for the shot. With two stacked lenses on my S80, I have a very small field of view which is fantastic for macro. Zoomed all the way in, however, you're about 1"-2" from the subject, at the most, and your focal range is literally about 1cm. Outside of that range, your camera will not lock focus. VERY tricky to find that tiny slice where the camera can focus, if there's any surge going on, and current can make it tricky as well. This is true of all macro lenses on P&S cameras, though, not unique to the Inon lenses.

The Inon macro lenses are great, however, they're +6 each and with two of them stacked you'll have +12 which is stronger than the Fix's best +10 option... and you can stack a third, too, even. They bayonet on and off VERY easily... but you're in no danger of losing them.

The wild card in all of this is the lens adapters themselves... we know an AD adapter bayonets on to an adapter very well and very securely, but we don't know how well the adapter itself is going to be hanging on to the end of the Fix housing.

There's a lot that we don't know, and won't, until the adapters arrive and people have a chance to play with them.

As I've stated elsewhere, my sincere hope is to be able to find a way to use AD mount connections for everything. I'm not sure if that's going to work out, but that's my hope. Currently I use AD mount for my macro lenses, and pop them onto the camera as needed, then back onto the AD mount holder on my strobe arms. My buddy has the Inon wide angle lens (UFL165 I think) and she simply has a double-sided lens caddy with macro on one side and WA on the other, so she has the ultimate setup. I hope to get as close as possible to that ideal.

Two stacked Inon macro lenses are on the caddy at the very top of this photo of my current S80 rig. I almost always use both, and treat them like one long lens.