Which wide angle port?

[MrChen]

I currently have a super macro setup with a mdx850, macro port etc... I'm interested in trying out wife angle but I'm not really sure which lens and port too pick.

Underwater photo guide had there port recommendations. The Nikon 8-15mm is way more than I want to spend. What is a Rectilinear lens? So if you had to pick a lens, which port would you pair it with?


Wide Angle Fisheye:

Nikon 8-15mm
Get creative with the full circular image, or zoom in for a more standard fisheye lens. Read the Nikon 8-15mm FX AF-S f/3.5-4.5E ED Zoom Fisheye Review by Mark B. Hatter.

Tokina 10-17mm
Although not marketed as a full-frame lens, it still provides usable results at 15mm

Nikon 16mm 2.8 Fisheye
Also a great lens, and a popular choice for full-frame

Sigma 15mm 2.8 Fisheye
Great lens, and a popular choice for full-frame and focuses closer then the Nikon 16mm

Wide Angle Rectilinear

Nikon 16-35mm 4.0
Great for large animals and extremely sharp lens, but requires a larger dome to get sharp images

Nikon 20mm 1.8G
Small, compact, sharp, doesn't need as big a dome as the 16-35 mm

 

[AZTinman]

Actually, you have a lot more choices for lenses to use with your D850 than the ones you have listed. I've helped a bunch of photographers assemble underwater camera systems. The last three were putting together Nikon D850 systems. They've done very well.

First, I suggest that you eliminate all of the DX lenses you have on your list. I've used DX systems for about twelve years. DX lenses work best on cropped sensor cameras. In my opinion, a full frame camera like the D850 needs a full frame lens.

Second, you mentioned that you really didn't want to spend the money on a Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye. I assume you're looking at the price of a new one. One of the suggestions, I give the people I work with is to purchase a used lens from a reputable dealer. The one I usually recommend warranties lenses for six months. I've personally purchased several lenses and a couple of cameras from this dealer and I've experienced no issues. If you're interested in looking at what this dealer has in inventory, send me a PM and I'll give you the website. You can save considerable money by purchasing a used lens.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of fisheye lenses. I don't like the field curvature that you get with a fisheye. I prefer rectilinear lenses. You won't get a curvature in your field of view with a rectilinear lens. Rectilinear lenses give you more reach than you typically can get with a fisheye, but you still want to get as close as you can to subjects to fill your frame. I own a Tokina fisheye. About the only time I use it is when I'm pursuing large animals with curves like manta rays and getting really close.

Nikon has several full frame rectilinear lenses that work well with a D850.

• 16-35mm f/4 - This is a lens I frequently recommend. The people I've helped assembled their D850 systems opted for this one. It's probably the standard for those who use wide angle rectilinear zooms. And, it's a great lens.

• 17-35mm f/2.8 - I'm currently assembling a system for my D850 and will be using this lens for general wide angle. I already own one and I purchased it used for substantially less money than a new one would've cost. I've been using this particular lens since 2019.

• 14-24mm f/2.8G - I'll probably add this one to my D850 system at some point. I wrote a book about California sea lions and captured most of the underwater images of sea lions with a Nikon DX 10-24mm lens. Many of those images were captured at the 14-16mm settings.

• 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G - This one is probably one of the least expensive options for a full-frame camera system.

All of these lenses will work with an 8" dome port. If you look at a port chart, you'll see that you have options. If you're just starting with wide angle and/or on a budget, I recommend you buy an acrylic dome port. Dome ports made of glass are lots more expensive than acrylic.

Of course, if you're watching your budget, I recommend that you start shopping for a used Sea & Sea 240 Dome Port. All of these lenses work with the Sea & Sea 240. Sea & Sea no longer makes this dome port, but they show-up in the used market from time to time. Ebay sometimes has some listed. It's an acrylic dome port so scratches can be polished out of the front surface. I've got a couple of Sea & Sea 240's. The Sea & Sea replacement for the 240 is a 210. It's smaller than the 240, but Sea & Sea says it performs just as well.

I know there are plenty of people who frequent the forum who absolutely love shooting with a fisheye lens and do really well. Perhaps some will weigh-in with their perspectives. Drop me a PM if you need additional information.

-AZTinman

 

[Hoag]

I will try to answer your question of "what is a rectilinear lens?".
Note that this is "layman's terms" and may not be 100% correct, but it'll be close enough that hopefully, I will get the basic concept across.

For ultra-wide angle lenses, there are basically two broad types. Perhaps the best way I can explain what a Rectilinear lens is would be to compare it to a Fisheye lens.

Fisheye lenses have Fields of View (FOVs) approaching 180*. In achieving this, there tends to be extreme amounts of distortion. This distortion is minimized along the middle (and vertical center) of the image and gets more extreme toward the edges of the image. Straight lines will have dramatic curves, again getting more pronounced as they get closer to the edges of the image.

Rectilinear lenses, on the other hand may not have quite as wide of a FOV, however the distortion will be a lot less than on a Fish-eye lens. You will get a far more "realistic" image with a rectilinear lens. Straight lines will tend to be far more straight than they would on a fisheye, but objects may appear to be angled in or out rather than purely vertical or horizontal.

I hope that give a general idea of the differences between a Fisheye lens and a Rectilinear lens.

 

[MrChen]

Thank you for your insight. I think I want a rectilinear lens. Some of those are zoom lenses, is the zoom adjustable or do you just pick a zoom level pre dive?

 

[AZTinman]

You'll need a zoom gear to change focal lengths on a wide angle zoom lens during dives. Housing manufacturers' list which zoom gears are needed on their Port Charts. So, in addition to a wide angle zoom lens, you need a dome port, port extension and zoom gear.

Technically, you could skip the zoom gear and preset your lens for a specific focal length before you dive, but this would really reduce the versatility of the zoom lens.

-AZTinman

 

[chris kippax]

If I could only have one WA lens it would be the fisheye everytime.

 

[Hoag]

If I could only have one WA lens it would be the fisheye everytime.

When I shot Canon, my go to underwater lens was the Tokina 11-17mm fisheye. When I switched to Olympus for my underwater camera, it was the 8mm fisheye. Now, I shoot a Sony A6000 underwater, and when I bought it, there were no viable fisheye options, so for underwater UWA, I opted for the 10-18mm f/4.

 

[MrChen]

Nikon has several full frame rectilinear lenses that work well with a D850.

• 16-35mm f/4 - This is a lens I frequently recommend. The people I've helped assembled their D850 systems opted for this one. It's probably the standard for those who use wide angle rectilinear zooms. And, it's a great lens.

• 17-35mm f/2.8 - I'm currently assembling a system for my D850 and will be using this lens for general wide angle. I already own one and I purchased it used for substantially less money than a new one would've cost. I've been using this particular lens since 2019.

• 14-24mm f/2.8G - I'll probably add this one to my D850 system at some point. I wrote a book about California sea lions and captured most of the underwater images of sea lions with a Nikon DX 10-24mm lens. Many of those images were captured at the 14-16mm settings.

• 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G - This one is probably one of the least expensive options for a full-frame camera system.

-AZTinman

Focusing on your recommended lenses and looking at the S&S system charts...

Lens	Zoom Gear	Extension Ring	Port
Option 1 16-35mm f/4	Zoom gear Product No. 31157	2x Extension Ring 40L	Universal Dome Port 210 or Universal Dome Port 210/ARⅡ or NX Compact Dome Port or Optical Dome Port II/165 or Optical Dome Port II/230
Option 2 16-35mm f/4	Zoom gear Product No. 31157 and Focus Gear Product No. 31168)	Extension Ring 46 with Focus Knob and Extension Ring 30L	Universal Dome Port 210 or Universal Dome Port 210/ARⅡ or NX Compact Dome Port or Optical Dome Port II/165 or Optical Dome Port II/230
14-24mm f/2.8G	Zoom gear Product No. 31195	Extension Ring 40L and Extension Ring 20L	Universal Dome Port 210 or Universal Dome Port 210/ARⅡ or Optical Dome Port II/230
Option 1 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G	Zoom gear Product No. 31160)	Extension Ring 40L	Universal Dome Port 210 or Universal Dome Port 210/ARⅡ or NX Compact Dome Port or Optical Dome Port II/165 or Optical Dome Port II/230
Option 2 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G	Zoom gear Product No. 31160 and Focus Gear Product No. 31167	Extension Ring 46 with Focus Knob	Universal Dome Port 210 or Universal Dome Port 210/ARⅡ or NX Compact Dome Port or Optical Dome Port II/165 or Optical Dome Port II/230

I couldn't find the 17-35mm f/2.8 listed.

How important is the focus gear in wide angle, is AF not good enough? I can imagine some scenarios where AF just won't focus on how you want the shot because of distance or lighting.

Of note, I already have an extension ring 20L with my macro port, so that could potentially save me a little and make it so there's less to pack on a trip.

In a couple of the configs (i.e. option 2 for the 18-35) there's a zoom gear, focus gear, and extension right with focus knob. Why 2 focus controls?

 

[MrChen]

System chart referenced:

SEA&SEA| THE UNDERWATER IMAGING COMPANY..

System Chart for MDX Housings(for Nikon)

www.seaandsea.jp

 

[MrChen]

Retail costs on parts:

Ports	Retail$
Universal Dome Port 210	799.95
Universal Dome Port 210/ARⅡ	1195.95
NX Compact Dome Port	589.95
Optical Dome Port II/165	1640.95
Optical Dome Port II/230	2799.95
Zoom Gears
Zoom gear Product No. 31157	189.95
Zoom gear Product No. 31195	199.95
Zoom gear Product No. 31160	239.95
Focus Gears
Focus Gear Product No. 31167	Could not find
Focus Gear Product No. 31168	Could not find
Extension Rings
Extension Ring 20L	279.95
Extension Ring 40L	299.95
Extension Ring 46 with Focus Knob	579.95
Extension Ring 30L	284.95