tjsdive
Registered
I was wondering how many have wide angle lenses and if they are worth the money. Do you tend to take them on and off a lot in the water?
Wide angle lens
- Thread starter tjsdive
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
diver 85
Contributor
tjsdive:
Have one (20 mm) for my S&S MM II EX but have none for my A570...So far see no reason for one----but for the 35 mm camera, it made UW pics easier ie no focusing, just set it on infinity, adjust the fstop & adjust the strobe angle...............
I purchased a sea&sea 16mm WA conversion lens for a nikonos for my SP-350 and love it. I use a step up ring with adds a touch of vignetting at the widest angle but a touch on the zoom is all it takes to get rid of it. Here's what I know from almost 2 years with it now.
1. Reef shots are so much better because you can get really close and still fit it in the frame. Ditto for larger fish, turtles etc that get close to you. I usually start the dive with it on and if the need arises I'll take it off.
2. Shots of larger things like sharks, divers, manatee etc its a must.
The only time I really don't want it on is if I'm trying to sneak up on a skittish fish or creature to take a zoomed in photo. Ditto if I run into a macro opportunity. So for most dives it stays on. What's nice is I can still us the zoom feature without removing the lens and it doesn't have any distortion or soft corners that I can tell. Its a very nice piece of glass and you can get them cheap on Ebay.
1. Reef shots are so much better because you can get really close and still fit it in the frame. Ditto for larger fish, turtles etc that get close to you. I usually start the dive with it on and if the need arises I'll take it off.
2. Shots of larger things like sharks, divers, manatee etc its a must.
The only time I really don't want it on is if I'm trying to sneak up on a skittish fish or creature to take a zoomed in photo. Ditto if I run into a macro opportunity. So for most dives it stays on. What's nice is I can still us the zoom feature without removing the lens and it doesn't have any distortion or soft corners that I can tell. Its a very nice piece of glass and you can get them cheap on Ebay.
The Ikelite has 67mm threads. I'm not familiar with the Ikelite lens. I didn't even know they made them. In any case, You can either go with that, or you can go with an epoque which I believe are also 67mm threads. The Sea&Sea is 58mm threads. Inon will also have lens that will fit the 67mm threads. In the catagory of "if I had it to do all over again", here's what I would do.
I would buy an Inon kit which had the bayonet style (not screw-on type) lenses. Here's in a nutshell why. I purchased a new macro lens just before my trip to cozumel. I was diving and didn't notice that I had bumped my housing port and put a small, seemingly unnoticable dent in it. I was under on my next dive and decided to try out the lens. It screwed on very easy. Later in the dive I tried to remove it and couldn't. I had to take it to the facilities shop at the hotel and use a vice and channel locks to remove it. Needless to say the lens adapter was ruined along with the housing port. My thoughts went back to how easy this happened. Also, bayonet style lenses remove and install faster with no issue. So, if I were starting from scratch that what I would do.
I would buy an Inon kit which had the bayonet style (not screw-on type) lenses. Here's in a nutshell why. I purchased a new macro lens just before my trip to cozumel. I was diving and didn't notice that I had bumped my housing port and put a small, seemingly unnoticable dent in it. I was under on my next dive and decided to try out the lens. It screwed on very easy. Later in the dive I tried to remove it and couldn't. I had to take it to the facilities shop at the hotel and use a vice and channel locks to remove it. Needless to say the lens adapter was ruined along with the housing port. My thoughts went back to how easy this happened. Also, bayonet style lenses remove and install faster with no issue. So, if I were starting from scratch that what I would do.
I carry the INON Wide Angle Lens with me on all dives. I use an Ikelite housing with a 67mm diameter lens port. My INON is a "wet lens" and screws directly onto the lens port in mater of seconds. Very convenient being able to switch between macro and wide field of view close-ups.
DesertEagle
Contributor
Most dive magazine photos are either macro or wide angle. Very few are "standard" photos. Wide angle lets you shoot an entire reefscape. While a photo may look like it was taken 5-10 feet away, the actual distance is often only 1-2 feet.
Similar threads
