Zoom, how important is it??

[Azotomix]

Hello to everybody!!

I am reading plenty of forum regarding the choice of the camera where everybody is giving his own idea and experience on many cameras. I also of course looked in some shop here in Italy and get some info but more I see and more I read less I know. I really do not know what to choose now.

Now the decision will be made between NP 5400, NP 5200, Oly 5060, Canon S60 and still the Fuji F710 because of 6 Mpixel and wider LCD screen. For the housing I still do not know if going for the one which are small but goes “only” up to 40 m or going for the special one which are allowing you to go further down.

I would like to know from you underwater photography divers how important is to have a x4 or x3 optical zoom under water. How well does the zoom under water works? Is an important aspect of the camera or not really??

Let me know your opinion.

Ciao e grazie

 

[Jason B]

Well, I don't use zoom underwater. Underwater photography requires that you get as close to the subject as possible (to minimize color lose), therefore most underwater photographers are going to use the exact opposite...a wide angle lens. This will allow the photographer to get very close to the subject matter and still keep it in frame.

 

[alcina]

I don't use zoom a lot but I do use it a bit. Usually I get as close as possible and then zoom in a bit if the creature is small or very skittish. I do not use zoom as a replacement for getting closer to things far away - all that will do it enlarge the particles in the water between you and your subject.

If you will be using zoom on land, then it will be a consideration. Underwater it is much less so and it would not be the deciding factor for me.

 

[Cecil]

In all of my UW pictures I can honestly say I've used the zoom once. That was for Garden Eels in Bonaire. Like Alcina said, the zoom does mater on land and there's many times I wanted more than a 3x. To meet that need at home, I still carry my old 35mm camera with a 500mm lens.

 

[DennisW]

I have used it underwater. Seems to work ok, but I would not put a lot of emphasis on it for underwater photography. However, I use my camera on the surface as well. It is extremely useful on the surface, so it was a feature I wanted.

 

[mstudley]

Let's pretend that money wasn't really an issue for a minute. I'd get a digital SLR like the new Canon 300D (rebel) or that new Nikon which is the direct competitor to the Canon (which I wish I had waited for... I have the Canon). Along with the body, I would buy a decent macro lens and an Ikelite housing.

Underwater, -you- are the zoom. You really want to get as close as possible to your subjects for you to get the results that you will want after spending all that money on camera equipment

I still can't believe that the housing for my Canon costs more than the camera body itself. Actually, the housing costs more than the camera body plus the 18-55mm EF lens that came in the package!

 

[Gilligan]

I use my optical zoom frequently underwater. My camera is 3X optical zoom. I use the zoom both in the macro and non-macro modes. There are fish that won't let you get too close to them without darting off. A foot or two more away from them may make the difference in getting the shot. That is where the zoom comes in (with an external strobe). The other alternative is to zoom in by editing the picture and the higher megapixel camera does a better job with that.
There are times that I have gotten better results with my external strobe by backing away from the subject and using zoom (macro mode) rather than being very close to it. The zoom also gives you the option of how much of the picture you want the subject to fill without cropping the photo afterwards or cropping it and getting the subject even closer.
I also use the zoom for non-strobe shots (using manual white balance).
Of course there are extremes where zoom will not help underwater as the photo will be too full of digital noise because of the distance. I have a few of those and had to convert them to black & white.
3X or 4X optical zoom is helpful underwater but 10X zoom is more of an advantage on land.
I think the deciding factor in choosing between a 3X or 4X optical zoom camera would be of all the camera's features not just the zoom.
I found Digital Zoom to be worthless underwater.
I can't speak for DSLR cameras as I am not using one.

 

[Dee]

I use the zoom the same way Gilligan does, especially in clear water. I agree with him about the MP size and cropping, too.

Always keep in mind that you'll still have the same amount of water between you and the subject as if you didn't use the zoom. Any particulate in the water are still there, it's not a replacement for getting as close as you can.

Digital zoom is useless underwater.

 

[lukeROB]

Digital zoom is useless above as well as below.

I use zoom very, very really for all 'normal' angle shots. For Macro I found that once I added the external strobe it was difficult to get on top of the subjects like I used too because of lens shading. To fix this problem I bought a macro lens and now fully zoom in when taking macro - usually I try to shoot macro (depending on subject size) from about 1/2 - 1 foot away.

Zoom would be he last factor I would consider. If cameras were identical in every other way then get a longer zoom, but try to get a camera with a standard wide angle instead of a long zoom.

 

[ssra30]

I find optical zoom very useful as well. Generally on my Oly C5050, I usually set my lens to 80mm when I do macro work and 35mm for WAL. Sometimes I use 105mm and adjust the zoom a bit for fine tuning.
The most important part is that you will need to get as close as possible to the subject as your strobe will only reach so far and the less the water there is between your lens and the subject, the better the picture.
After saying that, zoom is always handy as subjects come in various size and some may or may not let you get close to it.
Since I got my new Nikon D70 setup, I am concentrating on the 80-170mm macro zoom lens right now because it gives me more flexibility on composition once I get as close as I can to the subject.