Most versatile/Most commonly used lens

I seem to always be torn between which lens to put on before getting in the water. I was wondering this morning which lenses most people are using most of the time out there.....

Take out the Whites at Guadalupe and the pygmies at Lembeh - all in all, for any situation, which lense do people find their most versatile? Zooms? Primes? Larger focal lengths?

Just curious...

Aloha

Bryce

My most used lens that covers anything from 1.5" to 3ft. is the Canon EF 28-105 lens in a 10D behind a dome port. Fast focussing and damn sharp when stopped down to F8-11. I've gotten anything from a small nudibranch (with Woody's diopter) to reef sharks with it. I've had 20x30 prints made on a Kodak LED printer that look simply amazing. Now, with a 5D, I may have to do a rethink as the 28-105 will vignette behind a flat port and racks out too much for a dome.

Stu

I don't use zooms - only primes - underwater. I make a decission before the dive as to what type of dive-site it is, what subjects I'm likely to encounter, and the type of image I'm trying for then I select a lens accordingly. If I'm set up for macro and a whale shark swims by then so be it. I'll just add it to the list of reasons to dive again.

I have the 18-70 that it’s quit versatile, a little WA in the 18 size and close to 'close up' in the 70 side. But usually after a dive with it I'm sorry I didn't use one of the 'real' lenses for real WA or macro/portrait.

So these days I don't use it too much anymore.

Strangely, perhaps, my most used UW lens is Nikon's 10.5mm fisheye. I probably use it on about 50% of my dives. Obviously, it is not a very flexible lens, but it can deal with many more subjects then people give it credit for (as long as you get close).

When I think about the images that earn me the most through sales, they are invariably the fisheye shots. Unless you do books, macro shots never sell!

Alex

If you are looking for versatility then the Nikon 17-35. Otherwise listen to the briefing a pick a lens accordingly.

I have 4 lenses. Of them the 15mm seems to gather the most dust. As Alex said, the 10.5 is such a, well, just a fun lens to shoot. Nail a shot with it and they are really awesome.

Other 2 are the 105mm and the 60mm.

Larry said it. You need to decide what you want to do, hit all the critters on the reef with an ID shot or make a plan, select a lens and execute it. Neither is a bad choice. I can see where it might not thrill you to wait out one or two subjects for a particular shot when you can be burning up the pixels on a variety of shots.

Rand

I agree with diving with a subject range in mind. I find I do best with a fixed focal length lens, or a zoom with a narrow range. This helps me focus on a group of subjects that fit the lens, instead of trying to shoot everthing and anything. My exposures tend to be more consistent if im not trying to always recalcuate distances,and flash adjustments for each different focal length.

Likely my Sigma 15mm (used now on Canon bodies, but previously on Nikon D100 before the 10.5mm came out.)

The Sigma 15mm focuses to 5.9" and I have shot Orange Spotted Filefish full frame with it among other citters plus divers. I also agree with Alex that the panoramic "views" underwater sell more than the beautiful little critters we all love to find and capture.

YMMV

dhaas

Underwater, it would be either the 10.5 mm or the 12-24 zoom - it's a matter of the site and conditions. For reefscapes and big animals, it's the 10.5, but if the dive is likely to be about fish that are smaller than mantas or molas, or if they may be difficult to approach closely, then it's the 12-24.

Above-water, the lens that usually "lives" on my land body is a 24-120 mm VR. Image stabilisation partly makes up for it not being the fastest lens ever made. It may not match specialised zooms (or prime lenses) at what they do best, but it's nice to have a carry-around zoom that can take decent photos in marginal light, with that kind of range, and not weighing 4 kg.

Frogfish

Interesting thread......when I really think about it, the 60 would be my choice....10.5 second

Karl

The 60 mm macro, good for litlle stuff, add a wet diopter for littler stuff and good for fish portraits

But then again macro as noted in another thread is easier, so this is the easy answer.

Here in CA wide angle except on rare days is usually tough.

Bill

Right on Guys. Enjoyed the responses. I, myself, shoot the 10-22 1st with 100mm second. I find myself reluctant to dive in the middle most days, even with the 17-40 on the shelf.

That 10.5 sounds pretty good. Does Canon have anything like that or just the 10-22?

Aloha

Bryce

I haven´t taken my D200 underwater yet...but coming from a p&s I think the most versatile lens would be something like the 17-55. The funnest to use would be the 10.5. And the most specific and PFAMNTA (pray for a manta not to appear) would be 105mm....

I use 100mm macro (+ now the 60EFs +Ext 12MkII) and 24/1.4 L underwater almost exclusively!

I simply don't use fisheye and regarding Alex's comment 'macro shots never sell!', I sell considerably more macro shots than anything else!!! And not just to books as book publishers pay poorly in my experience.

I find that zooms are a compromise and that their versatility, whilst useful, tends to mean that I don't concentrate on a specific type of subject well when using them. I am finding this above water too.

I make it an absolute rule to ALWAYS have the WRONG lens on when I am underwater. What one needs is an ASSISTANT who carries the other cameras but is otherwise unable to use them.

I'm a 10.5mm fan, and have just used it on dives in Bikini (the Sara is a BIG wreck, and don't even mention the Nagato...). I thought that I would need a tighter lens to reduce the distortion of man-made objects, but in the end I just hung onto the wide, wide lens; my only gripe was that the sharks that came to visit on almost every dive look like little grey blurs in the distance...

After some Photoshop, I'll post some pictures.

Tim

B)

60mm for macro and since I got my 10.5 my 12-24 is collecting a little dust. Like Alex said, it is a damn fun lens to shoot and like Rand said, if you nail a shot it will he hot!

What one needs is an ASSISTANT who carries the other cameras but is otherwise unable to use them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's my technique exactly. I get my wife and dive guide to carry the other systems, and I swap as needed

That's called ultimate flexibility B)

This said, I'll normally hold on to the fisheye by default, like others here. It can really yield dramatic images given the right conditions.

After reading this I had to order my 10.5 last night. I'm diving the Oriskany in Pensacola on Saturday, so sounded like it's a 'must have.' Hope it gets here by tomorrow!!!