Nikon d80 lenses and Housing, which one?

Hey all.

I have been sitting on the side lines for some time now, leeching all the info from this site that I can. I have learned alot and now is time to put some of theory into practice and hopfully some improved UW pics.

It would have been nice to catch up with some of you at the ADEX show in Bangkok and buy you a couple of beers, but unfortunately I am stuck in Phuket.

After finally get annoyed with my Sea & Sea 5000g & DX-27 strobe, mainly because of the blurred images due to slow shutter speed I got myself a D80 instead. Also the fact that the power button fell out and after two months sea and sea have not repaired it and not even been in touch to update the situation.

I have been looking at the Ikelite and Sea and Sea housings, as I can get local support here in Phuket. I was wondering if anyone had a Ike or S&S setup and any suggestions. I was thinking of the Ike 1st as I like the 125 strobe and the TTL functionality.

Also I am unsure about lens choice and need some advice as there seems to be so many options. I need something for the macro and the wide angle. I dont want to spend a fortune on loads of lenses and was hoping to get 2 lenses that offer me some flexibility in rangeUW and on the surface.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

I have about 60 dives on a D80 with Sea and Sea housing, dual YS-110's, Ultralight arms. I am very happy with it. I have a 12-24 WA zoom and 60mm Macro and the accompanying ports. There is a TTL converter available, but I do not have it as yet. I strongly recommend the 12-24, but would leave the choice of the 60mm or 105mm macro to you depending on the type and size of critters you most like to shoot.

Enjoy.

Hello and welcome to the DSLR freaks B)

There where many threads here about thus issues, both housing are good each have his down sides and up sides, I found Ikelite to be best for my need (price, service, functionality).

About lens: usually for macro there are two recommended lens, the 60mm Micro and the 105 mm , both will give you 1:1 magnification, the 105 advance is that this ration is getting from more distance so you can shot with less disturbing the subject, the 60 however is more versatile and the AF is much faster.

For WA you have to decide first if you'll use prime lens like the Nikon 10.5 fish eye, 16mm, sigma 15mm fish eye or more versatile zoom lens like the 12-24 or the new Tokina 10-17 fisheye that is the current 'star' here (see the threads about it).

I used the Ikelite system with the D80 and it was very easy to get along with and the TTL with the DS125 was excellent.

There is little to criticise about that housing. Perhaps the only thing is that it is quite big.

Alex

I've been using the D80 in an Ikelite housing for the past 6 motnhs and I am more than happy with this setup. Probably done about 100 or so dives with it so I've given it a pretty good flogging.

If you are interested in some pics from this setup I have added some shots to my website taken over the past 2 weeks in Sulawesi: http://www.daveharasti.com/Sulawesi/index.html

In the above photo's all the shots (with the exception of the really wide angle pics) were taken using a single or dual DS125's strobes set on TTL. I have found that the TTL on the Ikelite housing works exceptionally well and its very easy to change the TTL power (+/-) by a simple turn of the TTL knowb on the back of the housing. I never ever used TTL previously until I started using the D80 in the Ike housing.

The lens that I recommend are the Sigma 17-70mm zoom macro as this is the most versatile lens and you can pick it up for around $350 US. I also love the Nikon 60mm however more recently I have been using the Tamron 90mm and I have to say the 90mm is a great lens to use.

I occasionally use the Nikon 12-24mm but I use this lens infrequently as I prefer to use the versatility of the Sigma 17-70mm. Whilst in Sulawesi I came across a pair of Halmeda Ghost Pipefish (pretty rare) but unfortunately I had to cry as I had the 12-24mm lens on... Murphy's law. I would have been able to take shots of them if I was using the 17-70mm.

And then there was the Dugong when I had the 90mm lens on.... you just have to have a good sense of humour!

cheers,

Dave

Thanks for all the comments. Yeah A DSLR freak (another anorak to add to the closet).

The Ike sounds like the one then, also I like the sound of the sigma 17-17mm and the 60 or 90mm macro. I understand the frustration as I see my friend Nick Hope (Bubblevision.com) go through the headache of deciding on which lens to use. Especially when you do sites like Richelieu Rock or Black Rock that have ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimp, seahorses, etc. Only to have a whapping great whale shark swim by. Oh life is hard I know.

thanx again

Spencer

Hello all. Didn't want to start a new thread as there are plenty regarding the D80 underwater setup.

Anyway, I'm planning to go the direction of a D80 and Ikelite setup with 2 main lenses to start off with - the 60mm and the 12-24mm. I've read on the Ike website that if you use a 12-24mm with the port body and 8" Dome port, you'll also need a +2 diopter to "enhance corner sharpness". Does anyone have any photos to share that can show the differences in corner sharpness for comparison between having an attached +2 diopter and without? I don't know if it will really matter to me yet, since I'm still new at this and this will be my first venture into the DSLR world. They've also said that at its widest setting, vignetting can occur. What are the alternative solutions to this?

Also, what are the benefits of using a 8" dome to a 6" dome?

IMHO, I would go with the 60mm and the Tokina 10-17 FE. The 10-17 focuses a lot closer than the 12-24. The 10-17 has a minimum focus distance of 5.5 inches, where the 12-24 has a minimum focus distance of about 12 inches (11.76). This can make a big difference under water.

Just my 0.02

I got the kit lens, 18- 135mm ( nice topside zoom) with my D80 and a 60mm macro lens as it was what I could afford at the time.

I decided last week to see what the kit lens could do in the flat port i have for the macro.

On 18mm the corners were a bit dark but from about 24-35mm( where it hits the port) the shots were very good. So if you are on a tight budget to begin with, the kit lens will get you some reasonable wide angle. Nothing like the 10.5 but still better than having a macro lens on to shoot sharks with.

Gerard

Gerard

Do you have your photos online to be viewed? I would very much like to see the photos you took with the 18-135 lens.

I've put some on picassa for you to have a look at. I loaded them as they were, no cropping or editing.

Gerard

http://picasaweb.google.com/khanti888/Unde...ShootoutDay2Sat

Hi All

Just wanted to say thanks for all the comments and advice and I have finally gone and ordered an

Ikelite Housing for my D80

ds-125 strobes

Nikon 60mm

Tokina 12-24mm

Ordered it from Adorama and saved $250 over bhp. Will be here the middle of next month and wet the day after it arrives

Dave H, I went through your galleries, you have a lot of fantastic images and a very keen eye to find them!

ScubaSpen

Congrats on your new purchase. What you bought is also the core of my system. Did you buy a dome for the Tokina? I bought the 8".

David

Hi All

 

Just wanted to say thanks for all the comments and advice and I have finally gone and ordered an

 

Ikelite Housing for my D80

ds-125 strobes

Nikon 60mm

Tokina 12-24mm

 

Ordered it from Adorama and saved $250 over bhp. Will be here the middle of next month and wet the day after it arrives