Is a port allowing Manual Focus Needed for 105 lens?

Hi all,

I'm making the final decisions on deciding what ports to buy for my soon-to-be-acquired Subal housing.

Currently I own the 10.5mm and 60mm lens for uw. I'm buying the dome port for the 10.5.

My big dilemma is what port to purchase for macro. Although I don't currently own the 105 mm lens, I plan on purchasing it very soon. The shop I'm purchasing the housing from said that most uw photographers use AF for the 60mm lens, but that most use Manual Focus for the 105mm lens as it tends to hunt focus.

I'm debating between purchasing the FP90, flat port at about $279 and going with the more expensive port allowing Manual Focus costing about $300 more than the FP90. The rational is that, although I would not need it now for the 60mm lens presumably, I WOULD need it later for the 105 and adding an extension would be a lot cheaper than buying a completely different port later on when I acquire the 105mm lens.

A little background is that I'm a former Nik V user and am relatively new to Auto Focus. I have never used an AF lens uw. So, I don't really know what works and what doesn't work when trying to capture images uw as far as focus goes.

Would you buy the FP90 now for use with the 60mm lens or would you buy the more expensive port that allows MF in anticipation you would need it with the 105mm lens?

Thanks for helping me think this thing through to the end.

Ellen

Ellen,

You are talking about the 105vr lens, correct?

Here is my experience:

I have separate ports for the 60mm and the 105vr. This happened because the Subal 105vr port was not out yet when I purchased my d200/Subal/ND20, etc last October.

This is the expensive way to go but I have AF/MF with both. I know Alex Mustard and Luiz Rocha use the 105vr in their own ports w/extension rings, I'm not sure if they are 90 or not. Alex and Luiz don't have the MF knob but don't seem to miss it.

In my recent experiments with the 105vr (I spent about 15 hours underwater with it recently), I was able to use the 105vr/new Subal 105vr port and a combination of Kenko 2X teleconverter/2 ex rings and I could still use the manual focus knob. This came in very handy with the Kenko 2X TC and really small stuff, but you can also lock focus and just manually move in and out - I did that sometimes too. But it was nice to have all the options.

But the new Subal 105vr port is a strange 120mm diameter size instead of the smaller diameter of the 60 port I have. This means if you want to use the Nexus Wet Lens with the new Subal 105vr port you have to get one special made. Also if you want to fit a diopter in the new Subal 105vr port you will either have to use an extension ring and lose the use of the MF knob (then you might as well have the adapted 90 port for cheaper!!!!!), or you might be able to remove the outside ring of the diopter and fit it on the lens with blu tak. I'm going to try to do this and take it out this week. I'll let you know how it goes.

So ask around I don't know what you should do. Depends if you really, really want the MF knob or not. If you can live w/o it you can save a bit of $$$ - and you can still sort of manual focus with the AF-L and moving the camera in and out eyeballing it. Sometimes it even works better, sometimes it doesn't work better.

Just my recent experience w/it.

Best, Carol

Hi Ellen,

I use Nexus housed D70S and have the 60mm and 105mm micro lenses. Most of my shooting is done with the 60mm and if I want to get in really close then i push on the Nexus wet diopter. I have also used the 105mm on a few occasions and have had problems with the 'hunting' issue, although I find that this is mainly due to the lack of light and a good focus light fixes this problem straight away...

HTH,

Bruce...

I use a Canon 100 macro with a Subal AF port, since the MF option is not available. No problems. Actually, I find the best tool is a good focus light which allows fast, reliable AF. Even without the focus light, though, the f2.8 aperature makes AF fairly easy. A good focus light would make manual focusing easier, too, in low light/low contrast situations.

i mostly use auto focus with the 105. What i do use and find very handy is a gear that allows me to put it into manual from auto. I often get the range i want with the auto, then i lock it into manual and then move the camera back and forth until my subject is in focus, no more hunting issue. I very rarely use the manual focus gear itself.

Not sure how the new 105 goes from manual to auto but should have a similar feature.

i mostly use auto focus with the 105. What i do use and find very handy is a gear that allows me to put it into manual from auto.

Mike,

Are you talking about the switch on the lens that allows you to put it into manual from auto? Where is the gear located that allows you to put it into manual?

I'm geting the impression from what you and others are saying that it is very possible to function without the manual focus gear on the port. I think I'll just order the plain old FP90 and take my chances. When I get the 105 (not sure yet whether it will be the VR-less version or the VR version of the lens), I'll cross that bridge of which port to buy. By then, hopefully I'll have some experience with the 60mm lens on which to draw.

I'll probably use the D70S and Subal housing locally (Puget Sound) before I dive in tropical waters and I think the 60mm lens would be the best lens for the cold water environment I'll be in.

Tanks!

Ellen

In order to do what Mr Veitch says, you can get the range you want with the auto and then use the switch C,S,M to lock it on M and then move back and forth.

Mike, the new 105 has an override manual focus mode, so if you have a manual focus port you don´t need to turn any switch between Auto-manual...