Upgrade to DSLR Canon 40D - Reality check

Looking to upgrade from my canon S3 IS in an Ikelite to an DSLR system.

I'm leaning towards the Seatool housing because of the small size of the housing, ability to use this with my current strobe (INON Z240) through the optical trigger and the relative price compared with the Subal or Zillion housing. I had a look at the Nexus housing as well for the same reasons as the Seatool, but I can't find a whole lot of information about it. ??? For example I can't find which Ports, gears etc are available and the prices.

I can buy the Seatool housing here in Singapore through an athorised dealer, which gives me some comfort when I have any problems.

The next thing I have to decide are the lenses and consequent port system. I'm thinking to start with a ultra wide (weitwinkel) Angle or Fisheye as well as a dedicated macro (60mm) or zoom with macro. I could play around with the the Sigma 17-70mm today and I think this might be a nice choice for underwater (shark action at 25mm and macro at 60 mm), next to that this lens could function as a topside lens as well for the time being.

First choices of lenses:

Wide Angle / Fishe Eye

Tokina 11-17 f3.5-4.5 (fish eye) (seems to be the proffered FE here in the forum)

Canon 10-22 f3.5-4.5 USM (UWA)

Tokina 11-16 f2.8 AT-X (UWA), receives great reviews, but no Seatool modular port available as far as I know.

Zoom / Macro

Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 DC Macro Autofocus (anybody some underwater experience with this lens)

Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM

I hope I'm on the right track in choosing my system for the coming years, but I would love to get your input and suggestions.

Seatool plus Tokina 11-17 f3.5-4.5 (fish eye) plus Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM looks like a good kit to me.

I have a bunch of lenses for which I have the focus/zoom gear and which I have tried underwater:

- Sigma 10-20

- Tokina 10-17 fisheye (not 11-17, btw)

- Sigma 17-70

- Canon 100 macro

- Sigma 50 macro

Of these, the Tokina 10-17 fisheye is by far my most useful wideangle lens. I have rarely, if ever, taken the Sigma 10-20 underwater since I got the Tokina.

I dont like the 17-70 that much. Useful focal length, but I prefer focusing on either WA or macro when I shoot, and the 17-70 does neither particularly well.

The 100mm macro is great if you want to shoot little critters. It is the lens I used all the time in Mabul and with some very nice results.

I also got the Sigma 50/2.5 macro a couple of weeks ago and have been playing with it over the last week - I really like this lens as well! It gives me large enough magnification to shoot critters and is also a useful lens for shooting fish portraits. For jittery subjects (such as skeleton shrimp) and pure macro, the extra working distance of the 100mm is nicer but the 50mm is a really handy focal length as well.

Be aware that this lens is an absolute turd when it comes to AF, especially at high mags. I'd have preferred the 60mm, but I preferred the FF coverage of the Sigma 50mm. Despite the AF issues, this lens is versatile enough that it has replaced the Sigma 17-70 as my "general purpose" lens.

So in short, the 10-17fisheye and a 50-60mm macro lens is indeed a good way to start. Add the 100mm if you are serious about macro, however.

Vandit

Thanks for the input!

I think the Tokina 10-17 FE will be my first lens, and I have to play arround with a macro 60 or 100mm to determine if I have to make the investment now for 3 lenses as I'll buy the 17-70 for above water.