need advice: tokina 10-17 or second flash?

2 months ago I purchased my first DSLR, a Canon 40D with Ikelite housing and a Ikelite ds-125 flash.

I especially like wide angle photography and put on my sigma 10-20 whenever I get the chance in our murky Dutch waters

In a couple of months I'm going to Sipadan for ten days and since my spendings have left me with little to spare I am now wondering what the best buy would be: a tokina 10-17 fish-eye lens or a second ds-125 flash.

I have seen some amazing pictures taken with the Tokina and am leaning towards buying one, but I'm afraid that one DS-125 won't do the job with a fisheye lens.

What would be the best investment for great pictures??

cheers Daniel

I am now wondering what the best buy would be: a tokina 10-17 fish-eye lens or a second ds-125 flash.

 

cheers Daniel

If you're fairly satisfied with what you're getting out of the 10-20, my vote would be for the second flash.

Mike

Hi Daniel,

Welcome to Wetpixel, glad to see another 40D shooter on the site! I don't have any experience with the 10-20 so I may be all wet. What do you think the 10-17 will give you that your current lens won't?

I'm confident you can get some great images with the 10-17 and the one strobe. If I had to pick between my Tokina or a strobe I'd take the lens every time. Of course the other side of the coin is redundancy. If you have trouble with a strobe you'd have a back up and you're a long way from home.. It's an interesting question. Sure you can't eat bread and water for a month and get both?

Steve

Yeah, I agree with Steve. The 10-17 is an excellent lens but I'm not sure what it would give you that the Sigma does not already. As Steve suggests, having the second strobe provides you with some strobe redundancy if, God forbid, your 125 fails.

But asking which would be better, lens or strobe, is a bit like asking if you prefer lobster or beef. (Or comparing apples with oranges). But that's probably why someone came up with surf n'turf.

Steve's right: starve for a while and buy them both. You know it makes sense.......

May I ask if you have or will be bringing a Macro Lens (60mm). At Sipadan, you will do only two dives a day off Sipadan island and the rest at Mabul/Kapalai. Most resorts there offer unlimited diving at their house reef too. If you are not diving off Sipadan itself (and the Sigma will do great there), you will be doing Muck diving at Mabul and Kapalai. The 60mm Macro is certainly the lens to take muck diving. You will see stuff such as Pygmy seahorses, Frogfish, Mandarin fish, etc. There are not too many wide opportunities unless you are diving Sipadan itself. Due to regulations, the number of divers allowed off Sipadan is very limited. No more than a couple of hundred a day (to be shared between all the resorts). This is why all the resorts offer only 2 boat dives a day to Sipadan, 1 boat dive at Mabul or Kapalai and some have unlimited shore diving too.

For this trip, I would get the 60 Macro if you don't already have one, followed by the 2nd strobe. Heck, if you are not happy with the performance of the 10-20 then sell it and buy the 10-17 Tokina too!

When are you going and where will you be staying? I went there twice last year and will be going in mid October this year. I stayed at Sipadan Water Village. I love that place!

The Tokina and the Sigma are different lenses. The Sigma is a rectilinear ultrawide (weitwinkel) zoom that will give you approximately 70-100 degrees of coverage. It's an alternative to a Nikon 12-24 or Canon 10-22. The Tokina is a fisheye lens covering rougly 100-180 degrees (165 on Canon) it's an alternative to Nikons 10.5 and 16mm fisheyes, and to the Sigma 10 and 15mm fisheyes.

I use the Sigma 10-20 and also the Nikon 10.5. I can't really say that one lens 'take better pictures'. They are just suitable for different jobs.

So, you actually 'need' both for a complete wide angle arsenal

And a second strobe is also 'needed'. Better check out that water and bread diet suggested by Steve

cheers

Anybody have both the 10-22 (or Sigma 10-20) and the Tokina 10-17? Which do you find most useful underwater, and why? In what situations would you use one over the other?

-- Martin

Anybody have both the 10-22 (or Sigma 10-20) and the Tokina 10-17? Which do you find most useful underwater, and why? In what situations would you use one over the other?

 

-- Martin

I have them both and i never use the Sigma underwater since i have the Tok. The Sigma is still a nice topside lens.

To Daniel: i'd get a 2nd strobe first before i'd buy the Tokina. The 10-20 is easier to work with and you own it already. IMO, you need 2 strobes for WA photography anyway, especially if you don't have a lightcanon like a big subtronic or seacam.

cheers, Udo

thanks everyone for the advice, I think the best was indeed the water and bread diet (thanks Steve)

better stay away from the for a while!

I'm indeed also considering selling the sigma an getting te Tokina, but since I'm spending 3 weeks above water in Borneo after Sipadan, I'm still not sure. The Sigma is a great topside lens and I really like it for landscapes (also HDR).

The Tokina, being a fisheye, will show a lot of curves, even at 17 mm...

Eskasi; I own a 60mm macrolens as well, and intend to use it on those small critters at Mabul and Kapalai

I'm there for 10 days starting at the 17th of september, so I'll be long gone when you're there. We are staying at the Mabul Smart water bungalows.

has anyone ever tried the Tokina wit a single strobe?

Just yesterday I learned that Ikelite is replacing the ds 125 with the ds 160, I'm wondering if it's a good idea to combine those 2 or if it would be better to buy a ds 125 will they're still being sold (good excuse, right?)

arghh, choices, choices...

and now I'll have to start saving for the ds 160

I have both and the advantage of the Tokina over the Sigma is its ability to focus closely, it can focus on something touching the dome port

and you can take self portraits

All three of these taken with a single strobe and the Tokina. The Sigma has not been underwater since I got the Tokina.