17-40 vs 15mm on 5D MKIII for Galapagos: your input?

Looking for advice here. I've got a 5D MKIII with a Canon 17-40 f4L zoom in an Ikelite Housing with 8" dome port. I'm headed to the Galapagos Islands in a couple of months. I was pretty happy with the 17-40 when shooting in Bonaire last year, but since Galapagos is such a special destination, I am thinking hard about what to shoot.

Obviously, the advantage of the 17-40 for the Galapagos is that I can zoom, and the subjects that I want to shoot in Galapagos are big (whale sharks, schooling rays, hammerheads, etc). I am counting on the great low light resolution of the 5D MKIII to allow me to push the ISO up and not worry about the f4 and higher apertures. I know some people complain about vignetting and distortion with the 17-40 when it is as wide as possible, but that does not bother me. I kept it around 19mm max wide previously and was happy.

However, I've seen some nice shots with the 15mm lenses from both Sigma and Canon, and I'm looking for input from anyone that has compared them to the 17-40. I'm worried that if I switch to a 15mm that I may lose some shots when I can't get as close (where I would miss the 40mm end).

Or, I might track down a Canon 16-35 f2.8 version 1 if people point me strongly in that direction. The newer 16-35 v2 won't fit in an Ikelite housing/port due to its size.

Thanks in advance for any input, experiences, etc.

I would start with the 17-40 or the 16-35. Get your solo hammerhead, sealion shots in the can. Then once you have those put on the 15mm and you can go for the big school shots and if lucky up close whale shark shots.

Hey Ed,

Thanks for the post. I've been trying to hunt down some info and came across your post. I'm in the market for a housing for my 5D III. I've been leaning towards the Ikelite housing and I was wondering if you would have the time to answer a few questions I had.

1. How do you like the housing? People have been trying to steer me towards the Nauticam for double the price but I'm not sure if it is worth it. Is the Ikelite that clunky to work underwater?

2. What strobe setup do you use? I was considering getting the Ikelite DS 161s but some say that the video lights are not worth their while. Any thoughts about this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is quite a tough topic to find information on. By the way, I haven't shot with it underwater but the I found the 17-40mm to have slightly soft corners and suffer from chromatic aberration. If that doesn't bother you then you should be fine. Do you have any photos from the trip to post? thanks again!

Ed,

I too am contemplating the same thing. We will be down there the first week of August on the aggressor. We basically have the same setup except with the mark ii. My wife shoots the photos and me video, we each have our own mark ii. I am considering renting a 17-40mm as I think we may both want to use it at the same time. So I need another one. It is a hard decision, as I am not that pleased with the soft edges it has. Do you have a diopter on it? I have heard it makes the edges better....I need to do more research.

I don't think the 16-35 v1 is the answer. I have heard that lens is not very good, but don't have personal experience with it. Even the new version isn't much better than the 17-40..certainly it worth the extra money.

The thiNG I worry about with the fisheye, is getting people in the shots.. It is hard to avoid.

Dustin

Hey Ed,

 

Thanks for the post. I've been trying to hunt down some info and came across your post. I'm in the market for a housing for my 5D III. I've been leaning towards the Ikelite housing and I was wondering if you would have the time to answer a few questions I had.

 

1. How do you like the housing? People have been trying to steer me towards the Nauticam for double the price but I'm not sure if it is worth it. Is the Ikelite that clunky to work underwater?

 

2. What strobe setup do you use? I was considering getting the Ikelite DS 161s but some say that the video lights are not worth their while. Any thoughts about this?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is quite a tough topic to find information on. By the way, I haven't shot with it underwater but the I found the 17-40mm to have slightly soft corners and suffer from chromatic aberration. If that doesn't bother you then you should be fine. Do you have any photos from the trip to post? thanks again!

I have the ikelite mark ii housing, and here are my considerations....I only do 2-3 dive trips a year and it was hard for me to justify a aluminum housing for that little of diving. The Ike is definitely the cheapest. Their support is great, but I live in USA, so not sure what your experience will be. Also, I have had 3 Ike housings, and all of them have had stuck button issues. I sent it in, and ikelite drilled the button holes a little wider and put in a stiffer spring. Haven't had an issue since, but they don't do this normally. Plus pictures are just as good out of the ikelite as any other housing. Having said all of that, on my next one, I will be going with the nauticam. They are just designed better, and are stronger. The Ike could crack easily, and I just dont want to worry anymore. Ike is good to get into underwater photography but you eventually will want the aluminum housing.

As for the ikelitem161's. They are not worth it. A good an powerful focus light would be better. I was in backscatter last week and sea and sea has a new strobe out, and they say that is all they sell now. The Ike's are heavier, and have the big battery, which you want spares of...the sea and sea is 4 aa's...and cheaper... No question in my mind, I would go with the sea and sea, or Inon's for that matter. The Ike's are too big and heavy...again, work great but....

Hope that helps

Dustin

Im in a similar position, have the 5Diii and 17-40mm lens. Have only shot underwater with a compact and INON wide angle lenses in the past. I love the hugyfot housing but the not its price! So thinking of getting an ikelite and 1 or possibly 2 strobes. Which would be good options to start with? I would be diving Indonesia, hopefully with sharks of southern Africa and Galapagos in the next year or two where I hope to get some of the larger subjects mentioned above. Something thats rugged and not too bulky would be favourable for me. I've found INON gear to be quite robust to date. Any suggestions?

Also on a separate note, I've just joined this forum and been unable to post in the classifieds section. Is this normal? Does anyone know who i contact about this?

If there is a zoom gear, go for 17 40L