Socorro lens options

Hi All

I have a trip to Socorro planned and am trying to work out what I am going to take with me.

My current setup consists of a D7000 + nauticam housing, tokina 10-17 + mini dome and a TC (I am assuming the macro is staying at home)

I wanted to get peoples feedback on what is good and bad with the current setup and then options on another lens that I could purchase and take.

Let me know what you think

Possibly a wide angle zoom like a sigma 10-20mm or Nikon 10-24mm

Both will require a large dome and end up being fairly expensive and much larger than your compact dome

the risk you have is to be stuck on the 17mm end of your tokina if the fish don't come close enough

Probably wise to look at fairly long arm and couple of strong strobes

Thanks for the feedback Interceptor, I know what you mean about being stuck on the 17mm of the tokina, I had this problem with sharks in the Maldives last year, they just did not come close enough, hence the question.

I had some info on the dome this weekend and saw that it wasnt as expensive as I first thought (nauticam 8.5" acrylic dome) hence the questions and it looks quite versatile and it can be used with many lenses.

I already have a 11-16mm tokina that I use for landscapes, but I dont think this is too hot underwater.

decisions, decisions!

You can use the 10-17 + the TC and get a little more reach. I've found this to be a sharper solution than the Sigma 17-70 which is about the only other lens I like underwater. The 17-70 is fairly useful and has a good range including sort of a close-up mode. But I don't think it's got stellar sharpness.

I've shot all three of these solutions down there. Mid-range zooms tend to be slower lenses and don't shoot very well uw (poor corners, etc.). Socorros can be murky at times.

I think a larger dome does give other options, and you can shoot at more wide open apertures than in the mini-dome, so I would recommend looking into that. The 17-70 requires a large dome and a 50mm extension, so it tends to be a bit bulky for shooting in blue water. Shooting a 60 behind a dome is a decent sort of shark setup for more reach, fairly sharp and fast, no extension.

Here's a couple of examples shot there.

Sigma 17-70 D300:

Manta 3/4 Overhead by Optical Ocean, on Flickr

Manta Head shot by Optical Ocean, on Flickr

This was at 29mm, and could of been shot wider, but the Manta was moving quickly.

Tokina 10-17, 7" Dome, with D300 (same trip):

Manta Eye level by Optical Ocean, on Flickr

Friendly Dolphin by Optical Ocean, on Flickr

Hope that helps!

Jack

Jack, many thanks for the info, it gives me something else to consider.

I just looked through your other Socorro pictures on flickr, very nice. I see that you have been a few times, got any other tips?

Either bring the most powerful strobes with long float arms you can find, or shoot available light. Bring spares, you're a long ways from getting anything.

Don't chase the animals, if you're quiet and just raise one arm to the mantas they will come right over to you! Let the others waste their air, then you'll have them to yourself. We actually got to the point where we staged ourselves to go in about 10mins after the rest of the group when we were diving off the boat.

Don't be afraid to shoot divers in the photos, I think a lot of the best ones I like have the diver in it (if you can find a decent model), gives scale and drama to the images.

Jack

Jack

Many thanks for the tips, really appreciate it

Jack is hugely experienced, but I think that he is a bit proscriptive about lenses. I used a mid-range Nikon zoom, a fisheye and a teleconverter on the fisheye. I used small strobes and relied on the natural light for the greater part of the exposure as the water was quite murky around Socorro, although it went on for ever and ever at la Roca Partida...

I did reasonably well, I think.

Revillagigedos and La Paz, 2010

Sometimes you want to get in closer: not all of the good stuff is big! Not to mention the visibility again, which can be poor at times.

Tim, many thanks for your comments, I have looked through your photos before and was impressed.

Can you let me know what mid range zoom you used?

I've had a brief look into the prices of various options, it aint cheap and at the moment Im not sure if I want to invest anymore into my current system

Tim,

Proscriptive? Heck, in my old age, I've been going back to primes. Fast, cheap and sharp. Zoom with your fins!

Not to get off the OP's questions, but I'm dying to try the Nikon 28 f/1.8 on a D800 there...

Echo Tim's comments about murkiness at times in Socorros... viz can be up and down, as wind blows volcanic ash off the islands into the water, or surge stirs up the bottom. Of course, that's when you see the largest schools of hammerheads...

Whatever lens you take, you'll have a great time!

Jack

San Benedicto (1st time)-1 by Optical Ocean, on Flickr