DSLR Wetmates

Having progressed over the past three years or so from my first Oly 3040 to the 4040 and then the 5050, the ability to switch from wide angle to macro during the course of a dive using Inon wetmate lenses is what I enjoy most about my point and shoot housings. It offers me huge advantages in photo opportunity on a single dive.

I've been using a D70 topside since May 2004 and have accumulated the right lenses for use with my long awaited housing. Okay so here's the thing: along the way I keep asking myself whether vendors are missing something so simple in its elegance. A solution which combines the use of a bright say 20, 24 or 28mm fixed lens in a short flat port that allows the addition of threaded wetmate lenses on the outside. One closeup and the other wideangle (just like the Inon UWL-100, UCL-330). If such an offering were available I’m sure that many would be less inclined to feel that moving forward to a DSLR incurs a step away from photo-opportunity.

I have had a play at using my Inon UWL-100 with both a 24mm Nikkor and the kit lens lens with semi-passable results (lens diameter in both cases by coincidence is 67mm as is the Inon wetmates). I'd hardly call it a proof of concept; more food for thought as the add-ons are too heavy for practical use directly on the lens. This may however be a different story if attached to the outside of a housing port. Do all of those point and shoot users who have experienced the versatility of wetmate lenses and who are now progressing to DSLRs have had similar thoughts? Any comments the technical feasibility of my suggestion? If you are a vendor reading this post please feel free to pursue.

Thanks,

Colin

Hi Colin,

I think that you have a good idea. And it is certainly one that we discussed when all DSLRs were cropped sensor and we didn't have a full frame fisheye.

http://www.wetpixel.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic...ic-t-2834.phtml

Once reason that it hasn't happened already is that my photog believe that the best images are produced when all the kit is optimised for the shot. If you want to shoot scenics you have the best wide angle optics, the right strobe arms and strobes etc. Supplimentary lenses imply a compromise of this ideal and so while are popular on consumer systems (MX10, Oly PT series) they tend to be less prominent in pro-sumer kit like dSLRs. Not that they wouldn't be a good thing. For pros it is often easier to carry a second (3rd, 4th) camera (å la Doubilet) or stay on location long enough to repeat the dive with the camera optimised to new subject.

Alex

Hi Alex

I agree with the points you make about having optimal lenses for specific tasks although I do see some reported use of multi-purpose zoom lenses underwater which are also usually a compromise. My hope is that if the optics were really sharp & bright on a fixed, base lens and the external wet mates were a perfect match then such a compromise could be minimized and may not differ much from the trade-off in using an internal multi-purpose zoom. That’s what I would hope for anyway

It would be great to have multiple rigs, unlimited baggage allowances and camera bearers; but, for us lesser mortals compromising for the sake of cost, size, weight and photo-opportunity may be tolerated. A scenario which supports my point of view: typically a non-pro underwater photographer goes to a dive location and dives for a week or so. If it is land based then the package may include a couple of dives a day with a couple of night dives. If it is a liveaboard then the number of dives may be greater with perhaps more choice. The dives themselves are generally guided but also often cater for non-photographers. It has been my experience that guides prefer non-photographers for the simple and selfish reason that less movement for someone not focused on shooting invites cold and boredom. Did you ever get the feeling you were being hurried along by a guide? I digress but in this scenario there is a distinct advantage in being able to cater for the unexpected, eg. being able to capture the arrival of the whale shark on the same dive as that nudibranch.

My point is that I see an increasing demand for high quality wetswappable lens/port combinations married to the correct housed, fixed (base) lens. The newer Canon and Nikon DSLRS have further opened the gates to quality underwater imaging; with the production figures I read recently for the D70 (90,000 units per month) we can expect to see larger numbers going into underwater housings. You only have to look at the number of vendors rushing their underwater offerings to market to see that they have recognized this. Judging from my own personal experience and reported waits, most are not able to keep up with demand for housings. If I were in the business of producing after-market add-ons I would be asking myself: a) is it commercially feasible; B) if yes, then is it technically feasible. I would suggest that wetmates for DSLRs should warrant R&D spending for anyone in the game of offering innovative solutions.

Colin

Hi Colin,

Have you ever heard the expression "one size fits all rarely fits anyone?" I think that's true for underwater shooting as well. The situation you listed above is typical of "point and shoot" photographers - however, that group rarely springs the thousands of $$$ required to get a DSLR and a good lens and housing. For that kind of shooting, most people are happy with an Oly 5050 and Inon lens.

Some video cameras have wetmount widangle lenses, don't they? The LMI Titan for the E20 (a DSLR) also had a wetmate macro and wideangle lens. Nexususa and Backscatter sell wet-mate macro lenses for DSLR's, etc.

The thing is, I don't believe it's possible to shoot macro and wideangle on the same dive and get good results at both extremes. The reason it works for consumer cameras is that they typically have 35-105mm (equivalent) lenses. That's a zoom range that almost no-one prefers for underwater use so you really need a wetmount WA lens. If the camera came with a 15mm lens, things might be different I suppose.

It's conceivable that you could mount a 28-105mm Nikkor and use a wet-mate wideangle lens to go from say 28 * 0.75 = 21mm and decent results. Maybe someone should try it with one of the old Light and Motion wetmate wideangles. I bet they're harder to sell on ebay than ice to an eskimo so there are perhaps some still laying around.

Cheers

James

As an EX "point and shoot" guy with all the attachments (wetmate lenses on a Tetra), I will chime in here.

I started like most, switching lenses for each photo op that I came accross or swam by. As I my skills progressed, and I learned more, I found, like many others, that planning your photo profile was as important as planning your dive profile.

My shots got much better when i pre-planned what i was going to shoot on a dive. I still took my other lens, but in most cases if a "once in a lifetime" event was occuring, by the time I switched lenses and reconfigured for the shot, the shot was gone.

In other words, the limitations of a dSLR are probably a benefit, as you are not able to change your profile, and are forced to work on getting the shots you intended in the first place!

My $.02

I think the question of technical feasibility needs to be answered. Richard, re. your point on skill progression and planned photo profiles: I agree that wherever possible planned profiles are essential and that can be done once familiar with a site or even with the assistance of guides willing to share their knowledge. It’s not always possible on first exposure to a location. I guess the point that I'm making is that of taking full advantage of every opportunity by having the working tools available. Ten years ago the ability to own gear which allowed me to review quality still underwater images in real-time was a figment of my imagination. Ten years ago the size and weight of housing were significantly larger than today. Does consumer optics progress at the same rate as consumer digital technology? Perhaps if the demand & incentive exists...