Advice needed

Hi all,

Im quite new to this game of diving but love it, especially when I can video or take pictures. So far I have only used my girlfriends MX10 but managed to get some really good results from a weeks diving in Egypt. I will post some up when I get around to having them scanned.

Anyway, as this has aroused my passion for taking photos, I was thinking of housing my Nikon D70. Currently I only have the 18-70 lens which brings me to my first question. What are really good lenses for use underwater?

Im thinking of purchasing a macro and maybe dedicated wide angle lens.

My second question is what would fellow D70 owners suggest as a housing?

I think I lean towards Ikelite at the moment but that all depends if there is anything else suitable out there.

It all comes down to money: I have replaced my Nikonos's and a compact digital with a D70 in a Nexus housing, which although it's great value, isn't cheap. The cheapest good stuff is probably Ikelite. The BEST stuff is probably Subal or Seacam. If you want the easy way out, use a macro lens with a flat port (I am not an expert), if you want "seascapes" then the fisheye lenses with a dome port are the way to go. A strobe (= underwater flash) is almost essential for good pictures, relatively easy to use for close-ups, but difficult to use with a fisheye. Some wideangle lenses will take a UR-PRO filter, that gives good colours without strobes in shallow water.

Some photo. shops' websites, like Ocean Optics and Cameras Underwater in the UK, have useful information as well as product promotion.

Good luck!

B)

Hey Fishhunter - welcome to the road to ruin........

Lenses: you should find the 18-70mm lens useful for general "fish pictures". You won't get very close focus, nor very wide but it will give you the ability to get some decent fish portraits.

After that it depends on whether you fancy a crack at macro - a good place to start u/w photog as you can take pictures of things that don't move quite as much and work on lighting etc. If you get the D70, a Nikkor 60mm is the natural way to go.

Then you could take a look at a wide-angle. I would suggest either the 10.5mm or 12-24 Nikkor. Both produce good results. The 10.5 is a bit more of a challenge to use but can produce some awesome images and is terrific for wrecks and divers-near-coral/fish pics. The 12-24 is a bit more general purpose-wide.

As for a housing: like most of u/w photgraphy, it depends on your budget. I agree with tdpriest that Subal is the best. But not cheap. One thing to bear in mind is that the housing is only half the equation. You need the ports too.

A port that will take the 10.5 and the 12-24 for Subal is the DP-FE2 and this is not a cheap piece of glass. Its big too and travelling with it requires a bit of thought. You would need a different port for the 60mm macro - but happily this is cheaper! Then you need a zoom adaptor ring for the 12-24 and extension rings for the port for the 18-70 and the 12-24. And a diopter for the 18-70. It all adds up - and hence welcoming you to the road to ruin. And to huge amounts of pleasure.

If I was going to limit myself to two lens for UW use.....I would choose the 105macro and the Sigma 15 FE for WA

I've got all the lens and use each one in differenct situations, but these two are my workhorses

Karl

For a starter, as you are, I would recommend that you just stick to the lens you have right now, get it in a housing with the proper port for it (don't forget to put on a diopter on the 18-70) and play with it.

You eventually run against the limitations of this lens and than you will find out better what lens or type of photo's you like. When I started with analog slr, the first 1,5 year I had only a crappy 35-70 and it worked just fine for me.

Strobes: start with just one.

What concerns housings, I agree with all of the above.

You might stick with the zoom lens for now, but add a macro lens like the 60 or 105. Your wallet will determine your housing. You can go from a cheaper brand to Seacam. If you are shooting real wide angle, the most versitile lens I recommend is the Nikon 12-24. You can get some great stuff with this lens and its good when you don't know what you will shoot due to the zoom.

Joe

Thanks guys, some useful info here.

I have looked at the 10.5 FE by Nikkor and I think this is going to be my next lens. Just need to find a way to get one from the US as they are far cheaper than they are here in the UK. Still not sure about which macro lens Im going to opt for.

I think maybe Ikelite is the way forward as a beginner. I do like the clear casing and would feel more comfortable being able to see any leakage problems, god forbid! Plus its a little easier on the pocket. Does anyone think I would be compromising the optics of my lenses by opting for an Ikelite case?

As far as my budget goes Im prepared to "invest" upto 4 thousand GBP, just over $7000, but I need the 10.5FE and a macro lens from thsi money. I already have the D70 and the 18-70 lens.

I was thinking of 2 strobes because looking back at my MX10 pictures, the shadow seems to ruin some of them, whereas I figure with 2 angled strobes I will be able to eliminate most of those unsightly shadows.

Im going to be travelling to Thailand over the Christmas period on my first outing, taking in Hin Daeng/Muang, The Similans and Richeleau Rock so I want to make sure I get this right from the start as its not every day you get to visit these places.

One further question. Is it a good or bad idea to look at the second hand market for some of these goodies?

I have been totally screwed on the second hand market by purchasing items on Ebay and the crook vanishes after he sends me a dead camera. Buying from this group or one of the other forum members is pretty safe, but I would only purchase second hand from reputable establishments. Stay away from Ebay.

Joe

Yeah, I agree with Joe. Be careful of eBay! But the regular wetpixelers are a pretty decent bunch to buy from.

I have had mixed results too getting stuff from the US. Some US camera companies (B&H and J&R) will not ship outside the US; and I have got hit with some fairly hefty shipping (and VAT) costs. Good luck with it though.

If you plan to use two strobes and travel a lot, I have found the Inons pretty good. They don't take up a lot of space and I have been able to get two, the arms, the housing and ports into a Pelican box which I can take into the plane cabin with me.

Cheers guys, I'll let you know how I get on.