17-85MM EF IS USM lense

Hello,

I am using the 17085MM lense with my Canon 20D. I know with the 1.6x factor that is 27MM.

Is this a wide enought lense? Or would I be better of spending on the 10MM lense?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

If the thought is 17MM is wide enought, how would it work with this magic filter?

Danny

Hey Danny

I'm a Nikon user so don't have exactly the same lenses but do have the broad equivalents: an 18-70mm and a 12-24mm.

Of the two I much prefer the 12-24mm. The 18-70 is ok for fish portraits but I find the 12-24 produces more interesting photos and is certainly far more use for walls, wrecks and reef panoramas. And I find it just more fun to use.

My advice would be to go with the wider lens.

Do you have any other lenses? Have you used the 17-85 under water yet?

I am going to assume the answer to both is NO from the tone of your question.

Since you allready have the 17-85 you should use it for a while. Once you have used it for a while you can then deside what you find you want more: more macro ability or Wider wide angle.

Then either get a dedicated macro lens or a wider wide angle lens. or if you are happy all around save your money...

Danny,

The Canon 17-85mm IS lens can be used a "general lens" as in "What the heck is down there on this dive site?" type of lens. With a +4 diopter (required behind the dedicated Ikelite extended dome port) this will give you the 35mm film range of 27-136mm. I used this lens on my Canon Rebel XT and found it handy in the Bahamas in early June.

If you visit the "What's New " link at www.ikelite.com many of the Rebel XT eTTL2 shots were taken with this lens. Even the two sharks at the top of the page (and shown here.)

As many have stated, it's not a dedicated macro lens, and it's not a super wide angle lens. But used properly it can produce good results. I know James, Stu and Segal3 plus others advise using a flat port with these "mid-range" zoom lenses, which will make the view narrower versus behind a dome port. You won't need a diopter with a flat port, but give up the 27mm moderate wide angle. Your choice....

As far as using it with the magic filter, you'd have to use either the diopter (in a dome port) or a skylight filter to "clamp" it in front of the lens element. Might be an interesting experimet!

Hope this helps

David Haas

Do you have any other lenses?  Have you used the 17-85 under water yet? 

 

I am going to assume the answer to both is NO from the tone of your question.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for you response James, my dilemma is this. I have a new 20D Camera with a 17-85MM and a 60MM Macro Lens. I am going to the New York in December to buy the UW housing. When I get back I will be I WONT be doing any diving in Ireland until next summer. But I do have a trip to the maldives booked in Feb for 2 Weeks. Which will be the first time I get to use my new toy.

I wont be going to the maldives again for a long time, so I want to come back to the best pics possible.

If it was local diving, that I can revisit, I would be happy the have a play the 17-85MM lens. I am trying to find out will I find much different between the 17-85MM to the 10-22MM in Tropical Waters.

Any Ideas?

Hi,

Don't know how my name came up as I don't see any posts from me in this thread, but heck, I don't mind jumping in.

If you want to shoot wide and don't want to spend a lot of money, get a Sigma 15mm fisheye. It needs an Ikelite fisheye port (it's not big and expensive) but that's it. You're good to go.

Many people (including myself) use this lens and love it.

Cheers

James

Danny, if I were in your situation, only one dive trip in the forseeable future, I would not get another lens(for diving). In fact, I would recomend you pick one of your lenses and dive with it the whole time.

Having too much new gear can be worse than not enough. You just dont have enough dive time to learn how to use all that new gear.

If you pick one lens and dive with it extensively, maby you have mastered by the end of the first week, and the last half of the trip you will be taking great shots. If you go down there with 3 lenses, you will spend the whole two weeks learning your gear and you will have no time to go get thouse winners.

Danny,

The 17-85 is a great lens for fish portraits since you can shoot subjects as small as 5" across from a distance of several feet. And unlike a macro lens you can still zoom out and shoot semi wide subjects as well. Normally I'm a shoot as wide angle lens as I can guy, but for the other stuff or when viz is less than perfect it does a great job.

Doug

Danny,

More examples of the 17-85

Doug

Thank you for posting the shot's Wolf Eel

See the following page for typical pictures from different lenses. While the samples were taken on a D70 they are similar to what you can get with similar lens sizes on the 20D.

http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gall...ple_gallery.htm

As for recommendations, I agree with James that the Sigma 15mm lens is a great "if I only had one lens" lens. I have used mine for months at a time. In addition to being able to take a wide range of pictures it is a much easier lens to use than a zoom lens because you have one less variable to deal with.

And lastly, I assume you will be using strobes and shooting RAW. If no, you should be.

http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gall...cessing_raw.htm