Which Lens to use for Macro Underwater Photography

Hi,

I am getting a Sea&Sea underwater housing and am mainly interested in

Macro photography. I would be appreciative if someone could give me

advice on which Lens they would recommend for such work. I have been

give tips that teh AF 105 2.8D with a min. Focus distance of 1ft. would be

best. Any other suggestions ?

Thanks

A 60mm will also do good animal portraiture but the best to start

is the 105. They make a zoom and a 200, and you could start w/

those too.

Underwater photography isn't easy and underwater macro is even harder.

You do have an underwater flash, if not, you will be stuck near the surface on a bright day in clear water for any macro work.

The water/housing/air interface acts like a diopter. Any lens that changes length and focal length significantly (105 AFD is about 80mm at 1:1 in air) is a bad choice because the diopter to filter ring distance is changing in addition to the focal length. I'm not sure AF can deal with this. You will have better luck with a fixed focal length micro (60mm AFD micro is probably your best AF choice given the diopter effect).

Forget the published minimal focus distances and magnification factors because they are (excuse me) all wet under water (again a diopter effect).

I'm not sure as to the experience of the previous poster but "any

lens that changes focal length...is a bad choice" is simply

incorrect. AF in macro can be limited by low light levels but in a

practical sense the lenses function much as they do above

water. Quite a few UW photogs do not use AF in macro due to

precise depth of field issues, not because of theorectical

concerns. The Nikon 105 non AF and its newer sister have been

workhorses of housed UW macro systems for years: check out

any "how to" book on UW photography. Also, macro is in fact

EASIER than any other type of UW photography (and of course

requires flash). It is true that minimum focus distances don't

mean much- what matters more is the size of the subject matter

you want to shoot and if a particular macro lens will handle that

magnification. Working distance to the subject w/ the 105 is a

good compromise between room for flashes and water column

that might obscure your subject. Longer macros help with shy

subjects just as they do above water but cloudy water will give

you flatter results. The 60 is loved by many but can crowd small

subjects and at high magnification it can be difficult to get a flash

lined up between port and subject. I suggest finding the classic

"Under a Rainbowed Sea" by Chris Newbert wherein each shot

is referenced to the lens used (Canon 50mm vs 100mm

macros).

I use the 105 2.8D micro for all macro underwater. The magnification is the same as the 60 mm (1:1), but the extra few inches of distance makes a big difference with skittish animals and makes it much easier to arrange strobes to illuminate the subject. The only time the 60 mm would be preferable would be in very dirty/murky water, and only with a sessile or immobile subject.

Autofocus will work for most subjects, but can be a problem in certain situations. Manual focus ports provide the option of using manual focus, but often cost considerably more than a simple flat port without focusing gear.

You can get better than 1:1 magnification by adding close-up diopters or a tele-converter, or both. You'll need an appropriately-sized extension ring behind the port to use the tele-converter. I've found the Nikon multiple-element diopters superior to less expensive single-element diopters. Auto-focus is much more difficult to use when a teleconverter is added.

-- Robert Delfs