Canon G9 - Macro & Ikelite housing

[UW Ozzie]

Hi all,
I am currently looking to purchase an ikelite housing and 2 x ikelite DS160 strobes for my G9. Love the camera underwater but am finding it hard to get macro shots with some subjects as i need to get too close to the subject and therefore scare it. Are there any lens attachements for the ikelite housing that will allow me to increase my distance (say 30cm or so) still allowing me to get v.close macro shots?

Any advice is much appreciated

 

[alcina]

Unfortunately, no.

The close-up lenses actually decrease the distance.

You would need to move to a dslr rig to increase the distance but keep your magnification, I think.

The problem with increasing distance is that you need more light and you run the risk of having a lot more junk between you and the subject which will give you backscatter and will often make your photos appear a little less crisp.

Some subjects are just never going to let you get close enough, but having excellent diving skills will help far more than people appreciate. I've found that I can get pretty darned close to notoriously skittish creatures by knowing their habits and habitats, being patient and willing to just hang out for long periods, learning how to approach them (most prefer from a low angle, some from the side, few from above or straight underneath) and making sure I am 100% in control of my feet, arms, gear and breathing. It all takes time and practice.

What are you trying to get close to?

 

[Aussie Diver]

Inon make 2 different macro lenses, a 165mm and a 330mm. I always thought the 330 allowed you to take images from further away, but I may be mistaken???

The other option would be to use the camer's zoom to increase your focal length. Of course this would be going against the golden rule of getting as close as you can, but sometimes the necessity is there. As Alcina said, you're going to get more backscatter and lose colour and sharpess, so you'd want pretty clear water to do this.

Ryan.

 

[rjsimp]

Any time you are further away from the subject, as Alcina say's, it creates other problems. There are always going to be some things that are difficult to approach without scaring them, but with practice and patience, it can be done but also it is difficult on a dive with several other people that are in the "How far can we go" mode because you'll get left behind if you wait like you need to.

I am always way back in cozumel drift dives. Drives the "leader" nuts, but I don't care anymore. I hate being "lead" through a dive. I can easily spend my whole dive in one spot which is why I like cayman diving. No current really and easy to just stay in the same place finding things to shoot.

 

[UW Ozzie]

THanks guys!
I am not looking to get meters away, I am more looking to be able to fill the fram with perhaps a small fishes head from about 30cm. I can use the zoom but it is stuffs up the AF.

 

[alcina]

Check out the close up lenses by Inon. 30cms isn't an unreasonable distance away from stuff They are excellent value ... I used to stack two 165s when I was shooting with my Oly 5050 - loved it!

 

[alcina]

Inon make 2 different macro lenses, a 165mm and a 330mm. I always thought the 330 allowed you to take images from further away, but I may be mistaken???
Ryan.

Nope, not further away but closer...here's the blurb from Inon

The UCL-330 makes high magnification close-up photography possible by shortening the close focus distance, allowing the photographer to get closer to the subject.

 

[kadleck]

I may be missing some part of your requirements here, but the G9 in macro mode will focus from 1 to 50cm according to the spec. Zoom is limited, but is available. The only external lens I wish I had is wide angle, but that needs the short port too.

 

[alcina]

kadleck ... I believe the OP is trying to increase the magnification so he can shoot a smaller subject than would normally fill the frame.

 

[rjsimp]

THanks guys!
I am not looking to get meters away, I am more looking to be able to fill the fram with perhaps a small fishes head from about 30cm. I can use the zoom but it is stuffs up the AF.

30cm is definitely okay, if it is truely 30cm or so, but as you know things look like they are MUCH closer than they really are. A good exercise is to put your hand out there at arms length and see how close it looks when you take a picture of it. I am sure your arm is longer than 30cm, so as long as your subjects are truely within your arms length then you are within reasonable range for pictures.

If you are looking to fill the frame and not use any zoom on your camera, that means you are at the widest angle your lens will go. There is no way at 30cm you'll fill the frame unless it is a very big subject. You are going to have to zoom to a point that it makes your lens equal to a macro lens (not necessarily all the way zoomed) which will then also make it harder to focus, but it should still be doable. A closeup lens will decrease the focal length of your camera's lens and make it harder to focus.