nikon 12-24 with +2 diopter

[ClairevL]

Currently, I'm using a Nikon D7000 with a Tokina 10-17 (fisheye) and Ikelite housing with 8" dome port. I mostly like to photograph large pelagics. However, sometimes, they just won't come that close and for these cases I would like to buy a lens that gives me some more magnification. I was thinking to buy a Nikkor 12-24 and then use it with a +2 close up lens to still get sharp corners.
- Does anyone have experience with the 12-24mm and a +2 close up lens? Do you get sharp corners? And don't you see vignetting? Could anyone recommend a certain +2 close up lens (type/brand)?

Thanks very much in advance!

 

[Storker]

Are you thinking of a dry diopter, or a wet diopter? If dry, consider an achromat. I've been using the +2 dry diopter trick to get sharper corners with my Olympus 9-18, and I saw a significant difference in sharpness between a cheap single lens diopter and the achromatic diopter.

 

[ClairevL]

Thanks very much for your reply! I was thinking to go for a dry one. Good to know tyou saw a significant different between the achromatic one and the single element one. What brand/type did you buy? Somehow I can't find achromatic +2 diopters, only single element +2 or achromatic +3 (mostly from Marumi).

 

[Storker]

What brand/type did you buy?

The one I bought was Canon brand. That was a 52mm, and I don't know if they make a 77mm (IIRC that's the lens diameter of the Nikon 12-24).

 

[ClairevL]

Thanks again. I found out the Canon 500D is also a +2 diopter, but I I also saw it is suitable for lenses with a working distance of 30-135 mm. It seems hard to find an achromatic +2 for the 12-24mm lens.

 

[Storker]

My diopter is also a 500D, so according to the manufacturer's recommendation it shouldn't fit my 9-18 at all (The 500D and 500 are geared for lenses with a focal length anywhere from 70 to 300mm.). However, it works great for me.

What they're saying about it is for use as a close-up lens topside, not as a correction diopter underwater. If you can check for vignetting issues and find that there aren't any, I wouldn't worry about that myself. YMMV, of course.

 

[ClairevL]

I'm indeed a little worried about vignetting. Good to hear it works well for you!
Hopefully there's someone here with a 12-24mm lens and +2 diopter, who can tell me how well it works.
Otherwise I will order one and try it out or go for the Marumi DHG acromat +3. The +3 in stead of +2 wouldn't be a huge difference in terms of DOF.

 

[ClairevL]

Anybody who's using the Nikon 12-24mm lens with a close up filter? I find it really hard to find the right filter.
Thanks!

 

[backscatter_rob]

If you are getting away from the 10-17, in my opinion the Nikon 12-24 would be the only choice for me. I absolutely love that lens, but with my switch to full frame I reluctantly sold mine.

Schneider Optics 77mm +2 diopter is what you want. Great quality, well worth the money. You can check it out here B+W 77mm +2 Close-up diopter - NL-2 These are in stock ready to go.

 

[ClairevL]

Hi Rob, Thanks very much for your reply! I'm happy to hear you like the lens so much!
I ended up testing a lot of filters and the Hoya HMC +2 and B&W +2 gave me the best results. At f8 the pictures get quite sharp in the corners. The other filters I tried gave poor results. In the end I picked the Hoya HMC +2 over the B&W, since by eye the antireflection coating was a bit better (I couldn't measure a reflection spectrum though) and the photos seemed a tiny bit sharper with the Hoya HMC.