What lens do you typically use for your camera when diving?

[jrandomuser]

I've got a few different prime lenses I can use but I'm curious to know which are the most common. I'm figuring the shorter the better since lighting becomes an issue but I'm wondering if macro lenses are popular at all?

 

[spt29970]

I have three go-to lenses.

1. 15mm Fisheye. This is tough to shoot since you need big animals or big scenes. However when it works it is awesome.

2. 15-40mm WA Zoom. This works as a general purpose wide angle. It is great for fish portraits of bigish fish or limited close focus WA.

3. 100mm macro. I use this for all of my macro purposes. I used to have a Macromate flipup wet diopter, but it died (got water inside the airspace) and I haven't replaced it. I may go with less expensive wet diopters.

 

[Larry C]

Fast lenses with a short minimum focal distance. Popular lenses are macro from 60mm-105mm, fisheye lenses, either prime or zoom like the Tokina 10-17 that have a very short minimum focus distance, and midrange primes or zooms like a 24, 28, 35 or 40mm, or a 18-35, 18-55, 18-70. The faster the lens and the closer the minimum focus the better. On zooms, they can't extend too much. Best thing is to look at the manufacturers chart for your housing manufacturer and your model camera and see which lenses are supported and what the comments are (e.g. *with +2 diopter or **use 8" dome port for best results).

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I use a 60mm Nikon lens with a 1.4 teleconverter. For really small critters I add a +10 diopter. On the rare occasions when visibility is over fifteen feet I break out my 16-35 and shoot wide angle.

 

[muzikbiz22]

Tokina 10-17

 

[James R]

Nikkor 105mm f2.8G VR micro - sometimes with Inon UCL165 or Subsee +10, gonna get a Nauticam SMC for it I think...
Nikkor 60mm f2.8D micro (the1.4x TC i picked up for the 10-17 works with it, havent tried it yet)
Tokina 10-17 alone or with a kenko pro300 dgx 1.4x tele

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I use the Tokina 10-17 mm with a Zen dome port for wide angle, and a Canon 60 mm with flat port for macro ... Canon T2i camera ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Darnold9999]

60 and 105 for macro - 10-24 for wide angle. 60 is the one I start with go to the others if conditions warrant i.e. vis is good. Nikon D200

 

[PatW]

Different lenses have different uses. Also, the lens works a bit different if you are using a full frame sensor over a crop frame sensor. I shoot Nikon but the info works for canon.

macro 105. This is a great lens. It has enough working distance between the lens and the subject to allow true macro. It also works great on small somewhat wary fish: damsel fish, jawfish, bennies and butterflyfish, you can go super macro with a wet diopter. For full frame, FX, you need to add a 1.4 teleconverter to get this effect.

macro 60. Nice all round lens for medium size fish to small fish. Really does not work for macro because you have to get so very close, you either scare the subject or block your own strobe. A diopter helps for that. On an FX, you can shoot larger fish like angel fish making the lens pretty versatile.

wide angel/ fish eye - Tokina 10-17 for dx and 15 for fx. This is the lens you want for landscapes and for divers. It can work on large fish and turtles if they let you get really, really close and they usually do not.

sigma 17-70 macro for dx or 24-80 for fx. This lens is good for large subjects: grouper, turtles, big angels, sharks. It gives you a bit of stand off range but is wide enough to get reasonably close.

the lens you use will depend on your shooting style. Some people shoot nearly 100 % macro others shoot nearly 100% wide angle.

 

[bvanant]

60 macro with 1.4 teleconverter on Canon 7D.
60 or 45 macro on OM-D EM1
I have the Tokina 10-17 and the 8 mm fisheye but shoot them rarely.
Bill