nikon d70 w/10.5 fisheye or 15sigma

gianster · Apr 20, 2005

I know this has been discussed over and over again so bare with me. I am good on the macro side but have to decide very quick on wide angle side b/t the 10.5, 12-24, or 15sigma. I am going to the T&C's very soon and want to purchase a wal for my d70. For all you d70 users out there, what lense would you start out using for wide angle shots. If you could do it all over again what wa lense would you purchase.
Thanks for any response,
Gianster

ssra30 · Apr 20, 2005

I think 12-24mm is the most versatile as the zoom range is very handy however it is the most expensive and it is very very finicky about port/extension ring combination. Depending on your housing manufacturer, if they recommend using the 12-24mm with a diopter in their domeport then it might not be a good lens for you since the 12-24mm does not mix well with a diopter in my opinion.
10.5mm is an excellent lens but it is very very wide which make lighting a bit tricky sometimes. Many people who used 12-24mm have migrated to 10.5mm as their favourite WAL. Sigma 15mm is a good starter lens, relatively cheap with good picture quality however eventually most people would want something a bit wider.

gianster · Apr 20, 2005

ssra30:
I think 12-24mm is the most versatile as the zoom range is very handy however it is the most expensive and it is very very finicky about port/extension ring combination. Depending on your housing manufacturer, if they recommend using the 12-24mm with a diopter in their domeport then it might not be a good lens for you since the 12-24mm does not mix well with a diopter in my opinion.
10.5mm is an excellent lens but it is very very wide which make lighting a bit tricky sometimes. Many people who used 12-24mm have migrated to 10.5mm as their favourite WAL. Sigma 15mm is a good starter lens, relatively cheap with good picture quality however eventually most people would want something a bit wider.

I am going to house it w/ ikelite itt when available and want to shoot wide angle as easy as possible. I am going to start out with only one 125 strobe and will upgrade to two if I need to but I want the best wal that will get good results with only using one 125 ike strobe.

RonFrank · Apr 20, 2005

gianster:
I am going to house it w/ ikelite itt when available and want to shoot wide angle as easy as possible. I am going to start out with only one 125 strobe and will upgrade to two if I need to but I want the best wal that will get good results with only using one 125 ike strobe.

the 10.5 I do not believe. However you can still get good results with one flash if you fill.

IMO if you do NOT have a WA lens the 12-24mm is first, than the 10.5.

Keep in mind it's a fisheye lens, and it's WIDE!!! even with the 1.5x conversion.

ssra30 · Apr 21, 2005

RonFrank:
IMO if you do NOT have a WA lens the 12-24mm is first, than the 10.5.

Keep in mind it's a fisheye lens, and it's WIDE!!! even with the 1.5x conversion.

That was the way I started too. I started with 12-24mm then went to 10.5mm.
10.5mm is a fisheye lens but you can defisheye it with Capture 4, pretty neat little tool actually. I think PS can do the same thing but I have no idea how.
The 10.5mm will focus almost right on top of the domeport so my dive buddy actually managed to get a very nice picture of a cuttlefish abotu 12-15inch long with a 10.5mm lens somehow.

kdietz · Apr 21, 2005

I've got all three and started with the 12-24, then 10.5 and recently the 15mm Sigma

The 15mm is a sleeper....sharp corners....very wide....very close focus....not as hard to use as the 10.5 and sharper corners than the 12-24 (unless you use the 8" dome w/12-24).....cheap....works well behind the 5503 port or the new 8" dome

Karl

Mo2vation · Apr 21, 2005

I have a similiar question.

I've been shooting the D70 since about November. Got the 12-24 as my first lens (after the kit). I shoot dry, currently... will likely house this thing up before my Belize trip in July.

Even then, I know I'll still be shooting 25% UW, 75% above water. I shoot a lot, and only do abot 100 dives a year. My issue with the 10.5 is I can't come up with any practical dry applications for this lens. I use my 12-24 on land all the time - big landscapes, indoor family, etc. I've seen dry shots with the 10.5 - I don't shoot skateboarders (!) and stuff...

Unless, in the next month or so, the 10.5 just blows me away for UW use (and I mean significantly surpasses my 12-24) I can't see justifying dedicating a lens for just UW use. So far, the galleries I've seen using the 10.5 and the 12-24 are close - I mean it is a fisheye, but at present I can't see the UW-only-another-$500-into-the-UW rig difference.

---
Ken

fdog · Apr 21, 2005

Ken, the big difference is in the corners. The 10.5 is a fisheye and focuses better on a dome ports' curved virtual image. This isn't always visible when looking at internet galleries, or even full sized prints, where the image may be selected from a large number of reject soft ones.

It's also a stop faster than the 12-24 and will yield better AF performance as well as a brighter viewfinder.

As you pointed out, the problem is it is a fisheye...not my cup of tea, either. It is for some. I prefer rectilinear, so I shoot a Nikkor 14mm. If I was shooting Ikelite, which the 14mm won't fit into, I would be using the 10.5mm and taking out the fisheye in software (which I hate doing, since it's no longer "what you see is what you get").

All the best, James

RonFrank · Apr 21, 2005

Mo2vation:
I have a similiar question.

My issue with the 10.5 is I can't come up with any practical dry applications for this lens. I've seen dry shots with the 10.5 - I don't shoot skateboarders (!) and stuff...
---
Ken

I do NOT own the 10.5mm, or I would show some work

-> However that is more because I just have other things to spend $$$ on, and it is NOT a lens I would make much profit with (I mainly shoot people for profit...BANG!

)

However I have seen some STUNNING Landscape, and nature work out of that lens. Keep in mind that with software you can make it rectilinear with no hassle whatsoever.

Cool lens, I can DEFINATELY think of a few dozen subjects that would likely work well with it.. waterfalls is a definate example!! I'm not suggesting that every photographer needs this lens, HOWEVER NO lens in the Nikon SLR lineup is MADE for UW use specifically (other than the old RS lenses) so to believe that it's not a good land use only lens is a bit off the wall.. that's what it was made for!!

Mo2vation · Apr 21, 2005

cool. Thanks folks!

---
Ken

nikon d70 w/10.5 fisheye or 15sigma

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