Which Lense Should I Buy

[Capt.Ed]

All,
I'm getting ready to splurge on a Canon 5D MkII, Ikelite housing, strobe, etc. I've got it all figured out execpt the most important piece...the first lense for me to purchase. I've got a number of reasons for going with the 5D, not the least of which is that two of my friends, one of which is an outstanding underwater photographer, own them and I know I can turn to them for help. Although I'm sure they could help me with this, I wanted to pitch it to the fourm and see what you all thought.
Little about me and what I'll be doing as I'm sure that'll help with guidance.
I've been involved in photography as an amature for over 20 years but I've only been fooling around with underwater photography for the past year. I've got a P&S camera, strobe, housing, and a wet mount wide angle lense (W20 from Ikelite). Of all the things I purchased for the P&S, the lense made the biggest difference in the quality of the shots I take now. What I'd like to do for my first lense purchase is pick a lense that will allow me to continue taking wide angle shots but still allow me to zoom in a little to bring wary subjects closer and but I already know that a big honking zoom lense is not what I need. A couple of other things that may help;
I do a lot of night dives and love to take the camera with me on those dives...great photo opportunities abound.
I also take a fair amount of video.
I do a little "small" animal work (and use the zoom to fill the viewfinder) but I'd say that 95-98% of my shots are animals (fish, crustations, invertabrates) taken from 1-3 feet away from the subject w/ no zoom at all. The P&S has an appoximate optical zoom of 28mm-85mm (3x zoom).
Finally, I'm sure that I'll purchase more than one lense, but I'm looking at some serious cash outlay and purchasing more than one lense at the moment just isn't an option I'm willing to spend money on at the moment.

Once I get the lense figured out I can select a port system for the housing and I'll be off the deep blue.

I'm looking for suggestions...fire at will.

 

[doctormike]

Hi, Ed...

I use a 7D in a Nauticam housing, and I have two lenses that I love. Unfortunately, with a DSLR there is no such thing as a lens that is good for both wide angle and small critters. The 5D is a full sized sensor, so compared to the 7D you will get a wider angle of view at any given focal length (less magnification), but these are still great lenses.

The first lens that I recommend is the Tokina 10-17 fisheye. I recently upgraded from the Tokina 12-24 (non-fisheye), and I'm very happy. The fisheye lets you get very close to subjects, which in terms of underwater photography translates to better definition and brighter colors (less water between lens and subject). It does not necessarily mean a lot of peripheral distortion if you crop your shots, although that may be desirable with subjects that have a lot of structure (e.g. wrecks).




The other lens that I like is the Tamron 60mm macro. I think that 60 mm is much easier to use than the Canon 100 mm macro (which I also have).

Good luck, it's a fun (but expensive) hobby..!

Mike

 

[Doubler]

I agree with the Tokina 10-17 recommendation. Get the Ikelite Zen Dome and a teleconverter.I also recommend the Canon 60mm.

 

[txdano]

I shoot a 5dMII with Canon 100mm and 17-40 and Ikelite housing/strobes and have been very happy. The Canon 60mm mentioned above would give you better flexibility (over the 100mm) between macro and larger subjects and is a great UW lens, but it will not work with your Mark II (full sensor).

 

[spt29970]

I have a 5dMk-I and the Canon 100mm macro and the Canon 17-40 WA Zoom are my go-to lenses. I also love my Sigma 15mm FishEye, but unless you have big subjects that like to get close, it is hard to use. I think that the Tokina 10-17 is inappropriate for a full frame sensor camera like the 5DM-II since the image circle is too small to fully illuminate the sensor.

Since you want to do intermediate range macro photography and only have money for a single lens, I would recommend the 100mm macro.

 

[c0r3yz]

I have a 5dMk-I and the Canon 100mm macro and the Canon 17-40 WA Zoom are my go-to lenses. I also love my Sigma 15mm FishEye, but unless you have big subjects that like to get close, it is hard to use. I think that the Tokina 10-17 is inappropriate for a full frame sensor camera like the 5DM-II since the image circle is too small to fully illuminate the sensor.

Since you want to do intermediate range macro photography and only have money for a single lens, I would recommend the 100mm macro.

I concur. I was considering an 60mm macro, but I was concerned about that still being too wide for shy subjects. I am specifically interested in the 100mm f/2.8L IS USM. It's a little pricey, but well worth it in my opinion.

 

[Capt.Ed]

Hey all, thanks for the feedback. I'm putting my shopping list and should be pulling the trigger here in the next few days. I'll let you all know what I end up doing.

 

[folivier]

Just be aware that EF-S lens (60mm macro for example) are not designed to work with your 5DII full frame.

 

[bvanant]

One lens that no-one mentioned (except Dr. Mike; I can't read obviously) is the Tamron 60 macro lens. A lot simpler to use than the 100 with a wider field of view. I use it almost all the time since with a 1.4 teleconverter you can get some great shots. The tokina 10-17 while not meant for the full frame sensor is actually quite nice with a 5DII if you add the 1.4 teleconverter and with a small dome you can do CFWA very nicely.
Bill