Advise on Nikon D200 Lens

[_Bella_]

At the risk of taking flames from the pros again... I use a sigma 17-70mm lens for underwater. I had been told by several people that it wouldn't work too well at either end of the spectrum...

Rules are meant to be broken!

Very nice angelfish. :blinking:

 

[HowardE]

Rules are meant to be broken!

Very nice angelfish. :blinking:

Thanks...

I've always been a rule breaker.

BTW - here's a quote when I posted that I was considering this lens.

I am not quite sure how useful the 17-70mm macro would be, especially at wide angle end. If you are at 17mm end, you will definitely need a domeport which mean that you will lose some benefit of flat port magnification at 70mm end.

While this may be true about losing magnification because of using a dome, I am still pleased with the results.

Let me say that I've only got about 20 dives in with my camera.

 

[dbh]

The reason I said that it was a hard lens to learn on is because it is so wide. As stated above, it is easy ti get strobes, fins etc. in the picture and you have to be VERY close. I have seen alot of excellent shots from it. I only tried it for one dive and got discouraged. A few more dives might have made a difference.

I am one of the few who did not like the 12-24 underwater. I used mine for a couple of trips and then sold it. I replaced it with a 17-35 which I have not used underwater yet. I am not very experienced either but I am finding I like the performance of the f2.8lenses better in U/W use.

Both of these were shot with a 60mm (different dives...different trips):

Dave

 

[fpoole]

Hmmm... Interesting...
So money not being considered (it just hurts a lot to get it)
Me thinks the list would be :
10.5mm
60mm
105mm vr

Great, that kinda what I was thinking but tossing about the 10.5 vs 16mm...
so will get the 10.5..
thanks much.. I hope Mike, Dive Guy, found it helpful too...
now...?? onto the Inons... heheh... does it never end... ;-))

 

[ABQdiver]

I am one of the few who did not like the 12-24 underwater. I used mine for a couple of trips and then sold it. I replaced it with a 17-35 which I have not used underwater yet. I am not very experienced either but I am finding I like the performance of the f2.8lenses better in U/W use.

Dave

I can see how you would!! The 17-35mm is a fast lens and is excellent in low light situations. Should work out VERY well for you!

 

[_Bella_]

I absolutely love the 17-35. On my next trip I'm leaving the 12-24 home and taking the 17-35 instead. It is one of the most beautiful lenses I own, and it should be it cost a bloody arm and stumpy leg! The only downside is it's a heavy lens.

 

[dbh]

I absolutely love the 17-35. On my next trip I'm leaving the 12-24 home and taking the 17-35 instead. It is one of the most beautiful lenses I own, and it should be it cost a bloody arm and stumpy leg! The only downside is it's a heavy lens.

Do you use it behind the DP-FE2?
Which extension do you use? Subal's website recommends the EXR-60. I already have the EXR-50 so I am going to try it before forking out the $$$ for a 60.
Do you use a +2 diopter?

Dave

 

[_Bella_]

Do you use it behind the DP-FE2?
Which extension do you use? Subal's website recommends the EXR-60. I already have the EXR-50 so I am going to try it before forking out the $$$ for a 60.
Do you use a +2 diopter?

Dave

I haven't used this lens since my F100 got shelved, but there is no suggested difference between the two cameras so I'll indeed be using the DP-FE2 with a +2 diopter and the 60mm ring. Right now I don't have a 60mm ring though and I'm still debating whether to buy it or not, but I love the lens and miss it sometimes. I don't need more kit!!! It's a never ending battle, isn't it? :huh:

 

[ssra30]

10.5mm is an excellent lens to use underwater. However if you are taking pictures of manta, shark or other relatively large fish smaller than a whale shark, it may be a difficult lens to use unless you can get closer than an arm reach to it. 12-24mm or in cases of smaller shark ie 1-1.5m, a 17-55mm or 17-35mm would be a better choice.
I generally use either 10.5mm or 12-24mm depending on what I want to do for wide angle and either 60mm, 105mm or 70-180mm macro for the macro end of things, again, depending on what I want to do. I used to use 70-180mm a lot but it is huge and now the new 105mm AF-S VR is going to be my main macro lens.

 

[OceanObsessed]

I too am trying to decide between the Nikon 12-24 and the 10.5. Most of my diving is in South Florida with an occasional trip to the Bahamas and the 10.5 just seems too wide for most of the diving that I do. So far I am leaning in the direction of the 12-24. The 180 degree of coverage of the 10.5 far exceeds that of a wide beam strobe. For those of you using the 10.5 ... are you using dual strobes?