Anyone using Ikelite W20 or any other WA Lense with Ikelite housing for Canon S95?

[Indigo Scuba Africa]

Hi

I am absolutely loving my Canon S95 in Ikelite housing and want to take the next step to wide angle. Is anyone using the Ikelite W20 wide angle lense with the 6242.95 housing? Any feedback or photos would be appreciated.

Does it come with a screw on adaptor with a bayonet mounting? I can't seem to figure it out.

Living in South Africa, this is an expensive buy for me and I want to make sure it's the right step before I take the plunge.

Otherwise, what other WA lenses do you recommend for this housing? I had a wet-mount WA lense with my Sea&Sea and it was so easy to put on and take off underwater (bayonet mount, burp underwater).

Thanks!

 

[slowhands]

I can't speak from experience because I don't have the Ikelite Case. But it is apparent from the Ikelite product description that it has a 67mm threaded port and will accept any accessory with M67 threads -- no adapter needed. Of course they recommend their own W-20.
"External Accessory Lenses.
The front of the lens port accepts the #6420 W-20 and other 67mm threaded wide angle or macro lenses without the need for an adapter. An external wide angle conversion lens increases angle of coverage so you can get much closer to the subject while still fitting everything in the frame. Minimal vignetting (shading in the corners) may be present in the widest setting when using an external wide angle lens. This can be eliminated by zooming in slightly."

So you have to zoom a little to avoid vignetting, but there is still a wider field of view with the W20 lens. If you want to know exactly how much you have to zoom, ask Ikelite in the Ikelite forum here. They should know the exact details.

There is a lens by Dyron, their 15mm 67WA15 lens, that will give a much wider field of view and does not vignette, they claim. You can purchase it here in UK for a lot less than the Ikelite:
Cameras Underwater: Dyron wide-angle and macro wet lenses:

 

[Jorgy]

I have the W20 with Ike housing for my S90....

It works great.....I do have to unscrew the lens to get all the bubbles out right after I hit the water......

M

 

[Puffer Fish]

I have the W20 with Ike housing for my S90....

It works great.....I do have to unscrew the lens to get all the bubbles out right after I hit the water......

M

Same here, but I usually put it on, when I am on the bottom...

You have to zoom out to 35mm, but it works nice.

 

[Indigo Scuba Africa]

Thanks everyone.

I saw the Dyron WA lense and liked the fact that it had a wider field of view. Will check it out!

Thank you!

 

[BSOD]

I have the FIX UWL-04 fisheye lens with a S95 in a S90 Ike housing (essentially the same as the S95 housing, just slightly different button placement, and a thicker foam pad).

Like most (all?) of the other WA lenses for the S95/S90 Ike housing, you need to zoom in a bit to eliminate vignetting.

One thing I have noticed is if you shoot at a wider aperture, the corners are a bit fuzzy. Not sure if that's just the way fisheye and/or WA wet lenses generally are, or if it's specific to the UWL-04. I know wider apertures result in a shallower depth of field, but at a few meters/yards away with F2.8 for example, it's usually not that pronounced. I'm guessing the fisheye/dome port has a significant effect on it, which would make sense now that I think about it. In which case zooming in may also help minimize it (of course at the expense of lessening your field of view).

(not the greatest pics, just quick examples I could find of stuff I already had uploaded)
F2.8 - This is cropped a tiny bit from the top and right sides, but you can still see the corners are a bit fuzzy (out of focus), specifically the bottom right. The top right of the tube is still a bit fuzzy if you look at the larger version of the pic, and the bottom left is less pronounced due to the distance. Top left is of course solid blue, so focus isn't an issue there.



F5.6 - Uncropped, and you can see the corners are still in focus.

 

[Nemrod]

That (fuzzy corners and need to zoom with the UWL-04) is because the UWL-04 lens is mounted too far forward from the camera lens.

N

 

[jdfmail]

How about the INON UWL-100 M67 with dome? Will that work out ok with the Ikelite housing with the S95? Does anyone have an experience with this setup? I already have the lens.

 

[2ndjetty]

I like my W-20 threaded mount but have heard great things about Dyron.

 

[jdfmail]

How about the INON UWL-100 M67 with dome?