Lens choices for the Canon 5D

[jedah]

Hey guys,

I've been taking dry pictures with the Canon 5D using a Sigma 28-300mm lens and am pretty happy with the results. I feel ready to take the plunge and start to outfit the camera for UW photos!

I'd like to ask your opinion about lens choices for wide angle and macro shots for this camera in particular, or for DSLRs in general. I am currently looking at the Ikelite housing, and, to go with it, these 2 lenses:

(1) Sigma 15mm Fisheye for wide-angle shots (this one seems pretty popular with UW photographers)

(2) Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro for macro shots (this is has gotten some good reviews by dry photographers)

I'd be interested to know what you think about these lens choices. I'd like to buy the lenses before I get the ports / strobes / housing.

Thanks!!

J.

 

[alcina]

Yup, get them both

The 100mm macro is sweet as is the Sigma fisheye.

You might also want to consider one of the wide angle zooms - fisheye is good, but sometimes it's not as pleasing as a normal WA would be. They are two different things.

Tokina has a relatively new 10-17mm fisheye that is getting great reviews - I haven't doubled checked to see if this comes in the right mount for the 5D but their web site should tell you.

The 16-35L is a sweet piece of glass, too.

So many choices! What do you like to shoot?

 

[fluffy_the_octopus]

Sup J,
I have 2 opinions on the subject:
1) I really like the canon professional lens (they have a red band and have an L in the product number: 35mm 1.4L). I can't believe how much sharper the Canon pro lens are over any of my standard Canon, Tameron or Sigma lens. My girlfriend's a professional photographer and I understand why she swears by the Pro Series lens.

2) I've been pretty happy with my 50mm Macro (which is my all around shooting lens), the 100mm is a little hard for me match up what I'm trying to shoot with what I see through the view finder; especially when it's surgy.

Whatever you choose you'll be incredibly happy with the results of any lens underwater on a Canon 5D!

 

[Taxgeek]

Hi Jedah.
The 100 is definitely the best macro lense for this camera, I use mine allll the time. My favorite UW lense.

Also, the 15 fisheye gets lots of raves. 15's very wide on a full frame camera though.

Before you get any lenses other than those two, however, decide which housing you're going to get. The wide zooms have *serious* limitations in the Ike domes. Check over at wetpixel what people are using - I can tell you right now that there is no ikelite port which will produce acceptable corners with the Canon 17-40 f4L -- too much distortion due to the shape of the dome port. (I started a thread over there about it, and people posted some samples of various ports and this lense.) You might do a search over there for "corner sharpness", or just find somebody who has your housing brand over there and copy what they're using. It's expensive when you go the wrong direction initially, as I did. I'm now faced with buying a new lense AND the Ike 8" dome AND a diopter if I want to take any more wide angle pictures. Not pretty. (P.S. - despite my enduring love of ikelite, their lense/port charts are not reliable for some lenses. Make sure you talk to somebody who has the same combo you have first.)

Sorry to be a grinch, but I'm irritated with the port I was sold for this lense, and now I'm faced with buying a new $600 (ish) lense AND and $800 dome port and $150 diopter if I want to shoot wide angle. I wish I had a crop sensor camera - much fewer corner problems.

Susan

 

[alcina]

Susan -

That's great information.

I'm adding this thread to the Sticky

 

[Taxgeek]

Yeah, just goes to show you can't blindly follow Ike's (or anybody else's) lense charts.

There was also an artical not too long ago (between April 2006 and April 2007) in either Alert Diver or maybe Scuba Diving Magazine about corner sharpness and lense ports. There is a lot of complex physics about the placement of the centerpoint (?) of the lense in the center of curvature of the dome (or something) that I'm not smart enough anymore to understand, but the key is, with a full frame camera, you really gotta try the lense/port combo before buying.

 

[alcina]

Or talk to Ryan and Richard at www.reefphoto.com - they are extremely switched on about this stuff and really helpful! Most of the time - still need to ask a lot of questions and double check things!

 

[jedah]

Thanks guys for all your good advice!

I checked on Wetpixel, and looks like the "standard advice" is to start with a "medium" macro lens (50-60mm), which you can use as your work-horse and macro lens, and then move on the "full" macro lense (100-105mm).

I really enjoy shooting macro, but also see myself shooting reef scenes and medium-sized fish. My first trip with this camera underwater will be in Bunaken National park (combo of beautiful coral / pelagics / macro) and the Lembeh Strait (full macro) in North Sulawesi!

I am pretty sure I'll be getting the Ikelite housing with an 8" domed port and a flat port for the dedicated macro lens.

I've narrowed it down to these 3 lenses, given that I will be shooting a wide spectrum of subjects / dive sites:

1. Sigma 15mm Fisheye
2. Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX DG macro lens (work-horse lens but also capable of doubling up as a macro lens if need be...)
3. Canon 100mm USM macro lens (for purely macro dives)

I still have to figure out if I can get away with only getting 2 ports for these 3 lenses. I think I should be able to use the 8" domed port for the Sigma fisheye and 50mm macro lenses (I know they recommend using a flat port for the macro lenses, is this really necessary?). I would also get the lens specific flat port for the 100mm Canon USM lens.

I'll be checking with reef photo as well....

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

J.

 

[alcina]

I would say YES on the flat port for macro. And in Lembeh you'll want Woody, too.

Sounds like a good set of lenses to start. Be aware that shooting that wide 15mm is going to take some time and practice - I'd be hitting the nearest pool or body of water well before your trip...it's not a lens you're going to want to learn on the fly imho.

The Sigma 50 macro is a good choice...a friend uses it on his 5D and gets beautiful results. The Canon 60mm (my favourite at the moment) is only good on a cropped camera so won't work on the 5D.

 

[jedah]

Thanks for the advice Alcina,

I'll make sure to shoot some before the trip, although I have to find a pool first!

Which port does your friend use with the Sigma 50mm? Could I use the Canon-specific 100mm flat port, or do I need to buy yet another flat port??

J.