Lens for Great White Sharks in Guadalupe Island

[Szczerber]

Hi,

I am going on the Nautilus Bella Amie to Guadalupe Island this summer. I have a question regarding which lens should I use. I shoot the Olympus OMD-EM5 in a Nauticam housing. I do own the Panasonic 8 mm fisheye with the 3.5" dome which I am planning to bring. As most of you know this lens works great for CFWA, but I am concerned, how close do the sharks actually get to the cage (I had mixed success using this lens for thresher sharks in Malapascua earlier this year). Also the fisheye distortion is not always desired with sharks.

I would like to bring the new Olympus 7-14mm pro, but both the price of the lens and the necessary ports, extensions etc. are more than I am willing to spend at the moment.

I was thinking about getting the Olympus 9-18mm as an alternative for sharks and wide angle, but there are mixed reviews about this lens underwater.

So, in summation my question is should I just stick to the Panasonic 8mm fisheye, or should I look into getting something else?

As always thank you all for your time and help

 

[Hoag]

I did the trip out to Isla Guadeloupe in 2008. I was using an APS-C DSLR with used the Tokina 10-17 zoom fisheye. That might not sound like it is of any use to you but I think it might be.

On a Canon camera, this lens is the equivalent to a 16-27mm lens. Your Panasonic 8mm lens is roughly equal to the wide end of the lens I was using. I found, however that many of the shots I took were at the 17mm (27mm) end of the zoom. Here are a couple of the pics that I shot on that trip:

... and finally, you asked how close they come. Here is the best I can do to answer that question:

All of the above shots were at 17mm (27mm equivalent). To get the same Field of View, you would need to use a lens that is about 14mm on a Micro 4/3 camera. Having said that, I have used the Panasonic 8mm Fisheye and I love that lens. I think that you will be OK with that lens, but go into the trip knowing that you might have to crop many of your images. If I were you, and I was doing this trip, I might take a 2nd wide angle lens with a little more reach. (Do you have any lens that gets you into the roughly 14-18mm range? Even the kit lens might work in a pinch.)


BTW, as a starting point for exposure, I was typically right around ISO 200 / f8.0 / 1/125 second and 1/3 stop underexposed.

I hope this helps. Have a great trip.

 

[Szczerber]

Thank you for your reply Hoag. Very nice photos by the way.

I do owe the Olympus 12-40 mm pro and was wondering if that would be a good alternative to the 8mm FE for the great whites. Or should I go the other route with the Olympus 9-18mm. I am also planning a trip to Palau next year and wanted to be sure I can maximize the use of the new lens.

 

[Hoag]

Do you have a port for the 12-40mm lens? If so, I would use the 8mm as my "Plan A" and the 12-40mm as a "Plan B".

 

[RyanT]

600/f4. Put some distance between you and those critters! Just kidding of course and indeed, nice photos Hoag.

 

[Szczerber]

No i do not have the port. I was thinking about buying it. Like I said in the earlier post the 8 mm is great, but has it limitations, you need to be really close. I thought the 12-40mm could fit that gap nicely, and I have the 60mm for macro. This way I should be fine for different scenarios.