jmgahagan

Thanks for the replies. Chris, I just sold my G7x II with the Fantasea housing. I tried it a few times over the summer and though it is a great setup, it wasn't quite what I wanted to stick with and decided that a mirrorless setup would better suit my needs. As of right now I am planning to go with the fisheye. A few other photographers suggested it over the 12-40 based on what I was envisioning for my photos, but I am not ruling out picking up a used 12-40 somewhere down the line for a good price.

Thanks Bryce, those are exactly some of the subjects I will be shooting. Do you find the relatively long minimum focus distance to be limiting, or are you still able to get close enough for some wider views of your subjects?

Thanks for the response. The housing with port option I plan to buy can be found here: https://meikon.com.hk/collections/underwater-waterproof-camera-housing-case-for-olympus/products/olympus-e-m5-ii-40m-130ft-meikon-underwater-camera-housing-with-dry-dome-port-v-4 There are a variety of dome port options with specific sizes that will work with both of these lenses. The V.4 that originally comes with the kit mentioned above will work with the 12-40, but the shorter V.3 is needed for the 8mm fisheye. My primary goal is freshwater gamefish and turtles of New England, so nothing anywhere near as large as the subjects you mentioned. If I chose the 12-40, I would always use it at the wide end and focus on close images of fish 8 inches or larger, and switch to the 60mm macro for smaller species. I would imagine I would need to get within inches of these fish to create a decent shot with the fisheye, which will be a very rare occurrence getting that close. Not sure how well they would handle being cropped a little more, or would the 12-40 at the wide end provide better results.

Hi all, My apologies if this topic has been discussed already, but I've looked all over the internet and cannot seem to find anything comparing these two lens for underwater. I am a beginner that has recently sold my point and shoot setup and looking to get an Olympus EM-5 Mark II this winter, along with a Meikon housing which is in my price range. I do plan on getting the 60mm macro for small subjects, but have been torn between these two lenses mentioned for my wide angle option. I've never used a fisheye before, and though it has a close focus distance, I am afraid that I won't be able to get close enough to my subjects often enough to create pleasing shots with this lens. My main subjects will include freshwater fish, turtles, and other creatures large and small. I would greatly appreciate any advice or comments on the above lenses, and what you would suggest a brand new underwater photographer to purchase and hopefully dramatically increase my photos. Thank you!

Hey everyone, Just joined wetpixel a few minutes ago, and just started underwater photography about 2 weeks ago! I've been photographing birds and wildlife of the New England region for over ten years, but underwater photography has always been a dream of mine until recently when I purchased a Canon G7x II with the Fantasea housing. This seemed like the best option, considering price and flexibility with features and image quality. So far I've taken it to some local brooks and rivers while snorkeling a few times and not surprisingly have struggled capturing decent images. My main focus is freshwater fish and other aquatic creatures like reptiles and amphibians, and I am strickly snorkeling without a strobe so am limited to bright, sunny days. Most of the subjects I've encountered are small, active fish no more than 10 inches long. Today I had dozens of shiners in my face, but really struggled capturing photos that were in focus. I've experimented with both the 1 shot AF and the smiley face + tracking option, and both seem to have issues. Coming from using a Canon 1D Mark IV for several years, the difference in autofocus capability is certainly frustrating, but not surprising considering this is a compact camera. Although it seems to be very quick and accurate under normal circumstances, trying to get the focus point to lock onto a fish that ranged to small to large in the frame seems a losing battle. Is there anyone who photographs similar subjects with the same camera that can provide some advice or insight into preferred settings with this camera? I would love to afford a 5D series camera with a housing and dome port for a wide angle and macro lens, but that's simply out of the question right now and would really like to improve my chances of capturing some quality images with my current underwater rig. Any feedback would be much appreciated!

Hi everyone, My name is Josh Gahagan and I just purchased my first underwater setup several weeks ago so I am brand new to underwater photography! I've been photographing birds and wildlife in the New England region for over 10 years now, and have wanted to try out underwater shooting for years. After some research I decided that the Canon G7x Mark II with a Fantasea housing was the best affordable option to get started with. Currently I've only dabbled in freshwater and have an interest in photographing local fish and other river denizens. Looking forward to this entirely new world of photography, and I have a huge respect for those that exceed with it after only trying it a few times!