What Lens do you use for night dives?

[acroporas 0]

I was wondering what lenses people are using at night. If you use several different lenses, which one do you use most often. Why do you use the lens you do.

[acroporas 0]

I'll go first, I use a 50mm lens. I use this over a longer macro lens because AF is much faster/easier.

[Rocha 0]

I use a 60 macro for the same reasons.

 

Luiz

[herbko 0]

I'll go first, I use a 50mm lens.  I use this over a longer macro lens because AF is much faster/easier.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I use the Canon 100mm because it focus faster than the Sigma 50mm.

[fdog 3]

105mm matches the critters I find myself shooting at night.

 

All the best, James

[MikeVeitch 0]

If i dove at night it would be a 105mm and a good modelling light.

 

Fortunately happy hour starts at 5pm so i don't worry about finding a modelling light...:)

[Chris Bangs 0]

Usually anything for macro work, 105 with adapters for small stuff or if I have nothing really in mind I take the 60 mm which is my favorite "hunting" lens.

[davephdv 0]

60 micro; 105 micro if looking for small subjects.

[ssra30 0]

I used to use 60mm a lot for night dive but recently tried the 70-180mm. With good focus light/modeling light, it works pretty well and AF is not too terrible.

[Tom_Kline 137]

MACRO! I have been using the 50mm macro with the RS for almost all my night dives for well over a decade, will use 60mm and 105mm macros with dSLRs. So I voted 'other.' At night one can get lots of creature pix (inverts in particular) so macros are most useful. I use an Ike SS200 with modeling light to focus and as my primary dive light.

Tom

[TimG 62]

Yep, sign me up too: 60mm macro

[mattdiver 0]

Same as above... 60mm micro.

 

Mat

[mattdiver 0]

By the way, I did regret that shot once, when, diving at 12m one night, a 6m whale shark came hovering above me

[Alex_Mustard 0]

For recent coral spawning dives I was using the 12-24mm. But I have also done those dives with the 10.5, 16m and 17-35mm.

 

On muck night dives I generally use a 60mm, but also use my 28-70mm and a 105mm.

 

For more reef based night dives I tend to use the 105mm more.

 

So didn't vote!

 

Alex

[Arnon_Ayal 1]

One more for the 60mm.

The main reason is that it's then only macro lens I have for now

(But that its one of the reason I bought it, the versatility)

[bmyates 3]

I use the Canon 100mm because it focus faster than the Sigma 50mm.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You must use a huge modeling light! I've had a terrible time getting the Canon 100mm to focus in low light or at night (as much as I love it otherwise). I now only use the Sigma 50mm on night dives, and I find that it focuses much faster and more easily in low light, plus lets me more easily get photos of non-macro stuff (e.g., sleeping parrots).

[Giles 1]

i have used both my lenses

 

my 15mm fisheye

and

my 100mm Macro

 

both worked great .. and yes i need a focus light for both even in low light conditions rather than dark.

[frogfish 5]

105 mm, almost invariably. With the right subject matter, shooting wide-angle at night can be interesting, though.

 

Frogfish (Robert Delfs)

[Viz'art 24]

Night time is 60mm time, day time shift is for 105 mm but knowing what I will encountering may modify this human behavior, otherwise it's Pavlov's dog routine; night dive = 60mm.

[herbko 0]

You must use a huge modeling light!    I've had a terrible time getting the Canon 100mm to focus in low light or at night (as much as I love it otherwise).  I now only use the Sigma 50mm on night dives, and I find that it focuses much faster and more easily in low light, plus lets me more easily get photos of non-macro stuff (e.g., sleeping parrots).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I had a L&M Sunray until I flooded it. I find that the Canon 100mm works well enough even with just the modeling lights on the Z220.

[UWphotoNewbie 1]

I've used the 60mm for my night dives thinking that I can more effectively light and find macro subjects at night and that the better AF of the 60mm would be best.

 

Based on opinions here though I may take a second look at the 105mm for night dives in TCI this November.