Need help choosing lenses for Nikon D200

[erika 0]

I'm new to SLR photography and would appreciate some help from the more experienced among you

 

I've decided to buy the Nikon D200 and a Sea & Sea housing, but can't decide which lens(es) to buy. There seem to be so many options....

I love taking pictures on land as well as under water, mostly macro but I also like Wide angle.

 

I heard a fixed lens uw will give better quality than a zoom lens? Is this because a fixed lens will sit closer to the port? I saw that Nikon has a series of IF zoom lenses which focus internally without changing the dimension of the lens, would those be as good to use uw as a fixed lens since the dimension of the lens doesn't change?

 

If not which lens do you recommend to buy? I'd rather spend a bit more and get a good lens straight away than buy cheap now, only to change in a few months for a more expensive one anyway, but I also don't want to buy unnecessarily expensive.

 

Any suggestions are welcome.

[critidoc 0]

depends on what you want to shot:

1: fisheye 10.5mm

2. wide angle 12-24mm zoom

3. macro fish portraits 60mm macro

4. just macro 105mm VR

 

some will also use the 17-35 or the 17-55

 

number of lenses depends on cash you want to invest, you will also need different ports for the lenses, dome for the wide angle and fisheye, flat for the macro.

hope this helps

 

PS I love my set up.

[Rocha 0]

Hi Erika, welcome to wetpixel!

 

Great suggestions so far. For a lot more, check these two discussions:

 

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10569

 

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11336

 

I have the 10.5 and 16 for wide angle, the 17-55 for big fish and the 60 and 105 macros.

 

Luiz

[TomR1 5]

I have a D200. My advice is to get a 60MM lens and the appropriate port and learn to use it. The 60mm is good for macro and fish portrates but not for wide angle.

[LChan 0]

i second Critidoc.

 

my go to lenses are the 10.5, 12-24mm, and the 60mm. I just got a 17-35 for big stuff that I can't get that close to.

 

I would also add a 18-200mm VR lens for above water. It is not the fastest lens, but for travel, it can't be beat. The VR actually works too!

[Don Silcock 14]

I think I must have bought and tried all the lenses that can be used underwater - it's a good job they are all black and my wife can't tell what they all are, or how much they cost....

 

With all the restrictions we face these days with carry-on luggage I have narrowed my "travel kit" down the 10.5 FE, 17-55 zoom and the 70-180 macro zoom.

 

The 10.5 is terrific once you learn to use and light it, the 17-55 is a really great general purpose lens to use if you have not dived the site before and don't know what is there and the 70-180 is VERY versatile for macro.

 

I also take the 18-200 for above water, again because it is so versatile.

 

Don

[erika 0]

Thanks to all of you for these great replies.

Thanks Rocha for the very usefull links.

 

Lots of information there, I'll need some time to think it over, but it seems my best options are a 105mm lens or 60mm for macro and 10.5 fish eye or 12-24mm wide angle.

The 18-200 VR for on land seems a great lens too.

I can't afford to buy all, wish I could so I'll have to make a decision as to which ones to choose...it's going to be hard!

[Rocha 0]

I'll need some time to think it over, but it seems my best options are a 105mm lens or 60mm for macro and 10.5 fish eye or 12-24mm wide angle.

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If you are in a tight budget, the 60mm macro and the 12-24 are the way to go for a beginnner. Both are easier to use: the 60 focuses faster and more precisely than the 105 and the 12-24 is easier to light with strobes than the 10.5.

 

Luiz

[davephdv 0]

Agree with the above. If I had to get just two lenses they would be the 60 mm micro and the 12-24 wide angle.

 

I didn't bring my 17-55 with me on my Borneo trip due to weight and regretted it. I don't use in that much underwater but could have used it on this trip for medium fish/animal shots and small coral shots. Also it is a great all purpose land lens.

 

I would have liked to have had that 18-200 for walking around. I haven't shot the lens though so can't attest to it's quality.

[critidoc 0]

agree with above posts. to start, 60mm macro and 12-24 wide angle, add the 18-200 for above water general purpose. then add 105vr and fish eye. for log reach above water shots you would need a f2.8 tele with or without teleconverter.

 

Housings vary on ergonomics and price.

 

subal/seacam at the top of the heap the rest below, image quality about the same some weigh more than others, some are really negative weight in the water(aquatica)

 

Inon flashes are great

[Photobeat 0]

Erika:

 

Budget and what you like to shoot is a big consideration but I would get the 10.5 it is very easy to use, the minimal focus distance is touching the dome port. With a fisheye when people say you need to know how to use it the mean the position plane of you housing affects the shot, meaning a slight tilt up or down can change the look of the picture to be curved or straight, along with any straight lines that may be at the outer edges will affected.

 

The second lens is the 17-55DX - pricey lens but if you really want a pro look to your pictures this is the one. I used to buy the cheaper lenses that take nice pics but there was always something missing compared to a pro's shot (called the bouquet). I used to think they were using med format when I was looking at a 35mm shot. It was the lens. Most prime lenses give a better result than zooms but the 17-55dx is a great performer. It is also one of the finest zooms on land, it is never off my camera. 10.5dx 17-55 and the 60mm macro - great set up.