michele135 0 Posted February 5, 2008 i am not really new to underwater photography, but since my awesome olympus c5060 died last fall, i decided to make the plunge into the dslr world. unfortunately, i can't afford to get all the gear at once, but i'd like to make a list of the things i need to save for. i have NO IDEA what lenses would be the best to get, but i'm pretty sure that i know enough about cases and strobes to get those. ok, so what lenses would you suggest ? i love taking macro shots and i do also take some wider angle shots. i want to be able to take really nice shark pictures , since sharks are soooo awesome! i heard that the 60mm macro is a good one, but is there some other macro that's recommended (and why) i have an 18-70mm lens and a 50mm lens right now, and that's it. what would you recommend for a wide angle/shark pic taking lens. any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks in advance, michele Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KenByrne 0 Posted February 5, 2008 Macro is a good place to start as it's a lot easier to get decent shots from the off. The 60mm Macro is a great lens I use a Sigma 50mm Macro as a cheaper alternative and really like it. With film in clear water the 105mm macro was considered a very good lens. Some people feel it's a bit too long with the crop factor of the D80 others still rate it. I think it depends on the water clarity where you dive as mich as anything. The thing to remember is that these lenses still focus just as close as they did when used on a film camera but the area covered is smaller. So you can shoot smaller subjects but if you want to shoot something a bit bigger then you need to be that bit further away. Wide angle you need to decide if you want fisheye or rectilinear shots. The Nikon 10.5 fisheye is a great lens. I use the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom as do a lot of other people. The quality is great and the zoom gives that extra flexibility. I've also used a Nikon 12-24 zoom but found the corners a bit soft behind an Ikelite 6" dome. I can't comment on other housings. I'd guess the Nikon 14mm prime would be OK but I've not heard of anyone using it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeVeitch 0 Posted February 6, 2008 I agree the 10-17 would be a nice wide wide angle lens For sharks something like the 17-55 or 24-70 would be my choice. Sharks (white tips, greys, Caribs, etc) tend not to get too close so you don't want something too wide or they will look like sardines.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave H 0 Posted February 6, 2008 I would recommend 3 lens as a good starting point for the D80. First purchase should be the Nikon 60mm as this is a great lens to practise with and will help you get used to using a dSLR underwater. Then I'd purchase the Sigma 17-70mm for its all round versatility and then for wide angle the Tokina 10-17mm is probably the best bet. I use all these lens regularly with the D80 and love them. An old article I wrote on the D80 might be of some use to you. See: http://www.daveharasti.com/articles/d80.htm cheers, Dave Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
