Bali Sept 2007

[whoswho]

Depends on the port, and your definition of wide-angle and macro ... hehe.

The port needed to enable you to zoom, has an extra knob and a gear ring. As with things that have more parts ... it costs more

Because of the magnification factor of digital, 18mm is similar to what used to be 24mm on film, so is the "new" standard for normal wide-angle (in my opinion). Most zoom lenses take macro up to 1:4, compared to 1:1 for a "true" macro lense. So is it wide enough .. and is it macro enough?

No one camera will ever fulfill the needs of the users ... even if the camera manufacturers claim otherwise.

Jeff

Yep, it's entirely based on the definition of Macro and WA. It's more like "scouting" lens. Of course, the quality will not be as good as those dedicated WA or Macro lens.

Typically, before jumping into the water, one will normally know whether the site is for WAs or Macro.

With lens 18-55mm, on a 1.6 crop factor of Canon 400D, it will be 28-88mm 35mm equivalent. With 28mm, it's WA enough in view of "scouting" and don't want to miss out the big stuff action. With 88mm, I believe it should be "Macro" enough. (pardon me if I'm wrong because I'm not really a "Macro" person)

But of course, if one is going to dive in a site that provides lots of beautiful underwater WA opportunity, I guess the choice will be obvious. And If one is going for muck diving, the choice will be obvious too.

So, I would say, yep, 18-55mm is good enough in view of not missing out both WA and Macro opportunities.

 

[whoswho]

yup, your 18-55 kit lens is equivalent to a 28-70, so its not really wide enough. you'll probably need a ultra-wide like the 10-22 or tiktok 12-24 for truly stunning WA shots.

For normal situations, having a versatile lens will be advantageous. Although a 28mm couldn't stunning WA shots compared to dedicated WA lens like 10-22, or 12-24 or even 11-17, 28mm still is able to take some great WA shots, which I've seen. Publishing material or not? well, it doesn't matter because it's not yet a profession.

Besides, it's up to each photographer how dedicated they are towards their photos.

 

[diver-hloc]

For normal situations, having a versatile lens will be advantageous. Although a 28mm couldn't stunning WA shots compared to dedicated WA lens like 10-22, or 12-24 or even 11-17, 28mm still is able to take some great WA shots, which I've seen. Publishing material or not? well, it doesn't matter because it's not yet a profession.

Besides, it's up to each photographer how dedicated they are towards their photos.

I'm taking U/W photos more for my own enjoyment...... though I would very much like to take more pro-photos, just can't afford all those super $$$$ gears. The U/W casing i was aiming for, was quoted as about $2800+ incl a 18-55mm port that could do manual focus. I would also need another strobe. The whole package would cost something like $3700 !!

Sorry.... Can't afford to 'play' like that. My new aim is to get the Canon's upcoming PowerShot A650 IS + Canon's own casing + An Inon D2000S strobe + new arm & tray system. Est the price would be close to $1500+....... that is still very much nearly my 1mths pay :cry:

 

[antacid]

it's not the 'zoom', but the magnifying capability that defines a macro lens. try it with your kit lens (18-55) on your 20D. you'll see that when you zoom, the focusing distance is still so far that it looks damn tiny. try it on a AAA battery -- the typical size of a large nudibranch.

it's definitely going to get deleted from my camera!

i guess you can get by with the 18-55 for WA, but definitely not macro in my books. also i think wider is better, cos you can get so much closer to the subject with the obvious benefit of being able to light up your subject. most strobes work best for me in distances less than 1.5m.

 

[lovells19]

If you get a 300mm zoom u'll have more magnifying quality then all the macro lens, being macro lens they are usually magnifying up to 1:1 or 1:2.. its their working distance that makes them different,

60mm at 1:1 can get as close as 6cm away from the subject and yet achieving focusing, Normal lenses like the 18-55 would not be able to focus at that close.

however if you get the higher end lens like 17-55 f2.8 (nikon, sorry not sure abt canon) the working distance is surprisingly good, but it cost $2000 hahahaha

make up your mind what u wanna shoot.. if you're shooting macro.. and see a whale shark, all you need to do is to watch and enjoy it instead, or you can always pack a 2nd camera in,

 

[diver-hloc]

If you get a 300mm zoom u'll have more magnifying quality then all the macro lens, being macro lens they are usually magnifying up to 1:1 or 1:2.. its their working distance that makes them different,

60mm at 1:1 can get as close as 6cm away from the subject and yet achieving focusing, Normal lenses like the 18-55 would not be able to focus at that close.

however if you get the higher end lens like 17-55 f2.8 (nikon, sorry not sure abt canon) the working distance is surprisingly good, but it cost $2000 hahahaha

make up your mind what u wanna shoot.. if you're shooting macro.. and see a whale shark, all you need to do is to watch and enjoy it instead, or you can always pack a 2nd camera in,

Most of us already pack enough gears to kill an elephant when diving...... How to pack in some more camera ??!!

 

[antacid]

just need a bigger bag, bro.

#1 bag for light days when you only intend to use 1 lens
#2 bag for medium days when you're not sure what's going to happen, so you have 2 or 3 lenses
#3 bag for medium days when you're packing the flash and diffuser along
#4 bag for camera, WA and macro lens, 2 strobes, housing, dome, macro port, battery charger, etc etc
#5 bag for everything you own!

can someone explain this to my gf? she doesn't understand why i bought ANOTHER camera bag. the girls just don't get it!

 

[howeikwok]

just need a bigger bag, bro.

#1 bag for light days when you only intend to use 1 lens
#2 bag for medium days when you're not sure what's going to happen, so you have 2 or 3 lenses
#3 bag for medium days when you're packing the flash and diffuser along
#4 bag for camera, WA and macro lens, 2 strobes, housing, dome, macro port, battery charger, etc etc
#5 bag for everything you own!

can someone explain this to my gf? she doesn't understand why i bought ANOTHER camera bag. the girls just don't get it!

Ahahaha.... buy her a p&s to keep her happy and all will be fine. ;p

 

[diver-hloc]

just need a bigger bag, bro.

#1 bag for light days when you only intend to use 1 lens
#2 bag for medium days when you're not sure what's going to happen, so you have 2 or 3 lenses
#3 bag for medium days when you're packing the flash and diffuser along
#4 bag for camera, WA and macro lens, 2 strobes, housing, dome, macro port, battery charger, etc etc
#5 bag for everything you own!

can someone explain this to my gf? she doesn't understand why i bought ANOTHER camera bag. the girls just don't get it!

Mmm..... ask her Why She Need So Many Pair Of Shoes lor.......