This is the first in a series of blog posts comparing shooting with cropped-sensor versus full-frame sensors. I hope you enjoy! – Scott Gietler

When I used to shoot with the Nikon D80, D300, and D7100, when I wanted to shoot macro I had to decide between using the 60mm macro lens and the Nikon 105mm macro lens. Now that I am using a full-frame camera, I no longer have to decide. When I use the 105mm macro lens, it has the angle of view that I had with the 60mm macro lens, but the bokeh and ability to isolate the subject that I had when I used the 105mm macro lens on a cropped sensor camera. The best of both worlds!

I have more room for compositional errors with small fish than I had before with the 105mm lens. And if I crop the photo, I end up with the exact same image I would have taken on a cropped sensor camera. I will admit, one thing I do miss is the lighter weight and smaller port of the 60mm macro lens + cropped sensor setup.

Have you tried shooting with both a cropped sensor and full frame camera? Which one did you prefer? Leave your answer in the comments.

Here’s a sample of photos I took last year on a 3-day Channel Islands trip with the Nikon 105mm VR macro lens. I hope you consider joining one of my photo trips this year to the SoCal Channel Islands in August, Anilao  Philippines in December, or Tahiti for Humpback Whales in September or October.

And if you are serious about macro, check out the Nauticam D850 housing, Sea & Sea D850 housing, Aquatica D850 housing, and the Ikelite D850 housing, and my recent article on photographing mandarin fish underwater.

The post Flexibility of the full-frame macro lens first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Text and images by Brent Duran 

Canon DSLR shooters have two main options when it comes to macro lenses – a 60mm and 100mm.  As a full frame shooter I use the 100mm f/2.8L macro lens.  This lens has three focal distance settings that should always be set depending on what you expect to shoot.

.3 – .5m:  This is the shortest focal distance, starting at 1ft (.3m) and will give you a true 1:1 macro image.  The focal range is capped at a distance of .5m, meaning that autofocus will only search for focus within this range.  This is a great setting for shooting small subjects like nudibranchs.

.5m – Infinity:  This setting is for larger subjects and means the lens won’t be used as a true macro lens.  You can shoot larger fish or even a portrait of your dive buddy on this setting.  Note that if you’re trying to shoot a macro subject that’s .3m away, the lens will not focus.

Full:  This setting allows the camera to use its full focal distance, great for versatility and those dives when you’re not quite sure what to expect.  While this is very convenient, the downside is that autofocus will search through the entire focal range.  This means that if you miss focus at .3m it will take some time for the lens to search through infinity before coming back and locking focus at .3m.

As always, make sure to plan ahead before you commit to a setting in your housing!

The post Canon 100mm Macro Focal Distance first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Just in time for the holidays, Nauticam announced today support for the new Micro 4/3 Olympus 60mm macro lens.

Now available is a flat port that they specifically designed for the 60mm macro lens called the Macro Port 65.  You can even add the O60-F focus gear if you are seeking manual focus control.

Nauticam has also released two extension rings for existing macro ports to add support for the Olympus 60mm macro.  For Macro Port 45 you’ll want a Mini Extension Ring 20.  For the Macro Port 35, ask for the Mini Extension Ring 30.  Have a look at their breakdown in the image below:

The post Nauticam Adds Support for the Olympus 60mm Macro Lens first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

I love it when I experience a “first” as a diver.  This past Saturday I enjoyed my first dives at Point Loma in San Diego, and I spotted my first sea spider (Anoplodactylus species).  I only knew they existed after perusing the LA Diving Field Guide countless times in search of ID’s of other critters for which I needed a name.

The sea spider was the very first subject I locked focus on (pun intended) that day.  I spotted it on a blade of kelp, which was anchored to the reef wall at about 70fsw.  Its leg span was about 2cm across, and it moved relatively slowly.  From what I can tell, they seem to be most prevalent in the Point Loma area.  I say that because the only pictures I’ve seen of them were taken in that area.  Have you seen them elsewhere?  I took a photo of three of them together on my second dive, and only noticed when I saw the photo (not the best) on my computer screen that one of them was carrying eggs.  I’ll be sure to look more closely the next time I venture down to San Diego!  Thanks to Waterhorse Charters for a fantastic day on and under the water!

Using my 60mm macro lens attached to my Nikon 7000, I set my camera to: 1/250, F10, ISO250.  I focused using AF-C, single shot, and rocked back and forth until the body was sharp through my viewfinder.  The photos attached are cropped slightly for composition.

Nikon D7000, 60mm lens, 1/250, F10, ISO 160. Cropped slightly.

The post Sea Spiders in San Diego first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.