As your interest and skills develop as an underwater photographer, you will look for ways to increase your capabilities and move up to the next level. A more sophisticated or specialized lens for your camera is a great tool to help achieve this. Because you will be working underwater there are also some special issues because of that fact. You need to consider which lenses are appropriate for your camera of choice whether it is a compact, mirrorless, or DSLR model, any housing or accessories needed, and what sort of shots you are interested in, whether it be close-up or wide angle. In order for you to get your head around what the options are and what best suits you, I’ll take you through a brief buying guide and introduce you to 10 different lenses covering the basic range. After that is a table comparing the reviewed models and a tip on lens maintenance.
What is the Best Lens for Underwater Photography? Buying Guide
Compact Camera Lenses – Compact cameras are the least expensive models, have built-in lenses and don’t necessarily use a housing. When you add a lens it is a wet lens installed on top of the existing one to achieve the desired effect. They lack versatility but can be added and removed underwater.
Mirrorless and DSLR Lenses – These lenses are for higher-end professional level cameras, more expensive, flexible, and take better quality pictures. They are switched out with the original and are always kept dry within the housing.
Type of Photography – Before selecting the lens to use you first want to clarify what kind of photos you would like to take. The most common lenses in use are macro and wide angle. Macro lenses best capture closer targets such as an individual fish and details, whereas wide angle lenses are better at getting the broad picture from a distance like a school of fish or a seascape.
Type of Lens
- Rectangular – With a rectangular lens straight lines or features appear straight, as in real life, without distortion.
- Fisheye – This is a type of wide angle lens. It provides a curved perspective like that of a fish which captures the up-close subject as well as the background. A fisheye lens allows you to get closer to your subject for better colors and a sharper image.
- Macro – These lenses are also rectangular with a long barrel for close focusing and a continuous autofocus system. Top macro lenses are non-zoom fixed focal length lenses.
Focal Length – A lens’s focal length is expressed in millimeters. Wide angle lenses have a smaller focal length in the range of 10-20mm. Macro lenses have focal lengths that are larger more like 60-100mm.
Budget – The top brand names, Nikon, Canon, and Sony are more expensive than some other lesser-known brands for the same or similar specifications. Usually, the brand names are more reliable and better quality, but not always. Price differences can be substantial. The models reviewed below range from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand. It’s a major consideration for many.
Underwater Lens Reviews
- Sony FE 90mm Macro
- Canon EF 100mm
- Nikon 16mm Fisheye
- Canon EF 8-15mm Fisheye
- Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm
- Sigma Fisheye
- Inon UWL-H100
- Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye
- Canon 60mm Macro
- Inon UCL-165M67 Close-up Lens
Key Features:
- Macro photography lens
- Use with 35mm full-frame E-mount mirrorless cameras
- Maximum aperture: f/2.8
- Focal length: 90mm
- Direct Drive SSM for silent focusing and shutter
- 9 blade aperture, corner to corner sharpness
- Pros: excellent image stabilization, nano coated lens minimizes lens flare or reflection
- Cons: expensive, big, and heavy
Key Features:
- Macro photography lens
- Use with full-frame DSLR cameras
- Maximum aperture: f/2.8
- Focal length: 100mm
- Image stabilization
- Near-silent ultrasonic focusing
- Pros: life-size close-up capabilities without an adapter
- Cons: big and heavy, one user indicated the autofocus doesn’t always function smoothly
Key Features:
- Wide angle photography fisheye lens
- Use with full-frame DSLR cameras
- Maximum aperture: f/2.8
- Focal length: 16mm
- Photo capture to a 180-degree angle
- Auto-focus
- Image stabilization
- Nikon Super Integrated Coating for minimized flare and ghost
- Pros: Close-Range Correction (CRC) system performs well for close and distant focusing
- Cons: not zoomable
Key Features:
- Wide angle photography fisheye lens
- Use with full-frame and cropped sensor DSLR cameras
- Maximum aperture: f/4
- Focal length: 15mm
- Photo capture to a 180-degree angle
- Fast and quiet autofocus
- Pros: at 8mm has the full circular fisheye effect
- Cons: quite expensive
Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm
Key Features:
- Wide angle photography
- Use with rectilinear full-frame Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras
- Maximum aperture: f/4
- Focal length: 16mm
- Built-in optical steady shot image stabilization
- Seven-blade circular diaphragm for smooth, rounded bokeh
- Fast and quiet autofocus
- Pros: a constant f/4 maximum aperture offers consistent performance throughout the zoom range
- Cons: quite expensive, heavy
Key Features:
- Wide angle photography fisheye lens
- Use with full-frame DSLR cameras
- Maximum aperture: f/2.8
- Focal length: 15mm
- Autofocus
- Photo capture to a 180-degree angle
- Multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting
- Pros: reliable, good in low light, a good lens for a novice, reasonably priced
- Cons: let me know what you think
Key Features:
- Wide angle photography
- Use as an interchangeable wet lens for compact cameras
- Maximum aperture: NA
- Focal length: 67mm
- Universally compatible
- Ultra-wide angle photo capture
- For use under or above water
- Pros: good quality images, reasonably priced
- Cons: heavy on a small compact camera
Key Features:
- Wide angle photography fisheye lens
- Use with cropped sensor DSLR cameras
- Maximum aperture: f/3.5
- Focal length: 10-17mm
- Comes with Nikon or Canon mounts
- Photo capture to a 180-degree angle with close focusing ability
- Rotary zooming system
- Pros: simple lightweight design, reasonably priced
- Cons: autofocus may be slow in low light environments
Key Features:
- Wide angle photography
- Use with cropped sensor DSLR cameras
- Maximum aperture: f/2.8
- Focal length: 60mm
- Can focus down to 1:1 magnification
- Quiet autofocusing over a large range
- Manual adjustment
- Pros: versatile lens, good in low light environments, reasonable price
- Cons: lens not zoomable
Key Features:
- Macro photography lens
- Use as an interchangeable wet lens for compact cameras
- Maximum aperture: NA
- Focal length: 165mm
- Compatible with a universal wet macro lens
- Can be stacked on mirrorless and DSLR lenses, as well
- For use under or above water
- Pros: good quality images, low priced
- Cons: let me know what you think
| Picture | Lense | Camera | Wide Angle or Macro | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picture | Lense | Camera | Wide Angle or Macro | Rating | Price |
  | Sony FE 90mm Macro | Mirrorless | Macro | 5 | $$$ |
  | Canon EF 100mm | DSLR | Macro | 4.9 | $$$ |
  | Nikon 16mm Fisheye | DSLR | Wide Angle | 4.8 | $$$ |
  | Canon EF 8-15mm Fisheye | DSLR | Wide Angle | 4.5 | $$$$ |
  | Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm | Mirrorless | Wide Angle | 4.4 | $$$$ |
  | Sigma Diagonal Fisheye | DSLR | Wide Angle | 4.6 | $$ |
  | Inon UWL-H100 | Compact | Wide Angle | 4.5 | $$ |
  | Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye | DSLR | Wide Angle | 4.3 | $$ |
  | Canon 60mm Macro | DSLR | Macro | 4.5 | $$ |
  | Inon UCL-165M67 Close-up Lens | Compact | Macro | 4.5 | $ |
Underwater Lens Maintenance
Taking good care of an expensive and easily damaged item like your lens is imperative for a long productive life. After use, make sure to rinse the lens in warm water to remove salt and debris. Any remaining bits can be abrasive and damage it. Dry it with a soft cloth and store it in its own case or some other protective container.
For more information concerning underwater photography, please check these reviews:
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