By John Brigham and Steve Miller
The Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye lens is ideal for underwater use for several reasons: it's super sharp behind either a 6" or 8" dome; it can focus on subjects right up to the front of the dome; it's compact and lightweight; and it's very affordable compared to other quality wide angle fisheye lenses.
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/3.5 • 1/320
The Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye is available in either a Canon EF or Nikon F mount, and it can also be used with other camera mounts using an adapter. We particularly like the Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye when used with the Canon Rebel series of compact DSLR cameras. The camera can slide in and out of the housing with the lens attached making for easy set-up and battery charging.
A fisheye lens isn't just for super wide angle photography. You can get really close up to smaller subjects and the 17mm focal length is narrow enough to make the creature fill up more of the frame with minimal distortion. By capturing a little bit of the surrounding environment, the photo gives the viewer more sense of place and scale.
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/14 • 1/160
The lens vignettes slightly with the Dome Port with Zoom # 5516.15 at 10mm full wide angle, so 12mm is the sweet spot for super wide shots. There will be some bending of straight lines when shooting man-made objects underwater like wrecks and piers, but not so severe that it makes the photos unappealing.
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/9 • 1/160
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/6.3 • 1/160
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/8 • 1/100
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/8 • 1/100
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/8 • 1/160
Purists may say that a rectilinear lens is necessary when shooting big animals underwater. We agree that a fisheye is not the most flattering for human models, but for larger animal life like manatees and sharks we think it does just fine.
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 200 • f/6.3 • 1/125
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 200 • f/6.3 • 1/125
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/6.3 • 1/200
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/5.6 • 1/500
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 200 • f/18 • 1/125
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 200 • f/8 • 1/200
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 200 • f/16 • 1/200
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/10 • 1/160
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/10 • 1/125
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/10 • 1/125
Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye • ISO 100 • f/7.1 • 1/250
These photos were taken with the Canon Rebel SL3 compact DSLR camera in the 200DLM/C Underwater Housing # 6970.08 and dual DS160 strobes. All photos were taken with the camera in Manual Mode (M Mode) and the strobes in TTL mode.
All images Copyright © 2020 Ikelite
Ambassador Steve Miller has been a passionate teacher of underwater photography since 1980. In addition to creating aspirational photos as an ambassador, he leads the Ikelite Photo School, conducts equipment testing, contributes content and photography, represents us at dive shows and events, provides one-on-one photo advice to customers, and participates in product research and development. Steve also works as a Guest Experience Manager for the Wakatobi Dive Resort in Indonesia. In his "free" time he busies himself tweaking his very own Backyard Underwater Photo Studio which he's built for testing equipment and techniques. Read more...
John Brigham is the Vice President & head of product development at Ikelite. He was born with a flair for design and an entrepreneurial spirit as son of Ikelite founder Ike Brigham. He worked his way up in the business and is a natural fit in the R&D side of things. John dives the equipment as much as possible to test product and put himself in the "fins" of the user. You may also find him on the other end of an email or phone call when you reach out for product advice and support. When he's not underwater he's flying drones, setting off rockets, training his German Shepherd "T2", and spending time with his family.
Additional Reading
Why You Need a Fisheye Lens Underwater
First Look Canon EOS Rebel SL3 250D Underwater Housing
Close Focus Wide Angle In Depth
