I am new to my Canon G9 and still learning it. I have used Canon's for a few yrs in OEM housings with this being the most recent upgrade.
I am using a Z-240 with

My first decent dive trip with this camera will be to BHB by West Palm in Feb 2009 followed by St John USVI.

I am wondering if I should buy a UCL-165 (or something similar) and set up the G9 OEM housing for using it.

I also upgraded to an Inon Z-240 and am learning it as well. I have always wished for a second strobe and am considering a second Z-240 and wondering if that would be highly beneficial for the trip planned.


Comments or suggstions would be most welcome.

I am planning various pool diving practice sessions with the setup to learn more about it.




Dave

Hi Dave,

All the additions you are inquiring about should absolutely benefit you by giving you more versatility in your shooting options. However, keep in mind that the OEM housing for the G9 can be somewhat limiting, because of its design and its inability to cleanly and easily connect lenses and strobes to it. Consequently, you may want to consider the possibility of spending the $ to upgrade your housing first, before you go the route of spending the $ to accessorize your existing setup, because perhaps best to consider the Ikelite, Patima or Sea & Sea Housing earlier, rather than later, when it may require more $ to make that happen.

Just a thought.

BTW, I use the G9 in a Patima Housing, which comes standard with seperate wide angle and a close-up ports. I also have it setup with both wide angle and close-up Inon Lenses and dual Inon Z-240 Strobes. I absolutely love my system and have really improved the quality of my pictures since upgrading from the simpler Sony P&S setup I originally had.

Here's what my system currently looks like with the short port and the Inon Wide Angle Lens attached:



Adrian

Dave, I use the G9 and Canon housing with UCL-165 macro lenses. To see how, click on the pink link in my signature below.
I think the macro lens is a big help, for examples have a look at my recent flickr photos

Dave, if you're not inclined to DIY (nice brian!), there are some Taiwan shops that are selling adapters that will allow you to use those inon close up lenses on the G9 Canon housings.

I think the UCL-165s are great ... Personally, I use them with the Ikelite housing.

I had them with me for the first time recently. I found that if I was gonna use them, I almost always used two.

Here's a couple examples (both with two stacked on top of each other):





On thing to keep in mind, they do create significant chromatic abberations - especially when two are stacked - but I wouldn't let that stop you ... Lightroom did a great job of fixing that.

In hindsight, my asking this question about additional gear on this website is a bit like asking a group of motoheads if I need more horsepower in my vehicle engine. Or asking my wife if she could use more jewelry. DUH!

Thanks for all the information. I have looked the website pics of all you that have answered many times before this topic was entered. Its nice to have replies from you all. I have never seen most of the things you have great pics of but perhaps that will change with time.

If I am using the G9 with a UCL-165 and Z-240 strobes (1 or 2...only own 1 so far)

What strobe arm lengths work best?

thanks
Dave

Dave,

I can't recomment a specific length for the arms, because that is a matter of personal preference. If your goal is to shoot macro, then they can be pretty short. However, if you are shooting wide angle, then you may want considerably longer arms.

I have a few different size Ultralight Arm Segments for my setup, but lately I find myself using one 12" and one 5" arm on each side.

Coincidentally, I made it out yesterday and took a few close-up shots of some Blennies on a local Deerfield Beach, Florida Wreck, which I rarely do, because I tent to prefer wide angle shots. Here's a few shots I got yesterday. Please keep in mind that these little critters are VERY TINY, about 1/3 to 1/2 the diameter of the size of an erraser on a pencil, and I shot them with my G9 with both Inon UCL-165M67 stacked lenses and dual Z-240's.







Adrian

Adrian,
thanks for the arm information.
Those are great pics. Looks like fish with Antlers! How is that for showing mid-west upbringing?
I do have a few questions for you, if you have time. How do you locate fish that small?
With stacked 165's, you must be quite quite close. Do these little guys just ignore big ole you or do they pop down and eventually come back up once you wait without moving?

thanks for your patience.

Glad you enjoyed the pics - Thanks!

These little guys are rarely spotted by divers, because they are so small, unless you are extremely close to them and are specifically looking for them, you will never even know they are right under your nose. On yesterday's dive, I was on the wreck for approximately one hour, and I'd say I stuck to one 20' x 20' area the entire time, because my face was probably no more than 1' to 3' from the wreck at any one time while I was searching for them.

With the stacked 165's, when I really zoom in, I'd say the end of the lens is probably no more than 3" to 6" away from my subject, however, it's not really a problem being that close, because these guys are not that shy. They might initially retreat to their little worm hole, but they come right back out in a matter of seconds and are not camera shy, even when I'm that close.

Adrian

I have a Sony NEX-5, and i am under the same dilemma of whether or not to buy the UCL-165 as well. F.I.T. makes a similar lens in +5 whereas the 165 I believe is +6. But it's a slightly cheaper option as well, and I've seen some great photos done with it. I'm going to Lembeh later this year, and I'm told it's worth it to get the lens. So I'll probably take the plunge as well!