11–16mm for APS-C, and the Olympus or Panasonic
7–14mm on Micro Four-Thirds cameras can be
useful when photographing more distant pelagics
such as sharks or even moderate-sized reef scenes.
When shooting with a rectilinear lens, the
camera is generally farther away from the
subject, requiring more light from your strobes
to overcome the distance. In general, larger glass
ports (about 240mm or 9 inches) will cause less
distortion and are preferred for most wide-angle
photographs.
To get that perfect pygmy shot, the trade-off
between working distance and ease of framing
will dictate whether to go with a 60mm or
100/105mm. To get larger than life size, using a
dioptre on a longer focal length lens will give you
the largest reproduction size and help prevent
accidental damage to the sea fan and the pygmy.
COMPACT CAMERAS:
With the ability to shoot both macro and wide
angle on the same dive, compact camera users
will rejoice in Raja Ampat.
A good wet-mate wide-angle port will help to
capture the pastoral reef scenics that await and
get that entire manta in the frame as it passes
inches from your camera. For photographing the
tiny pygmy seahorses, the use of a dioptre is a
must, as they only reach a height of around two
centimetres (0.8 inches).
Although the shallow reefs are, in many places,
pristine right up to the surface and natural light
images can yield excellent results, to truly bring
out the colours of the reef, a good set of strobes
is recommended, preferably with a large beam
angle, whether you’re using a compact setup or a
fully-fledged DSLR system.