RE: Macro lenses

m-mef, you should post these questions in the wetpixel forum. The people there are hugely experienced and you'll get better answers. This forum here is good for general travel questions, but for the kind of specific advice you need, go to a specialist forum.

Are you talking about wetmount lenses for the p&s housing? If so, those require a flooded lens in order to work, and the ones for your DSLR most likely require air surrounding them to work. But don't go by just that... ask in wetpixel instead. :-)

I am looking at buying a macro lens for my underwater compact camera, and have a few queries:

1) Is it reasonable to use the same macro lens for my DSLR for normal photography as well as for my underwater housing? My DSLR has a 72mm thread and my underwater housing a 46mm thread, for which I can use step up and step down rings to fit a lens with a thread size somewhere between the two (e.g. 55mm)

2) I am having a little difficulty in understanding the magnification spec - the fantasea macro lens specifies a focal length of 333mm which is a single lens, while multi lens systems specify 1, +2 and 4 etc. How do the two compare?

3) Is Kood a reputable make for lenses?

You should get a wet optic for your housing. Do not bother with a regular land diopter.

Some of the underwater macro lenses can be stacked, increasing the magnification. That would let you photograph really tiny creatures. In addition to Fantasea, some of the other manufacturers include Dryon, Epoque and Inon.

You might need a separate strobe, if the macro lens gets in the way of the camera's flash. Some of these strobes provide very precise exposure.

Never heard of Kood.