Underwater Housing © Shawn Miller
The Laowa D-Dreamer 12mm lens is a technical lens with great optics. The specialized lens is manual focus and manual aperture selection. I decided to see what it could do underwater.
The lens was used in combination with a Canon 70d DSLR, mounted in an Ikelite housing with an eight-inch dome port. For all the underwater shots, I preset the aperture to f11 before I locked it in the underwater housing. I tested it under ambient light, with the use of modeling lights and underwater strobes. I only had time to test it four times underwater due to bad weather and family obligations. It was challenging for sure. By the fourth dive, I started getting the hang of using this manual lens underwater.
1st issue – Reflection when shooting into the sunlight. (see the bottom right corner)
Venus 12mm underwater reflection © Shawn Miller
I made an anti-reflection lens ring cover to reduce reflection and eliminate the letters and numbers in my image.
Anti-reflection lens cover © Shawn Miller
Anti-reflection lens cover attached to the lens. (Nice and simple)
Anti-reflection lens covering © Shawn Miller
2nd issue – Locking on focus. Many of my images were soft due to user error and malfunctions. The focus ring kept slipping off. I adapted with some orange nonstick stretch tape to prevent it from slipping again.
Underwater setup by Shawn Miller © Shawn Miller
If you plan to use this lens underwater I would recommend a camera body that has focus peaking. I tested it without the function and had some difficulty underwater. Below are some of my favorite photographs using the Laowa D-Dreamer 12mm lens underwater. Okinawa, Japan
Light & Motion Sola 3800 © Shawn Miller
Saddleback anemonefish, Okinawa © Shawn Miller
Longfin snake eel © Shawn Miller
Teira batfish, Maeda point © Shawn Miller
Bleached coral and prism © Shawn Miller
Underwater sunburst © Shawn Miller
To be expected the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D lens was a lot easier to use on land. Below are some of my documentation photographs of the marine debris washed ashore on local beaches.
I hope these photographs will inspire people to care more about nature and make difference in the environment
Tidal flats of Kaichu-Doro © Shawn Miller
Ever wonder where your balloons end up © Shawn Miller
Teniya cove, Okinawa © Shawn Miller
Marine debris, Nagahama bay © Shawn Miller
Uninhibited island beach scene © Shawn Miller
We are polluting our oceans with single-use items at an unstoppable rate. Let’s work together to make a positive impact!
Nature Mirai -Mangroves © Shawn Miller
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Have a great day – Shawn Miller