Wet Lenses for Underwater Photography

    Compact camera users can purchase "wet lenses", also called add-on lenses, that add macro and wide angle ability. INON makes some of the best quality wet lenses. Wet lenses can be added and removed underwater. There are 2 ways to attach a wet lens to your camera, a bayonet mount, which simply rotates and locks on, and a 67mm screw mount. The screw mount must be screwed on, which takes a little longer, but some people feel it is more secure. Most people prefer the bayonet mount for its ease of putting on and off underwater.

Not every housing supports wet lenses, and the quality is different for each camera/housing combination. Contact your local underwater camera shop for the best information on your housing.

If you are a beginner in underwater photography, you may want to watch my video tutorial on wet lenses.

Inon Wet Lenses UFL-165, UWL-100, UCL-165

Inon is a Japanese company with a great reputation for making wet lenses for compact underwater cameras. Inon wet lenses are made of optical glass.

AD mount, Bayonet mount and threaded filters.

Many compact housings such as Ikelite and Olympus already come with a screw mount, also known as a threaded mount. Wet lenses must be "screwed on" to this mount.

Alternatively, for other compact housings such as Sony, Canon, Olympus or Fuji you can usually purchase the appropriate Inon mount adapter.

The Inon AD mount base is a bayonet mount. Inon bayonet mount lenses are also called "AD" lenses. Bayonet mounts simply twist on, which is easier underwater than screwing on a lens. You push them in, turn them a quarter turn until they "click". Most people prefer bayonet mounts, but only certain underwater housings will work with them. This mount base is optimized for a 35mm focal length.

The Inon 28AD mount base is also a bayonet mount, but it is different than the AD mount base. This mount base is meant for cameras that have a 28mm focal length at their widest point.

The Inon M67 mount base is a threaded screw mount that attaches to many compact camera housings that do not take the Inon AD mount base. Once this mount is attached, you can screw on Inon M67 wet lenses, or any other wet lens with a 67mm threaded attachment.

When you purchase a wet lens, make sure its mount matches the mount you have on your housing, or your adapter. Please keep in mind that not all camera/housing combinations support all wet lenses, this is why you must think ahead and make sure your camera/housing will support the type of photography that you want to do. 

People who use wet lenses usually purchase a lens caddy, which holds their wet lenses while diving.

Inon UFL-165 AD Fisheye lens

This wet lens is your best choice for an underwater wide-angle wet lens, but only works with limited cameras that are 35mm at their widest, for example the Canon A570 or Canon SD990. The UFL-165 is a fisheye lens that will give you up to a 165 degree field of view. You can practically focus on the dome port of this lens. This lens is removable underwater, which means you can shoot macro and wide-angle on the same dive if you have the appropriate wet lenses. Many underwater photographers greatly enjoy this flexibility.

Inon UFL-165AD Fisheye Lens

Many photographers choose their camera based on whether it will accept this lens or not. This lens is the widest out there, and can take great wide-angle photos, allowing the underwater photographer to approach the subject very closely. Unfortunately, many recent point and shoot cameras will not work with this lens because they are too wide, and this lens is optimized to work with cameras that are 35mm wide, such as the Canon A570, Fuji F30, Canon SD990, Oly SP350, Fuji E900.

This lens only works with housings with an AD bayonet mount, hence the lens is called the UFL-165 AD fisheye lens. It does not work with the 28AD mount base.

Inon UWL-100 Wide-angle lens

This wet lens (also called the Inon WAL100) is not quite as good as the UFL-165 fisheye lens, but is still a very good choice for wide-angle. Best when used with the optional Inon dome port.  The inon UWL-100 will give you up to a 100 degree field of view, and up to a 150 degree field of view underwater when used with the optional dome port. There are 2 versions (mount types), the 28AD version and a 67mm threaded version.

To make matters even more confusing, the Inon UWL-100 67mm version also has two mount types, "type 1" and "type 2". Most housings take type 2, which screws directly onto the housing. Some older Canon and Olympus housings take Type 1.

Photo by Edvin Eng with Panasonic Lumix LX3, Inon UWL-100 and dome unit

Inon UCL-165AD Close-up lens

• This lens is a high-quality dual element diopter for macro that allows your camera to focus closer to the subject. Two of these are commonly stacked together for supermacro photography. This lens acts as a +6 diopter underwater, which is fairly strong. With a diopter you lose the ability to focus at infinity, which shouldn't be a problem when shooting macro.

Inon also makes UCL-165 M67 diopters, which just have a different mount, and screw onto any housing with 67mm threads.

When using this dioper, for best results you should zoom in slightly. Zooming in about half-way is ideal. On a compact camera shoot at F8 for maximum depth of field.

Photo by Edvin eng, taken with Canon G9 & stacked UCL-165 macro lenses

Photo by Edvin Eng, with Panasonic Lumix LX3 & Stacked UCL-165 M67 macro lenses

The Inon Wet lens caddy is in the upper right corner 

FIX UWL-04 Fisheye lens

Designed for use with the Canon S90, Canon G10 & G11, with the Fix Fisheye housing only. Offers a 130 degree field of view. Note that you must switch ports to do macro and wide-angle on these housings. 

The FIX UWL-04 fisheye lens has 52mm threads, but it also includes a step-up ring with 67mm threads on. This unit, which has a dome included, has been used by some people instead of the Inon UWL-100 + dome unit - and is less expensive than the Inon combination, but the jury is still out which solution is better quality.

You will most likely to have to zoom in when using this combination to avoid vignetting. How much you have to zoom in will depend on your housing. 

Dyron Wet Lenses

Dyron is a french company that makes a range of wet lenses, but good information is hard to get ahold of - I'm working on it though.

Fantasea Bigeye lens

Fantasea makes a dome port that restores the original angle of view on many compact cameras. Remember, when shooting from behind a flat port, which is the default on all compact camera underwater housings, you lose 25% of the angle of view, which is not good for wide-angle! I know there are versions available for Canon G10 and G11 housings, and there are 46mm and 67mm threaded versions for some Ikelite housings.

Ikelite WP-20 wide angle lens

Ikelite has a wide-angle lens that works with some of their housings. Results will vary depending on the camera. This lens has a flat port, not a dome port. This lens comes with a 46mm or 67mm threaded mount.

Sea & Sea Wet Lenses

Sea & Sea produces add-on wet lenses for their DX-1G and DX-2G underwater cameras. The results that I've seen look fairly good, and it allows you to shoot macro and wide-angle on the same dive, although the wide-angle is not as wide as a fisheye.

Further Reading

Understanding Fisheye Lenses

Underwater Housing, Strobe and Lens Reviews