The Canon RF 14-35 f/4L is FANTASTIC underwater | Photography

I bought my Canon RF 14-35 f/4L knowing it would be a fantastic lens for shooting on land, but how does it perform for underwater photography? I just took this lens and my EOS R out for a test in my underwater housing, and the results surprised me. The RF 14-35 is arguably the most versatile lens I've used in years, and just might be my new favorite underwater lens as well.
A special thanks to Ikelite for sending me a 50 mm dome port extension to make this test possible. I have always been a happy Ikelite customer and can't recommend them enough as a company that encourages their customers to explore new creative directions.
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[@KTWilliams]

Thank you for the great video! I'm taking the step up into the iiklite world from my action cam rig and using my Canon R5 with the RF 15-35mm 2.8 lens. I'm super excited to be diving in Cozumel in April.

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

That sounds like an awesome setup and I'm sure you'll have a blast! The resolution boost of the R5 is going to make for some magical images underwater. Thanks for watching!

[@john23232]

Thanks for the video, I have been crawling KZbin to know if it’s possible to have great quality without a flash and if f4 was really not enough. Plus knowing the focal lengths results underwater is great! Thanks 😊

[@Michael_Anthony05]

nice video, now i really want to take this lens out.

[@archascents5157]

great video. my wife and i are going to Kona in a couple weeks. I may get this lens for our trip!

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

I hope your trip goes great! It is an awesome lens and I very much enjoy it. Welcome to Hawaii!

[@RayneDr0ps]

That reef looks to be in rough shape. :( Great review of the lens though. Not often see reviews of lenses from underwater. Looks like a solid choice for marine life.

[@NGUEgr]

hi! thank you for the great review! I have a question. Why the RF14-35 f/4 is better than the RF15-35 f/2.8 for underwater use?

[@olivierclement5801]

Yes why?

[@marinebiolover6860]

Thanks for this man ❤

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

Thanks for watching, I really do love this lens underwater!

[@marinebiolover6860]

@@AustinGreeneExplores wish i could afford all that stuff.

[@connellymolnar]

Austin what was your auto focus set as?? Just bought this exact setup for this exact lens and am nervous about the autofocus underwater!

[@stevenheapy9331]

Hey @Austingreene thanks for the video very hard to find much on 14-35 or 15-35 underwater. What size and type of dome port were you using eg 6inch acrylic

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

Hey Steven, this was an eight inch acrylic dome, just the standard from Ikelite :)

[@lopezmanuel87]

Hi bro! Nice video, thank you for sharing. Do you have more photos taken with the 35mm lens? This month I am going to experience underwater photography but I only have a 35mm lens. I would like to know what can be done with a lens like this and get some inspiration! Thanks for your time!

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

Hey Manuel! Sorry for the delayed response time. 35mm is a great focal length for underwater if you want some closer shots of fish etc., but is a bit lacking if you're looking for the super-wide shots many of us love about underwater photography. ANY lens underwater is better than no lens. I hope you're having a great time shooting!

[@NoRegret08]

Thank you for the video! I just bought Canon EOS R with 24-105 L F4 kit. I am planning to buy an Ikelite housing before I go diving in the spring or this summer. RF 14-35 does not have a lense profile yet for Capture One Pro. I won't considering buying it until they release a profile. RF 15-35 is much more expensive and requires 2 extensions for Ikelite housing. I know that Ikelite housing for the EOS R supports 24-105mm L F4 lense with 2 extensions and a diopter. I never used zoom underwater before. My only experience with underwater photography was Canon Powershot Pro 1 back in 2006-2010 and I never flooded it LOL. Do you think it is possible to put 24-105 L F4 into a 8 inch Dome without any extensions or diopters and just lock the lense at 24mm and use it only at 24mm? I am just thinking that it might be a good starting point before buying the new RF 14-35 or RF 15-35. Thank you very much! PS I forgot to add. I do not care for video. I just want to use it for photography (RAW)

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

Sorry for the delayed response, but congrats on your EOS R and 24-105, it is a great walk-around lens! I think you'll need at least one set of extension tubes, if not more. You want the lens as close to the back wall of the dome port as possible, and no closer than 1.5 inches from the inside of the dome when fully extended. That said the 24-105 is such a popular lens I'm sure there is good example imagery out there! Having used the 14-35 on land and underwater for over a month now, I would absolutely pick it over the 15-35. It has better IS and is a lighter, smaller lens with more focal range. It isn't a great portrait lens, but it really checks every other box. Also Lightroom v11.0 now has an official profile for the lens and I expect Capture 1 will soon as well. Until then, I'd suggest using the profile for the RF 24-105 f/4-7.1, I still actually prefer it over the official profile.

[@NoRegret08]

@@AustinGreeneExplores Thank you for the reply! I called Ikelite and they told me I need 2 extensions and a diopter for the 24-105, but I can get away with 50mm extension,but I might be disappointed with the results. I also reluctant to get the housing because of it's enormous size and weight and I bring all my dive gear with me and never rent it. Another option will be to get Sony RX 100 VII or RX 100 VA just for diving, but I am afraid I might be disappoitned with the results. I have no use for that camera top side. My next diving trip is this summer, so I can wait. The only thing is that if there is a Black Friday sale, I should get either the EOS R housing or RX 100 VII or RX 100 VA. I have been to Oahu twice. Double dipping Sea Tiger at night was awesome!

[@ianmeissner]

I really enjoyed your video! I have seen still shots at 14mm that need to be corrected in post for vignetting, when you are videoing at 14mm I'm assuming the same thing will happen. Is there a way to correct that? .

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

Stills at 14mm definitely need correction, but surprisingly video at 14mm does not. I thought this was due to 4K on the EOS R being a 1.6x crop, but even at 1080p no corrections seem necessary (or they are automatically applied in-camera). The good news for stills is that Lightroom v11.0 now has a profile for the lens!

[@alejandrocastro2711]

Hey Austin! Quick question: When you scuba with your housing, do you have it attached to you somehow? To your wirst or the scuba vest?

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

Unless I need both hands for something, I always have it attached to my wrist with a landyard. That lanyard is long enough, and the housing slightly positive, so if I need both hands I just let go of it and it floats by my head while I work with my hands. I believe the lanyard is made by Trident. Look for the one that has the metal internal coil.

[@NoRegret08]

You are using the standard 8 inch dome and not the compact 8 inch dome , correct ?

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

Correct!

[@NoRegret08]

@@AustinGreeneExplores Things in terms of corner sharpness will be probably much worse with a compact dome. I was thinking of getting Canon SL 3 with Tokina 10-17 for being compact (since I fly everywhere), but I will wait until Canon EOS R10 comes with housings, so I can use either Tokina 10-17 (if it works and I do not own it) or RF 14-35 (I own it). I have no use for SL 3 topside, which is the biggest downside to buying it.

[@AustinGreeneExplores]

@@NoRegret08 I would look at the R7 over the R10, there are big differences in AF that will be especially important underwater when shooting ultrawide. Corner sharpness behind a standard dome is excellent with the 14-35 when stopped down, but I personally shoot it wide open as I'm not going for edge-to-edge sharpness.