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Fire-breathing frogfish: Nauticam’s Extended Macro Wide Lens, or EMWL, opens up a world of radical, never-before-seen perspectives
 

I love the intimacy that only a close-focus macro lens can provide. Tight portraits of small subjects reveal a delicate world, often endearing, and helps to connect viewers in a way that is unique and compelling.

I’ve experimented extensively with macro over the years, revisiting the natural effects of bubble bokeh and barrel distortions, creating motion blur, colorizing, and more. (As a result, I have been labeled “unhinged”—which is one of the greatest left-handed compliments I’ve ever received!)

With all of the challenges that style of shooting might bring, I still find the greatest test and challenge in shooting something exactly how we find it—el natural.

I also love the way a wide-angle lens can tell a story. A wide-angle lens can provide an inclusive overview of a reef, big animals, wrecks or scenes that needs zero explanation to communicate, drawing the viewer in to the experience. Here, we see the texture of the habitat, shadows or even natural light all playing a significant role in the image.
 

Blennies are photogenic no matter what lens you choose, but they are often fussy and don’t like a close approach. For the smaller stuff, I use a smaller strobe. I concentrate on the foreground and let Mother Nature handle the background. I’ve used snoots and larger strobes, too, and all are just as effective when needed. I prefer to use warming gel diffusers in water that tends to be hazy or greenish, which enhances natural hues
 

A porcelain crab feeding on food particulates as it drifts past its host anemone. This point-of-view shot is perfect for storytelling. Video or stills, world building is an important factor to consider for compositions that are rarely explored
 

When we look at both styles of shooting, we see a significant midpoint that exists between them. Although many have tried to close the gap between macro and wide angle, the results have not been very successful in bringing out the true characteristics of both styles in a single frame.

The style known as close-focus wide angle (CFWA) is the morph of the two styles, and when done right can provide a well-framed glimpse of our subject in an infinite world.

It is my belief that when we approach CFWA from a wide-angle perspective, we miss the target because of both our gear and our mindset. We gear up and go down thinking wide angle first, and then hunt for smaller subjects to frame up close. While this can work sometimes, the outcome is usually disappointing. The primary subject gets lost in the frame, with the wide-angle perspective also suffering. The frustration is mainly due to the gear/port setup. Most wide-angle lenses allow for focusing right on the port, but the port is nearly impossible to maneuver into a tight position. Composition suffers, lighting becomes an issue, and continuity is compromised.

For years, the old go-to for APS-C shooters was the Tokina 10–17mm with a 1.4x teleconverter. Used behind a small port like the Zen Minidome, this setup was quite effective and fun, but getting the port close enough continued to be a challenge, and shot selection was still very important.
 

Extreme close-focus wide-angle shots are what the EMWL does best
 

Rhinopias and model: Sneaking the EMWL past the seagrass for a close approach is what this lens is all about for me. The angle of view is intimate, yet wide enough to incorporate a model, habitat or both

Extended Macro Wide Angle

Enter the Extended Macro Wide Lens, Nauticam’s effort to target the roadblock between close focus and wide angle, promising to open the playing field to a world of new possibilities. For a photographer with thousands of hours shooting macro, the EMWL has been more than a revelation. We finally have the ability to showcase the details of a macro subject while including a broad open background or habitat—a fresh and truly unique point of view.

The way the EMWL works and its various component parts have been discussed elsewhere (see, for example, Nicolas Remy’s detailed DPG article), but let me just say that each of the four “objective lenses” responsible for creating different perspectives—the 60°, the 100°, the 130°, and the 160°—is tack sharp and offers superb contrast.

My setup is a Nikon Z8 in the Nauticam housing with the Nikon F-mount 105mm lens via the Nikon FTZ mount adapter. Without the relay lens, the EMWL system produces an inverted image, which can be rectified by using a monitor, but my preference is to have the relay lens and a 40º viewfinder. This makes the system substantially longer—about 12 inches in total. Attached via bayonet to the macro port, it can be a tad front heavy, but floats can be used to offset and provide buoyancy. I’ve also attached a thick rubber band around the lens to protect it from scraping the reef. This is very close work, so special attention and precautions for both the environment and gear are important.
 

Small frogfish become huge using the EMWL with the 160° objective lens. Being able to angle the lens deep enough to capture the horizon provided enough negative space to highlight the oversized lure of a small warty frogfish hunting on the sand
 

Hexabranchus and sunlight: I was pleasantly surprised to see how well direct sunlight is handled by the EMWL with the 160º objective lens. I was in 10 feet of water but the sun was diffracted by the turbulent surface and dappled nicely as I was shooting
 

This shot of a flatworm shows the smoothness of the bokeh at open apertures. I was also impressed by just how closely I could focus on the subject

“True” Close-Focus Wide Angle?

Initially, I found it difficult to break the old approach of thinking “wide angle first,” but as soon as I shifted my thinking and concentrated on close-focus macro, I began to see results. What surprised me most was the three-dimensional quality you get when you get really close to your subject. Like super macro, there is a point where the perspective changes slightly at the closest working distance. The same effect translates through the optics of the 160° objective lens with deep compositions, resulting in a point of view that shows what the subject might see.

Pushing the limits as far as I possibly can, I have not found any limitations as to what can be achieved. As with any form of underwater photography, lighting remains a constant challenge. The lens angle is wide, making it easy to pick up backscatter, but due to the length of the lens, there is also a built-in level of forgiveness. Interestingly, I have found using a single strobe is often more beneficial.

Macro up front, wide angle in the back—the feel is actually akin to a +5 macro diopter with wide-angle capabilities. Creating a layer cake is the best way that I can describe the thought process behind shooting the EMWL. Stopping down too much chokes off ambient light, so boosted ISO and slower shutter speeds often come into play when attempting to retain a natural background, especially blue water.
 

I honed in tight on a mass of anemonefish eggs in an attempt to find any weakness in the EMWL system. The sharpness of the eyes in the embryos is astonishing in addition to the round bokeh rendered off the reflection of the other eggs

Final Thoughts

The EMWL system is a testament to passionate engineers enabling shooters to expand their horizons. Its simple to use, easy to sneak in to tight spaces and gives us a chance to offer a new perspective of our precious oceans.

I’m fortunate in that I live on the water and can dive almost every day. But this is also a double-edged sword leading to complacency. After a few dives with the EMWL, I found myself excited to get back in the water to try and find something else to test the lens on. Everything from the common stuff to the not-so-common, with and without a model. I find myself rejuvenated.
 

Encountering a mototi octopus with an attitude left me with several fun images. The octopus flicked the lens and I captured the moment, shooting at 7fps. The deep composition gives the viewer the feel of the octopus snapping their mask
 

About the Author: Mike Bartick is a working underwater photographer residing in Anilao, Philippines. He has an insatiable love for finding unique marine life, observing and photographing their behavior, and sharing his insight and knowledge with others. His curiosity and drive for firsthand experiences have led him across the globe in search of that special critter encounter. Mike is a widely published, award-winning photographer, writer and international public speaker with work appearing monthly across various magazines, websites and online publications. He also hosts photo clinics, workshops and seminars at Crystal Blue Resort, concentrating on different aspects of underwater photography as well as the natural history of Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific. www.saltwaterphoto.com
 

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EMWL Focusing Unit for Nikon	EMWL Relay Lens	EMWL 60° Objective Lens
EMWL 100° Objective Lens	EMWL 130° Objective Lens	EMWL 160° Objective Lens