Lens Review: Dyron Double Macro M77

Always up for trying something new, I volunteered to field test the Dyron Double Macro M77 lens and Ikelite port adapter. 

Ever since discovering the wonderful world of macro underwater photography, I have been looking for ways to get higher magnification.  Using the Dyron Double Macro M77 lens is certainly one way to do it.  I typically use my 60mm macro lens along with a 1.4x Kenko teleconverter, which is attached directly to the camera body.  Therefore, once I put my camera in the housing, it's there to stay for the duration of the dive.

The versatility of being able to remove the Dyron Double Macro M77 lens underwater came in handy.  I was able to shoot fish portraits without the wet lens on the port, and when I saw, for example, a potentially great nudibranch photograph, I simply attached the port adapter and lens, and voilà, I was ready to get some great magnification for the shot. 

The Dyron Double Macro M77 lens and port adapter on my Ikelite D90 macro port.

The Lens

Double Macro M77 features dual coated lenses to limit distortion, and Dyron now also offers an adaptor that allows any M77 threaded lens to be attached externally to Subal, Ikelite, Hugyfot, or Seacam macro ports. This gives the underwater photographer the option of adding an external diopter, in this case the Double Macro M77, to increase magnification to these ports.

It easily attached to the front of my macro port, and when I chose to take it off underwater, it was secured to the port with its own leash.  One should take care, however, to make sure the lens does not contact the reef while it is off the front of the port.  It may get scratched, and/or it may damage the environment.

Due to the magnification of the lens, it did not allow me to focus my 60mm lens to infinity, but rather forced me to get closer to the subject, which is exactly what I should be doing in the first place!

Left: Dyron Double Macro Lens.  Right: Dyron port adapter for Ikelite flat ports.

Underwater Photographs with the Dyron Double Marco lens

All of my underwater photographs were shot using my Nikon D90 and 60mm macro lens in my Ikelite housing. My Ikelite strobes were set to TTL, and I used either one or both strobes, depending the subject and effect I wanted to create.

Flabellina iodinea nudibranch.  1/200, F14, ISO 200

         Picture taken without the M77                                                                                                    Same focal distance with the M77

            Picture taken without the M77                                                                                            Same focal distance with the M77

1/200, F14, ISO 200

1/200, F20, ISO 200

1/200, F16, ISO 200

Specifications

Further Reading

• Guide to Super Macro Photography

• Finding Macro Subjects and Shooting Behavior

• Improving your Macro Photography

• Review: Canon 8-15 mm Fisheye Lens