I bought a INON UCL-165 Macro Lens for my Olympus C-7070, but it seems hard to focus the subject when using the lens. Can anyone teach me how to use it properly, e.g. how far it should be from the subject to get a clear focus and can I set the c-7070 to macro or supermacro and can I zoom in?

My wife uses the SP-350 with the Inon UCL-165 Macro lens. What works best for her is setting the camera on manual focus at the closest focus distance allowed by the camera. Then, you just move the camera towards your subject until the subject comes into focus. For composition the zoom lever can be zoomed in or out... Focusing manually will also make the shutter lag quicker as you won't also have to wait for the camera to focus.

Also, a focus light can be really helpful. With autofocus, the camera will focus easier with more light, especially with that macro lens. With manual focus you will be able to see the subject better on the display to determine the best focus...

I use the UCL-165 with my Olympus C-4000, and I found it worked didn't focus if I was in super macro (at least not for me). I believe I shot mine in regular macro mode and just moved the camera forward to get the subject in focus.

If your lens is mounted externally it will not focus correctly above water. It needs to be in the water and have water in between the lens and port. Make sure you unscrew the lens a little to remove any trapped air between glasses. Also make sure to clean the optics after the camera dries as the salt water will leave spots on the optics. It's a great lens and if you stay in macro and zoom in you can focus within a few inches of the lens and still have a zoomed close up. Manual focus works for me as I am patient to get the lock. HTH

Sorry, meant to say auto focus works for me as I am patient to get the lock.

Here's an example of a zoomed in close shot in macro using a c5050 and ike 125 strobe.

Ok I used the 165 lens on the last post. This one is with just the camera, no macro, just luck.

Thank you all for your experience sharing. Bruce, does it mean don't screw the lens too tight? Is it o.k. to mount the lens on land before using it because you said it should let the water in? Also, without macro lens, do you find it difficult to focus the subject with your c-5050? I found it hard to focus when getting closer to the subject using super macro (I use external strobe). Most of my macro photos are out of focus, esp the anemone shrimp. How can I get a better focus?

Do you use INON external strobe? If so, what config you will set when taking macro photos? There are auto mode, TTL mode and slave mode. My macro photos are usually over-exposed.

I use the strobe with a manual controller (ikelite) and keep the aperture closed down, say to F-5 or better. I have no problem with focus. I didn't start UW photog until I had a few hundred dives under my belt and good buoyancy is important. The pic of the scorpion fish above is a day pic F-5.6 ISO 100 1/500 sec with the strobe stopped down too. On the Xmas tree worm I used the same settings and had the Inon macro lens and the camera zoomed all the way in optically, not digitally. I mount the lens above water and then unscrew it when I'm checking my buoyancy just to get any trapped air out from between the camera and lens. I took shots of maybe thirty worms and believe me only a few were keepers. There's no secrets just practice. The practice gives you an excuse to take another vacation.

Rebecca, one thing I did not mention is that I shoot with the camera in manual mode all the time. I also use the auto focus in spot mode. The higher the F-stop the greater your depth of field so in macro stop way down. Keep your strobe output low too. I am assuming that you have covered your onboard flash with a piece of duct tape, otherwise that will burn out any macro shot you take. I bracket my pics using mostly the strobe output (Ike-125)using the manual controller. If your strobe has a choice of full, half, quarter etc.,try experimenting with those. Change your auto focus to something other then multi pattern or the like until you get the results you deserve. Once it all makes starts working the unit becomes a point and shoot with great leeway. I think your focus issue may be you moving with the swells. The shutter lag of a second dosen't help either. HTH.

Thanks