ProfF

If you have a lathe, why not produce one from metal (aluminum)?

Really nice to hear! When you shoot macro in the 4" with the 12-50 + diopter do you feel like you have to be too close to some subjects (to compensate for the loss of magnification due to the dome)? This is my last concern I need to clear before placing an order. 

I don't feel that way. But, I never had a chance to try this lens behind a flat port.

If you do not plan on W/A (e.g. 9-18) than based on the reports above the 60mm port might be fine for you. I really love the 9-18, and already had the 4" dome, so it was natural to stay with it.

That is why I am playing with the idea that the 4" dome port with the 3 small 9-18mm, 12-50mm, and the 60mm macro would basically cover all angles with little luggage weight and few compromises. The bonus of attaching a nice diopter like Subsee or 1 or 2 dyron on that same port with the 12-50mm is even more exciting when you just do not know what the dive site will offer you... Maybe even with the 9-18mm the diopter at 18mm will be useful to take pics of large nudi or small fish. I tried a +5 Marumi in front of it at 18mm and magnification is 0.5x in 35mm terms.

I have exactly this setup - 4" port with these three lens, which is great for travel. Once I added a flip-on 67mm diopter holder, I can combine the flexibility of the 12-50 and have macro capabilities.

IMHO, this a much better use of the money (flip diopter holder vs. 12-50 port+gear). Since I printed my own zoom gear and holder, I saved enough to buy a 8mm fisheye ;-)

Fantastic shots Alex.
Will the 12-50 fit inside the 4 inch wide angle port (the one for the 9-18mm?
Will it have any impact on image quality?
Thanks

Yes, and as far as I can estimate, not at all.

Sorry if this is a stupid question but I'm not used to shooting macro with wet lenses (only WA). Is it more difficult skill-wise to shoot macro with the 12-50 at 50mm and a +10 Subsee (using the Austrian zoom gear) compared to using the lens built in macro function @ 43mm (with the dedicated port/gear)?

 

I'm debating which of the two set-ups to go with, either the expensive dedicated port + zoom/gear or the normal 60 port with Austrian gear and Subsee for manual zoom.. 

While the built in macro is a great feature out of the water, I believe it is easier and you would get better results with a diopter (I would start with +5 or UWL-165, as +10 is for super-macro). If you really want macro, a better use of your money is the 60mm lens (which is amazing in quality).

Hello All, I have recently purchased the Olympus Pen E-PL5 and housing and the 60mm macro lens and want to puchase a second lens to use for non-macro shooting, anyone out there have experience with this set up and/or suggestions?

There are many active discussions of this question in various forums. It also depends on whether you have the Oly or the Nauticam housing.

Check out for example: 

http://wetpixel.com/...showtopic=46536

http://wetpixel.com/...showtopic=48650

http://www.scubaboar...-step-step.html

The short answer is probably one of these two options

1. Add multipurpose lens (12-50mm)

2. Go for a wide angle (7-14mm, or 9-18mm)

Personally, I find that my 9-18mm and 60mm are the ones I use most often (I also have the 12-50 and 14-40)