Phil Rudin

Hi Draq,

 

I think that combo will work quite well for you. The 20mm extension will also work quite well with the 60mm macro if you ever want a longer macro, I use both. I am also using the 20mm extension with the ZEN Underwater 170mm glass dome port and the 7-14 zoom.

 

Phil Rudin

In no way is the Sony NEX7 with the 18-55 zoom a better choice than the Olympus E-M5 with the 12-50 zoom. I am sure you will find at least one owner to tell you the Sony is the better choice. If you read the large number of reviews and posts on this site and others like Scubaboard in regard to the E-M5 you will see that as a system the NA-EM5 system is much better.

Phil Rudin

Kenr,

I use the Nauticam 45 degree viewfinder on all dives with the NA-EM5 housing and it is a tool I would not want to be without. I have never been a fan of using the LCD as a way to achieve critical focus with any lens and have used both Inon and Nauticam 45 degree finders on several past DSLR housings and on the NA-NEX7 housing. This is an excellent addition for the NA-EM5 housing and the viewfinder can be moved from system to system just like quality lenses when you change camera bodies. If you look at those on this forum using DSLR’s many are using these accessory finders. You will find support for both the 45 and 180 versions which in most cases come down to the type of shooting you are doing. Most prefer the 45 for macro and the 180 for W/A, over/under and faster moving subjects like sharks. The usefulness of these viewfinders does not change between optical viewfinders and electronic viewfinders. The issue again comes down to cost and how much you are willing to pay to get the best image quality out of your system.

Glee,

First let me say that the 12-50 Nauticam port and gear were on loan to me at the time I used them and a 67mm step down ring had been added so that I could use my 67mm SAGA flip lens holder with the port. I used both the Inon ULC-165 M67 closeup and the SubSee +10 closeup lenses with the 12-50 zoom and the 60 macro lenses. Nauticam & Saga have flip holders with the 77mm thread for the port and that would be my recommendation with any 67 mm close-up lens. So I was making the best with what I had at the time. Because I already own and use the Panasonic 45mm macro, I have since added the Nauticam 20mm extension port for use with my Nauticam 45 macro port when using the Olympus 60mm macro. The extension ring works very well with the 60 macro and adds very little to the overall size and weight of the system. With the step-down ring and the SAGA flip holder added to the 12-50 port you have the following problems. First the step-down ring reduces the Inside diameter to 67mm, when you add the flip holder the diameter is reduced by about another 10mm and the unit moves out another 5mm from the port glass when the flip holder is open. As a result the 12-50 lens begins to vignette at around 14-15mm and at 12mm the image is almost round with just a few degrees cut of the top and bottom of the circle. With the closeup lenses flipped into place the system worked very well at the 43mm macro setting where it is intended to be used. The idea of using the closeup lens at other focal length settings defeats its purpose to me, in other words way use the C/U lens when you can already get to the same magnification without it going into the 43mm macro setting. If you are not using the Nauticam gear for the lens and you only can get to 50mm then I guess it would help. I like the 12-50 Nauticam port combo and if I owned it I would have a 77mm flip holder so that I could use the full range of the lens. Since I tend to shoot more macro than W/A I am focused on the 45 & 60 macros along with the 7-14 & 8mm for my wide shots. I also think the Olympus 12mm is a steller lens and I use it from time to time.

My review on using the Saga flip holder and a review of the new Saga Zoom filter used on the 12-50 port with both 12-50 and 60macro can be found in the current and past issues of uwpmag.com

Phil Rudin

I would agree with deepbluemd that a one-size-fits-all lens solution for underwater photography or for any type of photography is only a starting point and the reason for calling these lenses “KIT” lenses in the first place. I would also agree that the image quality of the 12-50 is not as high as with other M43 lenses like the 60mm macro, 8mm fisheye and 7-14mm zoom, the three lenses I use most often. I have used the 12-50 zoom with the Nauticam port and gear long enough to make the following observations.

First I no of only two so called “kit” lenses that have image quality as good or better than the 12-50 zoom. These are the Sony 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 SAM DT and the outstanding Olympus Zuiko Digital 12-60 F/2.8-4 ED. Only the 12-50 and 12-60 reach the 84 degree AOV, all the 18-55 lenses on APS-C sensors are in the 76 degree AOV range. Of all of these KIT lenses the 12-50 is the only lens with a macro feature that goes all the way to 35mm on the long side of the image, the same as 1:1 on a 35mm “full frame” sensor camera. So the 12-50 is quite unique in its range. While the Nauticam 12-50 port/gear combo is expensive it is also very well designed and works quite well. Any 84 degree lens is going to suffer behind a flat port so this is a trade off for being able to use such a unique lens. On a trip to the Philippines last month I used the 12-50 a lot because subjects fitting into the zoom range were abundant and I was able to flip a SubSea +10 closeup lens on when I needed a little extra magnification. Bottom line is that image quality is well within the range for publication.

Regarding lens reviews in general, several things need to be taken into account. First is that the 12-50 has been tested in most cases on the 16MP Olympus E-M5 not on cameras in the 10-12MP range like many of the reviews you may have read for other kit lenses. If you think this does not make a difference you should go to photozone.de and look at the Sony 18-55 kit lens review for the Sony NEX-5. The same lens was later re-tested on the Sony NEX-7 a 14MP camera V. a 24MP camera the results tell you a lot about the quality of the lens.

Since deepbluemd also brought up his frequent use of the Tokina 10-17 on his APS-C cameras it may be worth noting that in the few reviews of the Tokina 10-17mm zoom it scored much worse than the Olympus 12-50 has. However it is still one of the most popular W/A, U/W zoom lenses, if not the most popular W/A around because it is so unique for U/W use. Very close focus, can be used with a very small dome and of course can be zoomed. The Panasonic 8mm fisheye can also focus to the port glass, uses the same small port and is much better image quality wise but does not zoom.

Many of the owners of new E-M5 systems are those coming from consumer compacts who are use to the idea of using only one lens with wet lens add-ons for macro and wide angle. For those who intend to only use the 12-50 with a macro and a W/A adapter I think that you have not only picked the wrong lens but also the wrong camera. A camera like the excellent Sony RX-100/Nauticam NA-RX100 system would be a better choice to me. For those who are “down sizing” from a DSLR or moving to mirrorless systems to expand their lens range the M43 system has the most extensive lens range from which to chose.

So again while I think the 12-50 will be an excellent starting point at F/6.3 on the long end compared to F/2.8 for the 60mm macro the 12-50 would hardly fall into the so called “pro” category where as the 7-14, 8 fisheye, 12, 45 & 45macro, 60 macro, steller 75mm and others would.

Phil Rudin

Hi Dennis,

The Panasonic and Zen port is a great combo. I would wait for the Nauticam 60 macro port or consider the 12-50 port if you intend to use that lens as well.



Phil

Hello Dennis,

First issue is that for my Nauticam housing no current port fits the lens that well. The flat port 72 that I have on loan for the lens is to long to use a closes up lens effectively, it would sit about an inch from the front of the lens. So yes a custom port would be needed or it may fit the 12-50 port but I have not seen that port yet. I am told that the lens fits the stock port for the Olympus PEN housings but again I can not confirm that for sure or if the closeup lens issue will be the same.

So while I would prefer a port that gives access to the focus limiter switch, I could live without it by just making a choice to use one setting or the other before I start the dive. I would of course prefer a 67mm thread on the port rather than the 77mm thread on the 12-50mm port.

Phil Rudin

Thanks Bill..

Which camera are you using? Are you using S-AF or C-AF. With the E-M5 I use S-AF on the F-1 button with the center nine auto focus blocks most of the time. I get the lens focused into the range of the subject size I am trying to shoot and move towards the subject until I can see it in the EVF then I AF to get sharp focus. If needed I will first focus on a rock next to the subject to get the focus into the correct range. Because focus limiting on this lens is for the the end from infinity to about 18-20 inches it is useless. I don't use IS on the lens, I use the Olympus 5-axis IS in the camera body. If both are on that will screw things up. I only use my Solo focus light as a very last resort, in I would guess less than 5% of my images. Last and most important, time in the water with the equipment. With AF on the F-1 button I can get a focus range, take my finger off the button and AF won't move until I push the button again. I always (99.8% of the time) use the EVF over the LCD for much better focus in my view.

It appears to me that the new Olympus 60 mm macro lens is going to include focus locking ranges in the macro/closeup range. It appears you will be able to lock the lens at say 1:1 to 12 or 18 inches so it will not hunt as much. The range may to able to be set even less than that to keep things within a much faster focus range. All macro lenses will hunt regardless of the camera being used if you are at infinity trying to shoot a 1:1 subject. How well you are able to hold  steady to your subject is also an issue in locking focus.

By the way, very nice photo Alex, hope to see you at the DEMA show in November.

Phil Rudin

You need to contact Nauticam about that, I did not do the posting.

AF with wide angle lenses is fast with lenses like the 12mm F/2 and 7-14 F/4, 9-18 or 8 fisheye you will not be disappointed.

Macro with the Panasonic 45mm or any macro lens for that matter is as much about technique as AF speed to me. Olympus has announced a 60mm macro coming later this year which should be excellent because it has a switch to limit the lens to a very short range of focus, like 1:1 to 1:1.1, 1:1 to 0.4 meters and so on.

How well the viewfinder will work for you is the same issue as it would be with any DSLR. Some housings like the Olympus E-M5 have no piclup finder (bad for viewfinder), the Nauticam NA-EM5 housing comes with a pickup finder which I am using now (much better) I have on order the replacement LCD window for the NA-EM5 housing which will allow me to use my Nauticam 45 degree viewfinder (excellent). The down sides are EVF's use battery power, I have done over 225 images with the 45 macro and a +10 C/U lens which involves some hunting as it would with any DSLR macro setup. Image quality in the viewfinder to me is as good or better than an APS-C size viewfinder image. If you go to a 35mm size sensor you will have a bigger image in the viewfinder.

Have you read the review by Alex Mustard posted on Wetpixel, if not you should it may help you further in making a choice, http://wetpixel.com/...mpus-om-d-e-m5/

The upsides become even more compeling when you add the Nauticam housing at its $1350.00 price point and the excellent lens choices offered by Olympus and Panasonic.

Phil Rudin

I have had five Inon strobes, three z-240's and two z-220's that are still in service after more than twenty years without ever having been serviced. I have had no problems with any of the strobes and would be hard pressed to find a reason to want to change.

Phil Rudin