vkalia

Sorry for the slow reply, had some life+Covid related stuff that kept me busy. I meant that the peaking highlights are very faint sometimes (I was testing in macro mode on land, and i was really struggling to see the peaks at times). Yeah, i did notice that the focus takes ages to move - I was hoping to use AF to get it close, MF to tweak and then do the whole rock-it-back-and-forth to get it right. I dont seem to have an option to boost the peaking color on my EM10Mk3, however. Thanks for the tip on using C-AF. Did you mean automatic focus tracking? That would be a very interesting option but doesnt it require the touchscreen? Edit - C-AF + Tracking apparently does NOT require a touchscreen. Doh. I was convinced it was. That's also something worth trying, I reckon. I just wonder if it will be precise enough to focus on, say, the eyes of an eel as opposed to its mouth.

High frame rates? Is there a way to tweak that to improve AF performance?

Yup, I am happy to report that on an OMG-ABCDAlphabetSoup 10 Mk3, you can use the back button AF approach (AEL/AFL button on mine as well) and set the FN2 button to turn on focus peaking. I have chosen to: - set the focus to Single Shot + MF - For Focus Assist, have turned on both subject zoom and focus peaking. This way, when i press FN2 activate the focus peaking, i can use that to determine focus accuracy (i dont get the subject zoom for MF assist in this case). OTOH, if i press FN2 again to deactivate focus peaking under the normal display, i get the benefit the subject zoom and focus peaking as well. That works great, as i dont always want to zoom in on the subject. This should work really well. The only thing remaining now is being able to see that blessed viewfinder well enough to utilize the focus peaking. It is very faint indeed! Thank you very much for your help, guys - but i am open to more tips and shortcuts, if anyone has suggestions. As we all like photos, here is one from Banda, from a few weeks ago.

Size, mainly. In Asia, airlines are getting quite strict about a 7kg carryon limit and a big DSLR, dome port, etc was getting to be a bit too impractical to cart around.

I am using an EM-10Mk3 - no viewfinder. I didnt really find the EVFs on any of the OMD series to be anything approaching the resolution of a high quality optical finder in low light but that was admittedly a fairly quick glance. As such, I havent bothered putting an external finder on it, and shoot with the LCD. Issue i am having is with the 60mm macro lens - i like to lock focus and then move the camera back and forth till the subject is in focus. That's simply not working. I'll try the focus peaking approach. Also open to other tips/suggestions.

Hello Tim - Thannk you very much: that is very helpful - - these new crop of MLCs have all these wondrous features which i havent even begun to explore. Might be time to correct that, as i sit at home bored out of my mind. Ideally, i need to find a way to get focus peaking to work with the back-button AF on the camera - let me play around with the camera and see. Cheers!

Hi all - Need some advice - after years of shooting with a DSLR with an Inon 45 degree finder attached to it, i have switched to a MFT system: Olympus in a Nauticam. However, i have realized that the screen resolution on the camera is all kinds of crap, and i am not able to judge accurate focus on it: certainly not to the degree i could with an OVF. With my Canon, i used to manually focus and the nice Inon 45 degree finder gave me a fantastic view of what was or was not in focus - to the point that I have been able to manually focus on mating mandarins in near darkness. I knew that to be an issue going into MFT, but figured I could just rely on autofocus. But i have found i cannot. I am going to get a focus gear for the lens and see if that helps, but honestly, given how crappy EVF resolution is, i am not sure that is going to do it. Are there any tips or tricks that help? TIA, Old dog trying to learn new tricks.

Personally, if you can get your trim dialled down properly, it doesnt really matter what you use. I've use traditional jacket-style BCDs, back inflation BCDs and BP/wings, and it hasnt made a difference. Choice of fins is probably a bigger factor than the style of BCD, atleast for my body type.

Thanks! That's good to know. I guess bayonet it is, then.

Chris, I have the EM-10Mk3. Poor battery life compared to a DSLR. Funnily, i was told by the dealer I got my gear from (who is a VERY experienced u/w guy) that the Oly EVF chews up more battery than the LCD.

Inon does have a finder that woks off the EVF. Havent used it yet. As for the LCD - hmm, good question. If your prescription mask lets you see clearly within reading distance, i dont imagine it will be an issue.

I recently switched to Olympus, after flooding my old Canon housing last year. Just got back from a week in Raja Ampat with the new rig and here are my thoughts on the switch: The small size is an absolute winner. And it is a lot easier to manoeuvre the 4/3rd housing in a current. However, I dont like the LCD. With an optical view finder (I had the 45 degree Inon finder on my Aquatica housing for the Canon), I could see the scene and make my own decisions on exposure. The LCD of the Olympus doesnt present a realistic view of what i am shooting, and is affected by its own dyanmic range limitations and that throws me off. Also, the battery life of the 4/3s system is quite poor - I am not a high volume shooter and was able to get 3 dives in fairly easily, but with the Canon, i could go several days before needing to change the batteries. Lastly, trying to judge macro focus on the LCD screen doesnt work so well for me, compared to the optical finder. Honestly, if size/weight/cost were not an issue, I'd still prefer to shoot with a DSLR. But in the real world, the practical advantages of the M43 make it worthwhile for me. (Caveat: i am comparing a system that i have used on land for nearly 20 years, and underwater for 12, with a system that i have taken <1000 photos with. So maybe after i traverse the learning curve, my opinion of the M43 may improve).

Apologies for dropping out of the discussion - had a horrendously long return trip from Raja Ampat (and on my return, discovered that my camera was set on JPEG, not RAW... FML) Makes sense. I wasnt thinking of the 12-40 anyway - if i go with the WWL-1 option, then it is 14-42. Honestly, the versatility of the Zen doesnt hold much appeal to me, nor do i want to replace the 4" dome for my 8mm - i quite like the compact size, after years of pushing the 8" Aquatica dome around). To me, the choice of domes would be contingent on the lens i choose. And based on all i have read here, i am now leaning towards the 14-42+WWL-1. The greater range of focal lengths (if i am willing to faff around with removing the WWL-1 underwater) gives me the versatility i need, and by all accounts, the sharpness is comparable. For those that do own this lens - how much of a pain in the rear is it to take it off underwater? I am not gonna bother with converting it to bayonet mount - at most, would clip a small pouch to my harness and stick it in there when not in use.

An additional data point - if i dont care about the ability to shoot macro vs wideangle on the same dive, but strictly want something for fish potraits and large stuff that doesnt come too close, does that change the equation? TIA!

No, i wont be using this rig on land. This system is exclusively for underwater use. I think mentally, i am struggling with the idea of a relatively inexpensive kit-style lens AND an added optical element as being better than a single, higher-quality lens.