Panasonic GF1

[altsaint 0]

I have just returned from my trip to Marsa Alam with GF1 and 10-Bar housing, and have learned a few lessons. All over a 2-day period, because after the 3^rd day I stopped using the camera underwater. For the remaining 11 days the housing went back into its Peli case.

 

Why so? The outer 'O' ring on the back plate was not sealing and letting water in...only as far as 'O' ring no. 2, but that was enough to concern me. Especially when the user manual explicitly says that a final check is to see that this 'O' ring shows an unbroken seal against the case. The seal tapers off just above the left-hand latch. The retail outlet that I purchased this from was not convinced that I should be concerned about this, but they have agreed to have the housing pressure tested. They showed me their demo housing and I could see that this also had a broken seal in exactly the same place. So I am confused over the conflicting opinions between the dealer and the manual, and annoyed that I felt unable to use the housing for 11 days of the trip.

 

The rear dial knob was a PITA as previously discussed. Especially when in manual mode and quickly needing to change F-stop and shutter speed. Not only is it awkward, but I really don't like the idea that the dial only turns when the dial itself is pushed fully in ( depressing the button ). Makes me wonder if it will cause wear on the camera internals. It also means you have to press twice to alter the setting you are currently switched to. I think someone has also mentioned that the top command control wheel knob can get stuck and push the camera out of alignment so that none of the back plate controls work. That one caught me out for the whole duration of a ( frustrating ) dive. The solution is to pull the knob up once it has been used, but I didn't know that then.

 

The zoom gear for the 7-14mm lens was something I could just not get to work. Wherever I positioned the zoom ring, the rotating knob would not engage with it. Perhaps 2 hours is not enough time to set this up or there is a workaround. For the £67 sterling I paid for the 2 pieces of plastic, I didn't think that represented good value really, and I would have expected accompanying fitting instructions.

 

My plan to fit a screw-on close-up lens to the 20mm port was a flawed decision on my part, but something I wanted to try because I had the CU lens anyway ( a 6 diopter ). The main problem was getting the focus to lock. Even without that issue, it is no substitute for the 45mm macro lens. The 20mm lens on its own had no focusing issues, and I had satisfactory results with that setup.

 

In summary, I wouldn't advice against getting a 10-Bar housing, but you do need to have eyes wide open with regard to usability vs. the benefit of a relatively inexpensive and compact housing. The jury is still out as to what I perceive as a design fault with the back plate 'O' ring, and I'm very interested to hear opinions and experiences with that. Same goes for the zoom gear.

 

Once I've done some post-production tidying up of the images, I'll post one or two of those I did manage to record.

[presslab 0]

I too had problems with the outside o-ring sealing. I sent my unit back for another which now seals perfectly.

 

Likewise, I had problems with my zoom gear for the m.Zuiko 9-18. I was able to clamp it backwards in the right spot to get the gears to line up, but this obviously does not work as designed. At 9mm the corners are very blurry so there is also something wrong with the geometry of the dome port.

 

The camera itself worked very well, along with the Heinrichs adapter for the strobes. Hopefully 10Bar will solve these problems. With the o-ring problem and the zoom gear problem I was told that these were not an issue, when indeed they are. I would rather that these problem reports are embraced so that the product can be refined and corrected.

[altsaint 0]

Likewise, I had problems with my zoom gear for the m.Zuiko 9-18. I was able to clamp it backwards in the right spot to get the gears to line up, but this obviously does not work as designed. At 9mm the corners are very blurry so there is also something wrong with the geometry of the dome port.

 

Yes, I didn't mention that in my last post, as I hadn't yet viewed my downloaded images. The corners are very blurred from images taken from the 7-14mm lens in the dome port. This example was shot at f5.6, 1/160s, ISO100, 7mm FL:

 

Edited December 13, 2010 by altsaint

[Davide DB 595]

Everybody seeing this photo would cry scandal!

 

Do you have the new dome for the 7-14mm or the old one for 14-45mm?

Initialy they said the it was suitable also for the 7-14 but then they made the new dome expressely built for the 7-14mm.

I cannot believe it has a so terrible quality.

[altsaint 0]

Must be the old one, as it was sold as being suitable for both lenses. I presume the new dedicated dome port must be quite new, as I don't believe it has been mentioned here before (?)

[Davide DB 595]

Must be the old one, as it was sold as being suitable for both lenses. I presume the new dedicated dome port must be quite new, as I don't believe it has been mentioned here before (?)

 

See here (some post ago in this thread):

 

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...st&p=262237

[altsaint 0]

...the 7-14 needs the second generation zoom port. You can buy it separately. You will also need gear sets, the 14-45 gears come with the port.

 

The way I read this is that there is one dome port for both lenses, but only the most recent version supports both (?). If that is the case, then I don't know what distinguishes the two.

[Davide DB 595]

The way I read this is that there is one dome port for both lenses, but only the most recent version supports both (?). If that is the case, then I don't know what distinguishes the two.

 

I think they made (optimistic) the first port for both lenses then after their customer complaints they made a new port specific for the 7-14.

The 10Bar web site is one of the worst site I've seen. From there it's impossible evaluate their products.

I think you can only count on a reliable and correct reseller.

[presslab 0]

My 10bar housing is pretty new, it has the individual pushbuttons on the back, so I assume I have the newer port. I did specifically ask if there were any problems with the 9-18mm and was told no.

 

Here is an image which illustrates the blurry corners:

[Deep6 7]

My 10bar housing is pretty new, it has the individual pushbuttons on the back, so I assume I have the newer port. I did specifically ask if there were any problems with the 9-18mm and was told no.

 

Here is an image which illustrates the blurry corners:

Yes they certainly are. What f-stop is the picture?

Bob

[presslab 0]

Yes they certainly are. What f-stop is the picture?

Bob

 

 

9mm

f/4

iso 400

1/30

Edited December 15, 2010 by presslab

[JackConnick 76]

I've forwarded this issue on to 10Bar and will call and talk to him.

 

One thing I am noticing is that these are all shot pretty much wide open. Almost all small domes will exhibit corner sharpness problems when shooting at these sorts of apertures, it's always best to shoot more mid-range f8+. Did you guys try this? If so, and you're still having problems email me a couple of shots.

 

I've shot the 9-18 in the similar E-PL1 housing with the same port and had no issues at all, even when close, but I'm not sure about the GF-1. This was shot at f/13 at about 6".

 

Aquarium shots w-9-18mm-12 by Pixel Letch, on Flickr

 

Jack

[presslab 0]

Thanks for the reply Jack. That photo looks good indeed. I do like the faster f-stops so I can get more ambient light and less of the black background effect.

 

I will try some more photos at various f-stops to see what effect that has. What is the effective dome size of the 10bar port? I see reference elsewhere to 6" and 8" ports.

 

I also saw that a diopter lens can correct for this corner focus problem, especially with the smaller dome port sizes. Something like this:

 

B+W +2 Closeup Diopter

[JackConnick 76]

Yes, a plus +2 or +4 can help, also allow you to focus closer. I'm not sure what the effective size of the port is, sorry.

 

If you bump up your ISO and lower your shutter speed you still should be able to get a more open look, really beyond that you should use a strobe.

 

But the Pany 7-14 isn't threaded.

 

Jack

[Davide DB 595]

My 10bar housing is pretty new, it has the individual pushbuttons on the back, so I assume I have the newer port. I did specifically ask if there were any problems with the 9-18mm and was told no.

 

How do you judge the rear dial knob?

[presslab 0]

How do you judge the rear dial knob?

 

 

It's a bit fiddley but honestly I don't blame it. I do a double-press-hold-and-turn and it works ok. I was thinking that if the rubber wheel on the housing had teeth to fit into the thumbwheel it would be a bit better. The ratio is not that great either so it takes multiple iterations of the pushing and turning for a large change. I wonder if a new wheel made from plastic like Delrin but machined with gear teeth would work so it would not have to be pressed in.

 

I ordered a +2 diopter to try it out.

Edited December 17, 2010 by presslab

[JackConnick 76]

You know another option that might be a better idea for available light would be to shoot the 20 or 17mm lenses in the pancake port. It's much faster and just as sharp. Small and easy to deal with also.

 

Jack

[cata13nci 0]

My first shots in two dives with Panasonic GF1 and 8mm fisheye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also have the gf1 and 2 x s2000. Can you tell me what settings do you use for the internal flash to sync correctly?...because my photos come very dark and I think my flash isn't syncing correctly.

Please tell me:

1. flash settings: auto, forced, 1st or 2nd stage?

2. manual, aperture priority or ss priority?

3. aperture, shutter speed, iso values ?

4. How do you get those wonderful blues?.....do you use a filter?....If you do, what kind?

Edited January 16, 2011 by cata13nci

[devildiver 0]

Inon or Recsea?

Does anyone have or have used the Inon or Resea housings for the GF1? I am trying to locate enough info to make the right decision between the two, so if anyone could give any +'s or -'s to help me compare them I would greatly appreciate it. Thoughts, complaints, praises and any photos of the systems or example u/w pics would be a huge help.

 

I wish the 10 Bar (because of cost) had gotten some better reports but I just can't get comfortable with some of the control wheel/button issues talked about plus the few reports of O-ring and sealing problems.

 

I have the GF1 with the 8mm fisheye, 20mm pancake and the 14-45mm. Comparing the Inon and Recsea systems, the cost is about the same, so it comes down to size, weight, overall quality of housing, available ports and handling.

Edited January 18, 2011 by devildiver

[altsaint 0]

I have been luck enough to test the GF1 in both the 10-Bar and Inon X-2 housing. The X-2 testing was in confined water, and tested a couple of days ago. My experiences with the 10-Bar are well-documented in this thread, so I won't repeat those.

 

The X-2 I used with a 7-14mm lens in the dome port, with a single S2000 strobe. The shutter is quite sensitive, but easy to get used to. The zoom works flawlessly, as do all the actuating buttons and levers I used. The rear control wheel can only be rotated, not depressed, but that's not a major issue as you can use the quick menu to change f-stop when shooting manual.

 

My shots were all in raw format, so once I have processed to jpeg I'll upload a couple. A number of people are interested in corner sharpness.

 

My own personal opinion is that I feel more suited to the Inon than the 10-Bar, and will be opting for the Inon as a purchase. The cost differential is quite significant though.

[devildiver 0]

Thank you for the reply...

 

Some photos would be great, my gut feeling would be the Inon and Recsea ports would out preform the 10 Bar (they better for the price) overall but I have not been able to find photos to compare.

 

As far as the Inon X-2 control wheel, I would prefer the ability to use the press (it is not a deal killer though) and believe that this could not have been that difficult to engineer into the wheel control. Overall I really like the Inon housing and believe the port system is great and should have the ability to move into future M4/3 housings using the same standard. This would be a big plus considering the investment in lenses.

 

I have found very little information on the Recsea housing other than websites that sell the housing and then the info is little more than the usual basic features. Seems like the Recsea is a good option as well but if there were some reviews somewhere with more real world info and example photos it would be great. The plus I see with the Recsea would be the smaller size and weight (also the ability to use the press for the control wheel) vs. the Inon but I know Inon makes quality products and I really like the port system.

 

Look forward to the photos!

[Ryan 57]

I used the RecSea/Seatool housing on a couple of dives in Lembeh last April. I liked the system, felt the ergonomics were pretty good. It was heavy, though. The click wheel didn't work perfectly in real world use, I had to be very gentle when rotating it to prevent accidental clicking. It was usable though.

 

I haven't dived with the Inon housing, but we have one here. It is a precision tool, with a more usable design than Seatool in my opinion. Initially I was concerned about using the quick menu, but it is easy in practice.

[M4rauder 0]

I used the RecSea/Seatool housing on a couple of dives in Lembeh last April. I liked the system, felt the ergonomics were pretty good. It was heavy, though. The click wheel didn't work perfectly in real world use, I had to be very gentle when rotating it to prevent accidental clicking. It was usable though.

 

I haven't dived with the Inon housing, but we have one here. It is a precision tool, with a more usable design than Seatool in my opinion. Initially I was concerned about using the quick menu, but it is easy in practice.

 

Isn't the Seatool housing quite a bit smaller than the Inon X-2? I've heard good things about the Seatool, but next to nothing about the Inon.

[Ryan 57]

There is more info out about Seatool because they were shipping more than six months before Inon. The Inon is slightly chunkier with fewer sculpted corners, but still fits well in your hands, and is not larger enough to be a hindrance packing.

[altsaint 0]

Both of the following captured at a focal length of 7mm behind the Inon dome port. F8 and s/s 160th.

 

pterois plasticasis

 

hippocampus artificiala