Olympus OM-D E-M5

[oskar 6]

Great news! I use them in manual today too, so that would be the prefered solution in the future

 

 

I use the old YS110 strobes with the EM5. Works very well, but I only use it in manual, that way I can turn the camera flash down to 1/64 power for really fast recycle time. I found the ttl t be a little inconsistent, not sure if better or worse than human error when using manual. But I really like the fast recycle time so I prefer manual.

[troporobo 244]

But I still don't know how I can connect my two INON S2000 strobes with my optical cables having "no end" (cut-off). It seems like there are only the Sea&Sea plugs...Or are there two tiny holes for my sort of cables?

 

I use the same strobes with the S&S style plugs. The cable ends can be easily super glued to the plugs, which I find is more secure than just sticking the cable ends into the smaller holes

[Conny3479 5]

I did read almost all of the posts in this very interesting and informing thread. But I didn't find the answer to my question:

Actually, I want to buy the NA-EM5, now reading a lot of stuff (what to buy, what to consider). But I still don't know how I can connect my two INON S2000 strobes with my optical cables having "no end" (cut-off). It seems like there are only the Sea&Sea plugs...Or are there two tiny holes for my sort of cables?

Andreas

 

I have 2x inon D2000 and i use the two tiny hole for my cut off cables. You don't need the plugs or any kind of glue. Just stick them into :-).

 

best wishes,

Conny

[Karl 7]

If you need plugs for Inon cables so they fi the holes in front of the internal flash you can get these ones - http://www.reefwreckandcritter.com/reef-images---uw-photo-accessories.html (4th item from the bottom of the page) - they are only about $14USD and work well, all of my friends have them on their Inon strobes and they would be more secure than just sticking them into the small holes.

 

Karl

[Phil Rudin 458]

Or, you could buy the Olympus replacement plugs (do the same thing) for around $3.00, Reef Phoro for one has them in stock.

 

Phil Rudin

[oda 0]

Thanks for all your answers.

Phil, these plugs look really nice. I'll have to find a european company selling them - shipping costs

[oda 0]

By the way, could someone please post a picture of his NA-EM5 housing with the mounted Nauticam 3.5" Dome? I'm wondering about the size of the port. Didn't find a picture of housing & port so far.

Would be great!

[9ky 0]

Anybody tied the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Asph below ? Im shopping for a Nauticam Housing for my OMD and would like to use the lenses i have (well the12-35mm f/2.8 Asph and the 12-50mm kit lenses are my only lenses so far). I'm thinking 50% video 50% stills..

 

Nik

[glee719 6]

Hey troporobo,

 

Here is a quick video I did on the wet lens adapter.

https://vimeo.com/69409216

 

The designer's name is Howard Chen, his email is cghdive@gmail.com. He does a lot of custom parts. I visited his store in Taiwan and it's a cool shop, nice guy too. Considering everything else is over $200, I thought this was a nice bargain.

 

I am definitely interested! Contact details would be great too. Thanks

[simonknee 4]

Hi Phil, Alex et al,

 

Excellent thread but I might have skipped the middle 10 pages so apologies if this ground is covered already...

 

Do you think anybody will ever sell an adaptor to mount original Oly 4/3 ports on the Nauticam?

Plus would an OMD with 4/3 lenses on MMF3 adaptor fit inside the Nauticam?

i.e. Is there enough room for the zoom/focus gear on 4/3 lens to poke out the opening.

 

You might think the above is little daft - why not use m.4/3 lenses.

Well my E520 is dead so I am thinking about the OMD.

I already have the 4/3 Zuiko 8mm fisheye and the 50mm macro plus the Oly dome and macro port for each (like Alex shot with last year on the Oly housing at the beginning of this thread).

 

It sounds like the Nauticam is considered superior in all regards to the Oly housing. Really though I am not sure that it is worth me giving up £1000s in domes and lens. Other than the poor EVF view what are the other ergonomic downsides of the Oly case. I read a lot of "superior in all regards" but little specifics. I can see the build quality is less plasticky but I'm used to my PT-E05 case anyway.

 

I know you have used all of this Oly kit Phil, old and new, I'd really appreciate your advice?

 

Simon

Edited June 30, 2013 by simonknee

[Phil Rudin 458]

Nik,

 

I have used the Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 zoom in the NA-EM5 Nauticam housing with the Nauticam 6" dome and the ZEN Underwater 170mm glass dome and 20mm extension. Both work very well with the lens at 12mm.

 

Simon,

 

I would say that the one upside to the Olympus housing over the Nauticam housing is the ability to mount the old DSLR glass ports and use the DSLR lenses with the MMF3 adapter. The down side is that the AF speed of these lenses will never be as fast as the AF speeds of the M43 lenses and you will not have as wide a range of lenses from which to chose. The Olympus housing has a wider port opening than the Nauticam housing so I would not expect to see an adapter for Oly ports. ZEN Underwater also makes an excellent optical glass port which mounts direct to the Nauticam qhousing ( see my review in the just released UWPMAG.com issue #73) which is the same size as your Oly glass port.

 

When I moved on from my Olympus E-3 and SeaTool housing I bit the bullet and got rid of all of my old ports, lenses and bodies. This was a hard change to make but in the end the ME5 is head and shoulders above any of the DSLR's for U/W use. Lenses like the Panasonic 8 fisheye, 7-14, 12-35, Oly 12, 60 macro and 12-50 are every bit as good as the Oly DSLR lenses and the size difference is quite large.

 

If your switch is an issue of pure cost then the Oly housing is worth a look. If you are wanting to move forward into the M43 world then it will pay in the long run to start over.

 

Phil Rudin

Edited June 30, 2013 by Phil Rudin

[simonknee 4]

Thanks Phil,

 

I'd like to run 43 alongside m43. My E520 is dead but my wife still has an E420. Perhaps there is an interesting new Oly with PDAF on the way in September. However got my sister an EP-M1 for peanuts - it's excellent - so my head has been turned.

 

It seems like the Oly housing provides the most flexibilty for the least outlay. It doesn't seem like I am ruling out using m43 lenses. I presume any m43 lenses can go behind the big Oly dome adapted onto the Oly housing? I know the 43 might be slower to focus but these are lenses I have now. Besides the 50mm f2 macro makes up for it tardiness with glorious pictures. So might I not end up with a bigger range of lenses?

 

Either option is still quite a bit of money (and not sure that I can get a hands-on of either housings in London) so I am trying to glean the ups and downs of the Oly housing v the Nauticam from my perspective - this is what I have gleaned from the threads/reviews:

 

Nauticam:

 

Able to see the EVF properly and use angled add-on viewfinders.

Housing smaller but buttons more spread out.

Smaller domes available to suit the smaller M43 lenses (and get yourself closer).

Better build quality and latching mechanism

 

Olympus:

Cheaper (not by as much as you'd expect)

Can use legacy domes and lenses

Easier to operate shutter from tray mounted handle.

 

Have I missed anything major (or minor)? Was there something about the tilt screen on the Nauticam?

 

Simon

Edited June 30, 2013 by simonknee

[Phil Rudin 458]

Just a few things you left out.

 

Both housings are designed to be used by holding the housing with the right hand with a wrist strap to trigger the shutter. I see little or no difference when pushing the shutter while holding the grip handle depending on the tray and handle arrangement.

 

A 45m depth rating v. 100m for Nauticam.

No gears offered for the Olympus housing that work with any of the Panasonic zoom or fixed lenses.

No mounting points or bulkhead on the Olympus housing.

Only one Olympus port for M43 lenses. For other lenses ZEN ports can be used but with a different port adapter.

Little evidence of forward compatibility, in other words your current port will not fit any of the Pen housings and may very well not fit any of the other Olympus housings going forward.

It is a stretch to assume that the M43 lenses will sit in the correct place to work with your current ports although they may.

Resale will be much less than with the Nauticam.

All of the Nauticam ports will carry forward to future Mini housings.

Nauticam comes with a moisture alarm.

To me the ability to use the EVF is well worth the extra cost.

Much better selection of ports and much much more.

[simonknee 4]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, (checks bank balance) hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......

[Deep6 7]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, (checks bank balance) hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......

Oh, you only live once Simon

Bob

[linder 3]

I just want to drop a quick thank you note for all the great advice on my recent OMD purchase. I would never have gotten everything the way I wanted without the expert opinions from this forum. You've been a fantastic help. Please allow me to share some photos from my first dive trip with the new rig (I'm still very much learning and I'm nowhere near the skill of many people on these forums but coming from a compact point and shoot I have to say the EM-5 is a fantastic camera for UW use). The pics get better towards the end of the album. All photos taken with the 12-50 mm kit lens (some with a Subsee +5).

 

Album can be found here: https://plus.google.com/photos/11516...CP7s6Jvvo66MYQ

Edited July 2, 2013 by linder

[Alex_Tattersall 90]

Simon, sorry to jump onto this thread but I have my own used Nauticam EM5 housing if this is of interest to you. PM me if you want more information.

[linder 3]

Finally got around to upload a few pics so I can link them here, all taken with the 12-50 mm kit lens behind 60 macro port (fantastic lens!):

 

 

 

[troporobo 244]

The designer's name is Howard Chen, his email is cghdive@gmail.com. He does a lot of custom parts. I visited his store in Taiwan and it's a cool shop, nice guy too. Considering everything else is over $200, I thought this was a nice bargain.

 

I'm on my way to Taipei today but not having any luck contacting Howard by email, anyone happen to have his phone or address? Edited July 13, 2013 by troporobo

[oda 0]

I got my NA-EM5 housing this week and I am very, very happy with it. Especially the 1250 port & gear is great. The engineers from Nauticam did an amazing job. Also the M67 flip is great and easy to apply. Together with the 60 macro for me it's almost a perfect setup. But I need an additional WA lens for landscape, wrecks and so on. Also for on land pictures. I don't want to assemble the 1250 gear all the time, so it just stays on the lens for forever

 

I'm thinking about the Oly 9-18. So I went trough all the posts of this topic but didn't find a lot of information regarding this lens with the 4" Nauti Dome. Most of the guys are using the Pana 7-14. But this lens is much more expensive and the 6" Nauti Dome seems much bigger than the 4". And yes, there is the 8mm FE, very nice lens but not actually a good lens for overwater...And due to the $-situation my priority is a WA-zoom lens which is also nice for on land pictures, underwater video. And for the moment, I don't want to buy 2 more ports, 1 more is enough

 

Is there anyone who's using the 9-18 with the 4" who could give me some advise? Or should I forget about that lens and go with the 7-14?

For me the 9-18 is also interesting because of the short minimal focus distance (0.15m).

Edited July 28, 2013 by oda

[Phil Rudin 458]

Minimum focus distance for both lenses is 25cm. For underwater wide angle the difference between 7mm and 12mm is huge compared to the 9mm to 12mm difference. That is why so many have opted for the 7-14 zoom. For those using the PEN cameras with the 14-42 zoom the 9-18 zoom is a welcome addition.

 

Phil Rudin

[Deep6 7]

I got my NA-EM5 housing this week and I am very, very happy with it. Especially the 1250 port & gear is great. The engineers from Nauticam did an amazing job. Also the M67 flip is great and easy to apply. Together with the 60 macro for me it's almost a perfect setup. But I need an additional WA lens for landscape, wrecks and so on. Also for on land pictures. I don't want to assemble the 1250 gear all the time, so it just stays on the lens for forever

 

I'm thinking about the Oly 9-18. So I went trough all the posts of this topic but didn't find a lot of information regarding this lens with the 4" Nauti Dome. Most of the guys are using the Pana 7-14. But this lens is much more expensive and the 6" Nauti Dome seems much bigger than the 4". And yes, there is the 8mm FE, very nice lens but not actually a good lens for overwater...And due to the $-situation my priority is a WA-zoom lens which is also nice for on land pictures, underwater video. And for the moment, I don't want to buy 2 more ports, 1 more is enough

 

Is there anyone who's using the 9-18 with the 4" who could give me some advise? Or should I forget about that lens and go with the 7-14?

For me the 9-18 is also interesting because of the short minimal focus distance (0.15m).

I went with the 7-14, but have not shot enough yet for a report. I chose it for the choice zoom range and the relatively fast (and fixed) f-stop. Also, a good range for land photo. I would like the equivalent of the Tonk 10-17 FE. Maybe some day.

Bob

[Narval 1]

Hello!

 

I have a OMD with the Nauricam housing since last week.

 

I'm very happy with this gear but I'm having problems operating the mode dial of the OMD underwater. Whenever I'm below 5 or 6 meters and move the wheel of the Nauticam housing, the camera change to iAuto mode and I can't switch back to any other mode. If I surface, then the mode can change.

 

I can see the dial rotate but the mode just don't switch! Not sure what is the problem. Anybody has experienced the same problem? Any solution?

 

Regards!

[glee719 6]

In my housing the inside rubber contact wheel also lost contact with the camera's dial, and I had to change to a slightly larger diameter one. Some times I still experience slippage, and I just have to jiggle the inner cone-shaped rubber contact around and it would work again.

 

Also, you will probably soon find the dials caps fall off the camera (the metal disc that has the markings), you will just have to glue them back. I believe it happened to several people.

[Deep6 7]

In my housing the inside rubber contact wheel also lost contact with the camera's dial, and I had to change to a slightly larger diameter one. Some times I still experience slippage, and I just have to jiggle the inner cone-shaped rubber contact around and it would work again.

 

Also, you will probably soon find the dials caps fall off the camera (the metal disc that has the markings), you will just have to glue them back. I believe it happened to several people.

I haven't had either of these problems, but I am making notes to take larger contact wheels & glue. TIA.

Bob