Nikon D90 + Hugyfot or Olympus OM-D E-M5 + Nauticam

[clawnfish 0]

Hi everyone,

 

I used my Olympus C-8080 with original Oylmpus housing for almost 7 years. I bought the first housing brand new and then during a boat trip housing tripped down from a table and I found another one from e-bay but that one broke last year too. I have bought a Nikon D90 a couple of years ago thinking I may buy a housing for it later and have a better setup.

 

Now that I have no working underwater gear, it is time to make a decison. At the beggining I was very convinced to use my DSLR but now looking at new cameras, cost of buying Hugyfot with all the necessary ports, trays, arms, a new strobe, etc and also thinking about how versatile my C-8080 was underwater even without any diopters or WA wet lenses, I am a bit confused.

 

I read almost all comments about the Olympus OM-D E-M5 + Nauticam + 12-50mm setup in this forum and then I made some calculations and it seems to be a very attaractive option not only by means of price but also by means of versatility.

 

I already have :

-------------------

Nikon D90

Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye

Inon Z-220

 

Anything else from my old setup is not usable anymore.

 

The two options I ended up with are:

 

 

Olympus OM-D E-M5 + Nauticam:

------------------------------------------------
Nauticam NA-EM5 housing for Olympus OM-D E-M5
Olympus OM-D E-M5 + 12-50mm Lens
Nauticam 71206 Easitray II with left handle
Nauticam 71208 Adjustable Right Handle II
Nauticam 72203 125mm double ball arm
Nauticam 72204 200mm double ball arm
Standard clamp 72501
Nauticam 25111 Strobe Mounting ball
Nauticam 25312 Light Mounting Stem for cold shoe
INON Z-240 S-TTL underwater strobe
26211 Nauticam to Inon optical fiber cable ??????
D&D NA-EM5 Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 EZ Zoom Gear
Nauticam Macro port 65 for Olympus 60mm Macro [36163]
SubSee +10 diopter (macrolens) [sS-10]

 

Nikon D90 + Hugyfot:

-------------------------------------
Hugyfot Housing Nikon D90
Flat port Acrylic FLK-6.607
Extension ring 20 mm
Gearring GEA-6.573
Fisheye Port Acrylic FEK-6.608
Gearring GEA-6.511
Silicon gear SIL-6.500
Heinrichs i-TTL circuit board for Nikon
Handle Small with armball
45 degrees Viewfinder
Flash connection 5-pin
Flash connection 5-pin
INON Z-240 S-TTL underwater strobe
INON S&S Synch Cord N
INON S&S Synch Cord N
105mm f/2.8G AF-S VR Micro

 

I know that they are hard to compare but I just want to be sure before spending so much money on either setup. I like shooting Macro more then wide angle, but I also feel like I will miss the versatility of my good old C-8080 which allowed me to take quite nice "Super Macro" pictures and also gives the option of going for bigger critters.

 

By the way the price difference between these two is around 1.5K EUR Olympus+Nauticam being the cheaper.

 

So I would be very happy to hear any comments from you guys.

 

Thanks

Edited July 25, 2013 by clawnfish

[Mark K 5]

It is very simple...D90 is a bit too old for the game. get the OMD.

However, if you use a D7100, I think Hogyfot is better.

[Alex_Tattersall 90]

You can buy a D90 housing second hand most likely now. If you are going to spend a large sum on a DSLR housing, the price of the camera is not the biggest factor, I’d consider a D7000 (2nd hand housings now coming through) or a D7100.

[frank70 3]

Write to Onderwaterhuis , The owner Marco is using a OM-D 5 in a Nauticam housing , i think theres nothing better than handling the housing in person.

Frank

[Guitarfish 0]

How important are size / weight / excess-baggage-costs to you?

 

I always fancied the idea of using a dSLR but not of transporting it, so I stuck with my C-5050 for 10 years. I finally replaced it last year with the E-M5, and feel it's close enough to the best of both worlds for me and my few weeks diving every year.

 

The whole kit (with focus light and single Inon strobe) and the other-half's G11 and housing all fit in a moderate carry-on back-pack with room for duty-frees

[ChrigelKarrer 52]

I used a Ikelite D90 housing, a Hugyfot D7000 housing and currently using a Hugyfot D800 housing.

The D90 and the D7000 housings are for sale if you are interessted!

 

I love my Hugyfot housings as they are simple, sturdy and have a vacuum leak detector (and a water detector also) included.

Nauticam probably have better ergonomics as the moved some buttons to more reachable positions but the simple Hugyfot layout

makes it easy to remember what button is for what.

 

The D90 is a older camera but still able to produce very nice pictures but it don't make sense to invest a big sum for a D90 housing as you

most probably will step up to a D7000 or D800 sooner or later.

Chris

[clawnfish 0]

How important are size / weight / excess-baggage-costs to you?

 

I always fancied the idea of using a dSLR but not of transporting it, so I stuck with my C-5050 for 10 years. I finally replaced it last year with the E-M5, and feel it's close enough to the best of both worlds for me and my few weeks diving every year.

 

The whole kit (with focus light and single Inon strobe) and the other-half's G11 and housing all fit in a moderate carry-on back-pack with room for duty-frees

Hi,

 

The size and weight are of course important. Living in Netherlands , and being someone who does not like diving in cold water with very low visibility, I have to cary the setup with me by plane. So the smaller/lighter better.

 

Are you using the E-M5 with Nauticam or Olympus housing ? Which lense(s) are you using underwater ? Do you think it is still versatile,fast and create good results for an Amateur who is not satisfied with a simple point and shoot underwater setup ?

 

Thanks

[clawnfish 0]

I used a Ikelite D90 housing, a Hugyfot D7000 housing and currently using a Hugyfot D800 housing.

The D90 and the D7000 housings are for sale if you are interessted!

 

I love my Hugyfot housings as they are simple, sturdy and have a vacuum leak detector (and a water detector also) included.

Nauticam probably have better ergonomics as the moved some buttons to more reachable positions but the simple Hugyfot layout

makes it easy to remember what button is for what.

 

The D90 is a older camera but still able to produce very nice pictures but it don't make sense to invest a big sum for a D90 housing as you

most probably will step up to a D7000 or D800 sooner or later.

Chris

Hi Chris,

 

To tell the truth I am not very concerned about the capabilities of Nikon D90. I think it is fast enough and the resolution and imgae quality it provides is more then I need. I agree that it is already an old camera but I don't see my self upgrading to a higher model.

 

I have searched for second hand housing for my D90 but i couldn't find anything/ Ikelite is not an option for me cause I really do not trust plastic especially if I will be using a DSLR inside it. Hugyfot was my option because it is easy to get in Netherlands, fairly priced among competiton for metal housings and it looks to have a very good slim design.

 

Anyway, I think I will check my options a bit more and probably go for the E-M5. i just have to be sure if the Macro 60 mm Nautica port can be used with 12-50mm with the addition of this 3rd party zoom gear.

 

But I still appreciate any more comments, advises.

 

Thanks

Edited July 26, 2013 by clawnfish

[Deep6 7]

Hi Chris,

 

To tell the truth I am not very concerned about the capabilities of Nikon D90. I think it is fast enough and the resolution and imgae quality it provides is more then I need. I agree that it is already an old camera but I don't see my self upgrading to a higher model.

 

I have searched for second hand housing for my D90 but i couldn't find anything/ Ikelite is not an option for me cause I really do not trust plastic especially if I will be using a DSLR inside it. Hugyfot was my option because it is easy to get in Netherlands, fairly priced among competiton for metal housings and it looks to have a very good slim design.

 

Anyway, I think I will check my options a bit more and probably go for the E-M5. i just have to be sure if the Macro 60 mm Nautica port can be used with 12-50mm with the addition of this 3rd party zoom gear.

 

But I still appreciate any more comments, advises.

 

Thanks

 

 

I went to Lembeh this year and really had a ball shooting with my new Nauti EM-5 rig. I use the 12-50 and the 60 mm macro in the 12-50 port with a flip 6x diopter. While this port with zoom is considerably more than the 60, I think having the zoom/macro switch options are highly desirable. I used the fuIl range of the 12-50 and for a quick 1:1 macro just used the macro button. OBTW, 1:1 on M43 is 22.5 mm while the D90 is 29 mm.

 

I will be putting my Nexus D80 rig up for sale soon.

 

Bob

[Udo van Dongen 5]

Hi Chris,

 

To tell the truth I am not very concerned about the capabilities of Nikon D90. I think it is fast enough and the resolution and imgae quality it provides is more then I need. I agree that it is already an old camera but I don't see my self upgrading to a higher model.

 

I have searched for second hand housing for my D90 but i couldn't find anything/ Ikelite is not an option for me cause I really do not trust plastic especially if I will be using a DSLR inside it. Hugyfot was my option because it is easy to get in Netherlands, fairly priced among competiton for metal housings and it looks to have a very good slim design.

 

Anyway, I think I will check my options a bit more and probably go for the E-M5. i just have to be sure if the Macro 60 mm Nautica port can be used with 12-50mm with the addition of this 3rd party zoom gear.

 

But I still appreciate any more comments, advises.

 

Thanks

Hi Chris,

i can get you in contact with at least two persons in the UK who have a 2nd hand housing for the D90 for sale: one is a Nauticam and one is an Aquatica, i don't expect them to be expensive.

 

Udo

[Guitarfish 0]

Are you using the E-M5 with Nauticam or Olympus housing ? Which lense(s) are you using underwater ? Do you think it is still versatile,fast and create good results for an Amateur who is not satisfied with a simple point and shoot underwater setup ?

 

I am an Amateur who is not satisfied with a simple point and shoot underwater setup! But also reluctant to lug around a full DSLR setup (domestic-buddy acceptability is also a consideration here ;-) )

 

I'm using the Nauticam housing, but so far have only tried it with the 14-42 (the 12-50 port wasn't released when I bought). I was also using an Inon UCL-165 macro wet lens. Overall results on my first couple of trips weren't all stellar, but I got a higher proportion of keepers than I ever achieved with the C-5050. My main problems were around achieving enough depth of field on the macro shots, but have since learned a bit more and realise that I was shooting too open.

 

I have just taken delivery of the 12-50 port and am going to Lady Elliot Island (southern Great Barrier Reef) in Sept. This will be my 4th trip there, and I know that every dive has a fair prospect of turtles and mantas, possibly humpback whales, but also plenty of macro opportunities if the big stuff doesn't show. Should be ideal for this lens / port combo

 

I'm going to take a step-down ring ($12) to try out the wet macro lens before I sink $200 on the flip diopter.

 

I've seen enough evidence here and on Scubaboard that i know any shortcomings in my results with this setup are down to me not the equipment!

[clawnfish 0]

Hi All,

 

Thank you very much for all the comments and advise. I have decided to go with the OMD setup and received it all yesterday. I set it up for some dry testing. Overall it looks close to perfect. A few points which needs to be considered that I have seen ( nothing new , all of these have been already discussed in another thread by Alex M) :

 

1. The auto focus is lightining fast as long as you have enough light and contrast. If you want to shoot macro, a focus light is a MUST ( which I already have ). With the focus light 12-50mm at Macro mode with or without a diopter is very fast too. You need to consider having a small arm or at least a long clamp to attach your focus light if you will be using it with a diopter like Subsee +10.

 

2. I already have an Inon Z-220 so I have decided to go with Inon S-2000 as it is very small and still powerfull enough for most situations and together with Z-220 I can have more than enough light for the type of dives and photos I make. I have tested it both in Manual and S-TTL; and S-TTL , somehow gave inconsistent results. Some of them were because I did not wait long enough for it to fully charge but in some shots, even after waiting for more than 5 seconds the results were very bad. I am not sure if this is related to the internal Flash sending wrong message or if it is related to Inon S-2000.

 

3. 12-50mm with its special Port which allows Macro function can only be used for E-Zoom when not in Macro mode. And the E-Zoom is a bit slow but I have to wait until actualy taking some photos underwater to judge if it is really very slow or not.

 

4. This setup is considered to be very small and light weight by all the UW DSLR users. After my Olympus C-8080 with its polycarbonate housing, this is very very heavy

 

Cheers

[Guitarfish 0]

Hi All,

 

4. This setup is considered to be very small and light weight by all the UW DSLR users. After my Olympus C-8080 with its polycarbonate housing, this is very very heavy

 

Cheers

Between trips 1 & 2 I added 4 x medium Styx floats to my Ultralight arms, which helped balance things underwater....

[clawnfish 0]

Between trips 1 & 2 I added 4 x medium Styx floats to my Ultralight arms, which helped balance things underwater....

I have made quite a few changes to the setup I posted above and Stix floats are one of those changes. I couldn't test it underwater yet tough.

I opted for the 12-50mm macro port instaed of the 60 mm port + 3rd party zoom gear. The fiber cables were wrong so they were replaced with the correct ones which fits the Nauticam housing for system cameras. S-2000 instead of the Z-240. Flextray instead of the Easitray. A focus light and necessary mounting parts to the cold shoe.

 

Can't wait to take it underwater