marty_rx 0 Posted July 27, 2019 I currently have an E-M5 mark 1 with the Olympus housing with two UFL stobes. I'm looking to upgrade my lens, with the intent on buying a new M4/3 down the road. I'm torn between picking out a new lens. Anyone have a suggestions or opinions on either the 7-14mm or 12-40mm Pro lens from Olympus? I'd probably be buying an AOI port to go with my new lens. Thanks in advance. Marty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JackConnick 75 Posted July 27, 2019 Both are good lenses, but the 7-14mm focuses much closer and particularly with the loss of FOV, it's much wider, so it's greeat for CF/WA or wrecks, etc. You get more reach with the 12-40 so for sharks or big animals in clear water it has it's uses. 7-14mm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lbedogni 4 Posted July 27, 2019 +1for the 7-14. Both are amazing, but the 7-14 is more versatile underwater. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wapiti 25 Posted July 28, 2019 I used to have the 7-14, but sold it to get the Panasonic 8-18; I'm happy I did as the Panny has a more useful range underwater, plus it's a lot more practical topside. Both are / were fine in my 170mm Inon dome / M1/Oly housing. All that said, I rarely go for the 8-18 as I use the 12-40 for almost all my diving. It's typically wide enough, and the ability to get near-macro shots at 40mm is pretty handy. It's a great generalist option, and it accounts for probably 75% of my underwater photos- the rest being some combination of the 8-18, Oly 30mm (in the Olympus macro port), and Oly 8mm (in the same Inon dome, just without the 2" extension needed for the zooms). If your dives are like a box of chocolates and you never know what you're going to get, the 12-40 is the way to go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisRoss 150 Posted July 28, 2019 Depends of what you are shooting, the 7-14 would be good for the typical wide angle stuff in tropical waters. Around Sydney temperate water diving I use the 12-40 much more, very versatile, exceptionally sharp and able to get 0.3x magnification at the 40mm end and focusing ultra close, it does fish portraits and medium sized animals like out blue gropers, giant cuttlefish and even weedy sea dragons very well and also get pressed into use for small schools of fish. Some samples: http://www.aus-natural.com/Underwater/Bony Fish/slides/Old Wives 18.html http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~chrisx2/images/GiantCuttlefish20.jpg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
