Oly 4/3 best lens for blackwater ....

[Furnari]

Based on my experience with the dedicated Olympus OMD macro port and an AOI port, if what you have fits the 60mm, the 30 will also fit. Yes, you will be outside of the minimum focus distance, but it's workable. That's the cheapskate route- I recently bought a dedicated AOI port for the 30mm that I can use with the 60mm by adding an extension ring; I haven't dove with it yet but I figured it made more sense in the long run to just spend the money. You've heard the saying "buy once, cry once"? For UW photography it's more like buy six times, cry half a dozen times.

 

[whsmac]

Dove Lembeh last year and did a couple blackwater dives. Have an old OMD EM-5. Was shooting with the 60mm macro. Had decent lights but focusing was a youknowwhat. Heading to Crystal Blue in Anilao in a few weeks and would like to try again. Stick with the 60? Some other lens? I;m reading maybe the 30mm? Because what would a dive trip be without a flurry of spending nondisposeable income???

Thanks

I had BW diving at Anilao Photo Academy on last December with E-M1 MKII. During four times of BW, always used 30mm, not 60.

30mm was more easier to find object in BW than 60. And other photographers with Canon had used 60mm.

Most of creatures in BW were tiny, but some were long or little big. And, around April or May in Anilao, maybe can meet Blanket Octopus.

This attached image was taken by 30mm lens and not cropped.

 

[Ardy]

Got it. I have the Oly housing. Accdg to backscatter the same flat port can be used for 60 or 30... but of course it's not the flat port I have. So I'll have to research

I used the PPO-EP01 Lens port with both the 60mm and the 30mm with no issue of vignetting. I find the use of the limiter (as tursiops suggested) handy, it is good when it grabs but at least it stops the grinding from 1:1 to infinity and back again. Still takes practice.

 

[bvanant]

I have done some blackwater (OK Lots of Blackwater) with the 30, the 45, the 60 and one dive with the 90). The 30 is the easiest to. use, focuses fast and is quite sharp. I like the 45 (same port as the 30) but it will not speak RC mode so flash is manual. When I use the 60, I keep it in the 0.19 to 0.4 m switch. The 90 was fun but fundamentally impossible, I think I might have had one shot close to in focus.
Bill

 

[rmorgan]

The 60 on an E-M5 is slow to focus under the best of circumstances, as I recall, but even on a faster-focusing body, it's too long for blackwater, where everything's moving. The 30 is great--it always amazes me that it is so small, light and sharp. I'm sure the 90 was essentially impossible.

I mentioned using the 12-40 for blackwater. Here are a couple of images with that lens:

 

[bvanant]

Great shots.
Bill

 

[BoltSnap]

I mentioned using the 12-40 for blackwater.

What port do you use with it for black water photos please?

 

[rmorgan]

What port do you use with it for black water photos please?

Same as other dives--Zen 170/ii dome. That lens has impressed me so many times I pretty much take if for granted, and I was pleased to see how well it did for blackwater. It will focus pretty much right to the glass, the images can withstand considerable cropping if needed, and the zoom is a major benefit (e.g., the diagonal image was at 21mm, and the flounder was at 40mm). We're booked for Lembeh in early May, and I plan to alternate between the 12-40 and the 30 for the blackwater.

 

[Barmaglot]

I plan to alternate between the 12-40 and the 30 for the blackwater.

Have you considered a WFL09S/KRL09S on top of the 30mm?

 

[rmorgan]

Have you considered a WFL09S/KRL09S on top of the 30mm?

I haven't. Almost five pounds!--Are you using it? I'd think that for blackwater, the ultrawide FOV wouldn't be helpful, because even the big things are pretty small, and the small things are tiny. (p.s.--I tried the link to your IG but it wouldn't load)