LX-5 Questions

I am considering getting the Panasonic LX5/Ikelite housing combo. Looking to get into a compact/lightweight UW setup.

I will also want the wide angle adapter, and a macro adapter as well. My question is, where or how do you carry these adapters while diving. Is there some attachment to the tray that they fasten to? For my diving I will be switching between "scenic" (with the wide angle) to "macro" pretty regularly and I want to get an idea of how easy this is to do.

Also, can you get true macro with the telephoto end of the lens, with the appropriate macro lens in place? Most p and s cameras have the ridiculous feature of "macro" at the extreme wide angle end of the lens instead of the tele end, making true macro work impossible. I want to know if the macro adapter lens gives you true macro ability but with the reasonable working distance of the tele end.

Also, any progress on the GF-1 or GF-2 housings? I might prefer to wait for these due to the much better image quality and the availability of the 45mm Leica macro lens.

Guy,

You can put your adaptors in a BC pocket, or better yet, get a mesh bag that you can hook to your BC.

Like most P & S cameras, the LX5 is designed for macro work at the widest angle lens setting. That said, the macro capability of this model is impressive. The camera is able to focus to 1cm away from a subject in the macro mode on land. With the 30% image magnification underwater shooting through a flat port and a 67mm threaded macro adaptor or close-up lens, your results should be very good. You will of course be very close to your subjects, so external strobes are recommended.

We hope to release a new housing for the GF-1 and GF-2 sometime in the last quarter of 2011. We are still working out design details, but will post updates periodically as progress is made.

Regards,

Yes, the LX5 will focus to 1 cm -- at full wide angle. But at maximum tele, it only focuses to 30cm (12 inches)! About like the others, and the opposite of what we need. Apparently it's tough to design the close focus at the tele end in a compact lens.

The LX5 does not have a "supermacro" mode. The lens just focuses as close as it can in macro at a given zoom. That simplifies operation when shooting macro, no mode to switch. Even better is the fact that it will fire the flash or an external flash at these close distances, unlike the Olympus XZ1 which inhibits flash in supermacro mode. This problem alone kept me away from an xz1. I'm on the fence about the LX5.

I'm really curious how this would work out shooting pygmy seahorses..

Regarding the GF1/2 housings slated for release end of year, that totally misses the market window. We'll be looking at a GF3 by then. Not only that, but the hot Panasonic camera right now is the GH2, and there are no plans for Ikelite to make a housing for it. I realize Ikelite has to choose which products it offers carefully based on projected sales, but the current product plan complete misses the hot products and is too late for the ones planned. Might as well forget it.

Ikelite LX5 macro

»I'm really curious how this would work out shooting pygmy seahorses..«

Although the photo is lousy, the small goby should give you an idea of the macro capabilities of the LX5 underwater. Furthermore, the port has a standard 67mm thread that will take any suitable sized diopter.

Cheers,

Jorge.