EPL-2 camera and housing

[scubaozy]

It was a tough decision between dslr and pen but eventually I ordered epl-2 + oly housing, zen port, 9-18 lens. In matter of days I will be able to give my impressions on the setup. Meanwhile I got a confirmation from the dealer that the dial on the back is not usable with the housing. Aperture and shutter can be set using the buttons as it is on e-pl1 (this is actually how I prefer).

 

[scubaozy]

Just unpacked the box(es). So, setup comprises of:
E-PL2 + 14-42 II + 9-18 zuiko.
PT-EP03 + Zen dome port + 67mm adapter for flat port + zoom gear.

Camera made a good impression, focus seemed to be reasonably quick with kit lens. Both lenses are plastic, do not look very robust but are very light. I did not like that bayonet attachment on kit is made of plastic. 9-18 has a metal one.
I did not have much time to play around with it but first major problem I found was that lowest possible ISO was 200. I am hoping that there is a magic menu which I am yet to find out and suddenly I will be able to set it to 100. Otherwise, I will never forgive Oly unless they fix this via firmware update..
Housing it self looks pretty much like E-PL1 housing with exception that it does not have window for EVF, whole back cover of the housing is semi transparent. Having said that, size is slightly smaller but not by a great margin.
First thing I tried was to attach Epoque DML-2 wet macro lens via adapter and it does work quite well with kit lens at 42mm.
Zen dome port has excellent built quality and has impressed me. I am yet to attach it to the housing hopefully at the weekend.
Thats all for now, I will get back to my Dutch e-pl2 instruction manual (I forgot to request it in Eng), so it is a steep learning curve as I am not very fluent at it.

Cheers

 

[under water]

The E-PL1 does have ISO 100 but it is not recommended as it has issues with dynamic range. They removed it from the e-PL2 for that reason. I think the ISO levels are approximate.
Get a strap wrench to remove the port more easily, as the double o-ring seals to tend to get pretty tight.
Make sure you stop down the lens when using the dome, at apertures above 8 it can show some distortion/oof on edges.

 

[scubaozy]

Thanks for the tips. It took an enormous effort to remove the original port!

 

[decimal86]

For those of you that already have EPL1 - how deep have you taken it?

A bit of background, currently I use a Fuji e900 compact + Ikelite housing, and it's rated to 60 msw depth - tested to 50 msw and it works, buttons can tend to get a life of their own, but that's a different topic altogether. Since I dive frequently at bigger depths, and having recently done the normoxic trimix course, I will be only diving deeper in foreseeable future, so the equipment should hold well.

I plan to make the upgrade to either EPL1 or EPL2 + appropriate Olympus housing, and would like to hear your experiences:
- how deep did you take it?
- how are you satisfied with the video performance as well (I'm cutting corners here, I know, but since the camera has video capabilities, they will be used) regarding the camera itself (EPL1) - any limitations worth knowing?

My current Fuji does 640x480 @30fps for as long as the mem card can take it.


I'm currently using regular 4/3 system (E3), so the benefits and drawbacks of the system itself are not a matter of discussion, for me - it's just ok.

Thanks for your replies!

my Suunto D6 says 42m.

 

[ggibson]

The E-PL1 does have ISO 100 but it is not recommended as it has issues with dynamic range. They removed it from the e-PL2 for that reason. I think the ISO levels are approximate.

Olympus cheats a bit with their ISOs (on the m4/3 cameras anyways). Olympus ISO 200 = Panasonic ISO 100. DXO reports basically showed this (not on E-PL2, but previous models). Just a different way of labeling, but it can lead to unfair comparisons...

 

[Greenbriel]

Does anyone (Phil?) know if the new E-PL2 14-42mm kit lens will fit on the E-PL1 in the PT-EP01 housing? Is the lens available without the body anywhere yet?

Thanks!

 

[slowhands]

Greenbriel wrote:
Does anyone (Phil?) know if the new E-PL2 14-42mm kit lens will fit on the E-PL1 in the PT-EP01 housing?
Is the lens available without the body anywhere yet?

I strongly suspect the new lens fits the original PT-EP01 housing. The Port and zoom gear are the same as on the PT-P03, so I think this is a safe bet, but I would want to test to be absolutely sure. Here is the PT-EP03 system chart showing the zoom gear is the same:
http://www.olympus-europa.com/consumer/images/PT-EP03_system_chart_final.pdf

I have an E-PL2 on order and will post in a couple weeks how it goes. I may just keep the lens and sell the body.

The lens is widely available in Japan and Europe now. Olympus USA is late, but I see a few major US dealers have the camera and lens set (Adorama, Ritz).
IOMEPL2B14F Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera - Black with 14-42mm II Black Lens Bundle - with 8 GB SD Memory Card, USB 2.0 SD Card Reader

You could order the lens only from a dealer in Japan or Europe right now. Japan pricing is about $350 for the lens (or $700 for camera and lens), plus express shipping of $50-75. US pricing is $600 but few dealers have it today. Perhaps you could buy the set and resell just the body to save a bit on the lens.

If you can wait a month, they should be more widely available from major US Dealers. I don't know if this is true, but I heard a rumor that the lens would not be sold separately in the US (but it would be in Japan). Seems incredibly stupid unless they think it will encourage sales of the new body, which is hardly different from the original E-PL1.

I looked at the beautiful Athena lens adapter for the housings. This lets you interchange a wide range of ports and lenses (but my goodness they are expensive).
http://www.athena-opt.com/PT-EP01_eng.html

I wonder why Olympus does not see the light and build this capability into their E-P0X housings, since they seem to be dropping out of the larger DSLR business. Why does it take a custom house like Athena to exploit this idea? Olympus would sell a lot more lenses and ports and give the system wider appeal.

 

[Greenbriel]

Thanks for all this great info slowhands! I am stuck in the situation of having bought the kit with the 14-140 lens, and added the 9-18 and zen port for WA. The long lens won't go in the housing, and I am trying to put together some close focus ability before I leave for a trip to Cozumel next Saturday. Not sure if shipping from japan would make it in time. I have the inon wet lens and the Olympus 67mm adapter, Argh, decisions!

Thanks again.

 

[Greenbriel]

Thanks for the tips. It took an enormous effort to remove the original port!

No kidding, I thought I was going to have a hernia! :cussing: