A Review of the Athena Zoom Gear for the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm Lens

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I recently purchased the Athena Zoom Gear for the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm lens from DiverVision.com. The zoom gear arrived with three of the teeth on the gear wheel broken but luckily I was still able to use it because where the broken teeth were is far enough away from the contact point with the Olympus PT-EP06’s zoom gear. DiverVision.com’s response to my query about warranty coverage was pathetic (more on that later).

The zoom gear is made of plastic and is obviously fragile. So, thoroughly inspect it upon delivery if you buy one and be careful how you handle it. The instructions are in Japanese but there are a couple of grainy photos that give you a clue on how to install the zoom gear. I found the installation to be a little tricky at first but once I figured out the zoom gear’s quirks, the installation was not too difficult.

Here are some installation tips:

• Set the zoom wheel on the lens to either electric or manual before you install the gear. I set mine to manual.
• Align the silver dot on the zoom gear with the red dot on the lens and then gently slide the zoom gear on while holding the lens’s zoom wheel so that it does not slip from the setting that you want (e.g., manual or electric). The bottom of the zoom gear should just slightly clear the seating surface of the lens so that it does not rub against the camera body (about 1 mm clearance).
  
• Gently tighten the set screws on the zoom gear until you feel slight resistance. There are four set screws that lock the zoom gear to the lens’s zoom wheel and those set screws will leave marks, which is unavoidable. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN the set screws as this will prevent the zoom wheel from turning. If you can’t turn the zoom gear while grasping the front of the lens, back off the set screws until the lens’s zoom wheel can turn.
  
• Grab the front of the lens and insert the lens into the camera body by lining up the silver dot on the zoom gear with the red dot on the camera body. Gently turn the lens clockwise until it locks onto the camera body.
  
• Carefully insert the camera into the housing. You don’t want to break off those plastic teeth! I found that the Athena zoom gear slides in easier than the Olympus PPZR-EP02 does.
  
• Close the housing and test the zoom gear.

Now, about DiverVision.com. I have bought two items from them and was happy with the ordering process and shipping. However, their reaction to my query about the broken zoom gear teeth was indifference at best. They even suggested that I must have broken the teeth when I installed the zoom gear. You should ask DiverVision.com about product warranty and their return policy before you order anything from them. You’ve been warned.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Thnx.

 

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Thnx.

According the instruction sheet, this can be used on some Nauticam housings although I'm not sure which ones because the model identification is in Japanese.

 

[Divervision99]

I am Sandy from DiverVision.com.
About the issue, I think we have supplied other solutions instead of replacing a new one. Before delivery, we checked and make sure it's not broken at all, otherwise, it's not necessary to send you. We did pack it with bubble paper carefully to prevent the damage. Since you received the zoom gear, it passed one month already (Received on September 13th and mailed on October 17th). If I was a customer, I must check the product to make sure it's fine and correct one once receiving. If having any problems, I will return back to seller for the rest process. Therefore, you contacted us after 30 days not just 1 or 2 days. Yes, I did question it was caused by personal usage and then you explained you saw the small black teeth. You thought it should be screws or some other accessories. During the time finding out some other solutions, you mailed us twice. You said you can keep it still but you are not happy about our reply and will post it on Scubaboard.com. Since you prefer to keep it still, I supplied free coupon for you as apology although I did not think it's our fault.
If you think it should be covered by warranty, why not refusing our supply?