12-50 zoom & Oly Housing E-PL1

[Peter Guy]

Can someone (Phil, Jack?) let me know if the 12-50 kit lens will fit in the Oly E-PL1 housing? And if so, can the zoom be used? (I know the Macro function can't be accessed without some special hack which is way beyond me!) If the lens fits, which is preferred, the standard flat port or a Zen dome?

The lens sounds like a good fit for me and some upcoming trips but I don't want to get one if it won't work with the housing I have with a port upgrade possible.

 

[randini]

It'll fit. For zoom you'll need to get the "austrian" zoom gear for the zoom to work. I'll dig up the link and post it later, unless somebody beats me to it.

EDIT: Here's the post (CLICKY) that has all the info: confirmation that it works in teh stock port and a link to the Austrian gear.

Two posts later in that thread the same poster has pics of the gear on the lens on the camera and of them in the housing and taken with the setup in a swimming pool.

 

[deeper thoughts]

good info

 

[EskilJ]

Thanks for the info. I use mine with the same combination.
You can of course add my "lego hack" to add macro. I asked several times here if the macro gear fitted, but got no answer.
I've now bought it. It is sufficiently long, but the macro must be thinner all the way, so the hole in the gear is too thin.

---------- Post added November 28th, 2013 at 10:18 AM ----------

About the 12-50, why would you use it without macro?

I have an e-pl1, 14-42(I), 14-42(IIR), 12-50.


On land, my 14-42(I) is clearly the sharper of the three. It seem like geometric distortion is not/not fully corrected in it. It has the shortest focusing distance. Movies are not really possible, and focusing time is double of the other two.


The 14-42(IIR) is blurred in the corners, and has a longer minimum focusing distance.


The 12-50 is slightly less sharp over the full surface than the 14-42(I), and minimum focusing distance is clearly longer. The advantage is macro, movie and faster focus.

This is the case with my actual lenses and my e-pl1. I'm in the process of finding a pattern of the blurryness of the 12-50 (which was the same before the mod, btw). If it depends on the image stabilizer etc.
So I'm interested in hearing about your experience with that lens/body combo. I got no feedback on my requests on the matter on the m43 forums.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Just ordered the lens(249 used BH Photo) and the gear(160) for my Olympus housing. OMD EM5

Hope it works reasonably well. Was more cost effective for me than ordering the Nauticam housing and ports