12-50mm versus 9-18mm lens for OMD E-5 MK2

[Titatom]

First time with this camera. Trying to decide which lens to buy for underwater photography.
The 9-18mm, I believe, is a wide angle lens but I was told can get good macros with it too Can someone post some sample photos with this lens? Both wide and 'macro' or close up will be good.
The 12-50mm has a built-in macro per reading reviews. Any example photos with this lens from the group, please?
Thanks.

 

[Furnari]

I've had both. My experience with the 9-18 was that it really wasn't that great for close focus wide angle (CFWA), let alone macro. The 12-50 was ok, but if 12mm is wide enough, I recommend getting the 12-40 Pro lens. It focuses pretty dang close, and the resolution is good enough to crop in tighter than the 12-50. It's also better for long term upgrades as any compatible ports will also work with the 60mm macro and serious wide angle lenses like the Oly 7-14 Pro or Panasonic Leica 8-18 (and maybe even the 8mm Fisheye Pro, depending on the system).

 

[Chris Ross]

I would not have thought of the 9-18 as a macro lens sure you can get close to large things but not really macro in the traditional sense. A lot of people like the 12-50, but in flat port is not very wide at all and unless you spend big $ on the dedicated port which allows you to activate the macro switch, the 12-40 mm focuses closer than 12-50 does and gains more magnification, plus the image quality is excellent.

If you get the 12-40 it needs either the 7 inch nauitcam port (acrylic) or the Zen n85 type II. The zen port will also take thePany 7-14 for wide angle.

It really depends on what you want to shoot, and where you dive. If it's clear tropical waters then CFWA becomes more attractive. In the temperate waters I dive in most the 12-40 and 60mm (or either of the 30mm lenses) are used the most.

The 12-40 will take a nice shot of a 30-40mm long nudi, but doesn't fill the frame. It does really well on fish portraits.

My website has shots taken with all these lenses:

this gallery is all with 12-40 except whale shark: Ningaloo Reef

The other galleries are a mix, but all images should have EXIF data readable using the Firefox add-on FxiF which allows you to pull up EXIF by right clicking the image.

 

[Storker]

Any example photos with this lens from the group, please?

I have a few with the 9-18 here. I think there's one with the 12-50 as well. There should be gear info for all the images.

The 9-18 is my universal lens, but I also use the 8mm/3.5 a bit. I don't shoot macro, but I appreciate the extra FOV I get from the 9-18 compared with the 12-50. Besides, the Nauticam port for the 12-50 is ridiculously expensive, and it's a flat port, so you lose even more FOV compared to a semidome. The 9-18 suffers a bit from soft corners at 9mm when I use it behind the 4" semidome, but that can be improved noticeably using a +2 aspherical close-up lens like this. And if you make sure that the corners only cover the background, it's a non-issue.

My main reason for choosing the 9-18 and the 8mm/3.5 is that the ports aren't too big, so the rig is easier to handle.

 

[jmartel]

Choosing one, get the 12-50. I can't really recommend the 9-18mm. It's not wide enough for wide angle, corners are disappointing, and it's not significantly cheaper than other options. I don't know where you heard about macro with the 9-18mm, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I had one and sold it shortly after for a Panasonic 7-14mm. Even then, the 7-14mm isn't wide enough for close focus wide angle, so I'm picking up an 8mm fisheye at some point. Keep in mind that unless you get a Nauticam housing and the special 12-50mm port and gear, you won't be able to switch to the macro setting on the 12-50mm in the middle of the dive. Has to be done before you put the camera in the housing.

I would try to evaluate whether you want to do wide angle, macro, or in between. If you want wide angle, I'd pick up the 7-14mm. If you want macro, get the 60mm macro. If you can't/won't decide, then go with the 12-50 and realize that it's not the best at either one.

 

[Storker]

I can't really recommend the 9-18mm. It's not wide enough for wide angle

It isn't? What is wide enough, then, in your opinion? 9mm on m43 is equivalent to 18mm on 135 film. In my days, that was considered as not just wide, but super-wide.

Even then, the 7-14mm isn't wide enough for close focus wide angle, so I'm picking up an 8mm fisheye at some point.

Just be aware that FE shooting is a whole 'nother kettle of fish than RL WA is. Handling strobes and minimizing backscatter is - IME - about an order of magnitude more challenging with a fisheye than even with a supervide rectilinear WA. At least in low-vis green water.

 

[Titatom]

Thank you all for the commentaries. I dive mostly in warm and tropical waters (Caribbean, Asia). I mostly shoot fish and nudis with the occasional 'seascape/reef'. shoots. I used Canon G12 with the 42mm lens. First time that I will be using the Olympus OMD E5MK2 with an Olympus PT-13 housing, This has a flat port. From reading the PT-13 manual, I was under the impression that one can switch the 12-50mm lens in the middle of a dive. I guess my impression was wrong. I will look into the other lenses mentioned on this thread. That you very much for your help and for sharing your images with the various lenses.

 

[Chris Ross]

If you stick with the flat port I don't believe you'll be able to use the 12-40mm. That would require an accessory dome, you would need to confirm what the correct dome is. I think it's a great fish lens in my Zen dome and I can do Nudis in a pinch. On land it has a max magnification of 0.3x which means a 60mm object will fill the frame, though getting the dome in close enough to do this can be challenging.

Accessory domes are available from Zen, Athena and Inon among other vendors.

 

[Furnari]

The 12-40 won't work with the Oly housing as it uses the PEN style ports, not the OMD style used on the M1s and older M5. For image quality, your best bet will be to go with a dome like Zen and use the 9-18, 14-42, and 60 lenses. The 12-50 won't work in that dome, so you would be stuck with the flat port. It's ok, but you loose performance on the edges.

 

[npole]

I use the 12-40 2.8 pro on my E5 II with the meikon + dome housing (seafrogs). Here the supported lens:

Olympus E-M5 II 40m/130ft Meikon Underwater Camera Housing with Dry do