E-M5 and PT-E08 housing review

[tripntx]

The Nauticam NA-EM5 housing looks like the housing I will want once I purchase an OM-D E-M5 camera. Really hope the two expensive ZEN m4/3 Dome ports I own (7-14mm & 8mm FE) can be used with an adapter on the NA-EM5 housing, otherwise they will become some expensive paper weights.

Here's some more NA-EM5 links:
Nauticam USA

Nauticam NA-EM5 Housing for Olympus OM-D E-M5 Camera [nau.17804] - $1,350.00 : Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros

Nauticam Olympus OM-D housing for Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera | Bluewater Photo & Video

Nauticam NA-EM5 housing | Facebook

Looks like this housing should be available on or shortly after July 9th...

 

[logic8482]

Anyone know if we'll be able to use the port with 12-50mm? The comments from the review seem to indicate so as long as a zoom ring is available?

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

See this thread for that information, http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/olympus-outlet/425195-nauticam-na-em5-housing-omd-e-m5.html

Phil Rudin

 

[IyaDiver]

Hi Gang,

I don't usually hang in the photo section but I want to learn more about UW Photo thingy. I am usually a GoPro guy, stick it and forget it and do video only. As I am older now, I think I better take UW Photography. I am never good on land too anyway, so its good to learn.

I study housings based on a few things and I was deciding NEX7 against Oly E-M5 camera.
I like all things advance mechanical and my friend's Nauticam D7000V, Nauticam NEX7 & Nauticam D800 have showed me what to look for in a housing.

So I was doing the dollar math and I can't figure out how come Oly housing is so expensive and being plastic and 45 meters rating too.......

Correct me if I am wrong, I looked at the Oly Port chart to know my real cost of the housing.
I need to be careful with UW housings as every little thing cost extra money
http://www.olympus.com.gr/consumer/images/PT-EP08_E-M5_underwater_system_chart.pdf

WIDE ANGLE
Now, assume I want to use Zuiko 8mm fisheye, the chart wrote I must use MMF-3 4/3rd adapter. I assume its like Sony NEX7 with E mount wanting to use Alpha lens ??? I checked its US$ 165 at BH Photo
Olympus MMF-3 Four Thirds Lens to Micro Four Thirds V3230500W000

And I also must use PAD-EP08 Port Adaptor at approx US$208 sold by a European store

http://uw-foto.ch/Underwater-housings/Ports/Olympus/Olympus-port-adapter-PAD-EP08::2301.html
​

And I again must use PER-E01 Port Extension Ring at approx US$191
http://uw-foto.ch/Underwater-housings/Ports/Olympus/Olympus-Port-Zwischenring-PER-E01::192.html

Then I must buy the wide angle port, this is glass not aryclic though at US$999.95.........wow ??!!
Video Direct: Olympus PPO-E04 Underwater Lens Port for Zuiko Digital 7-14mm ED Zoom Lens

The PT-EP08 housing itself is approx US$1,400
Olympus Shop - PT-EP08 Underwater case for E-M5 - Accessories - PEN

So the total damaged to do wide angle will be : US$ 2,964.95 is this for real ?
Did I configure it wrong ?


I then check for Nauticam version
Housing US$1,350
MMF-3 Four Third Adapter US$165.00
4.33 Wide Angle port for 8mm lens but arcylic , US$480
Nauticam 4.33 inch Dome Port for Lumix G Fisheye 8mm F3.5 [nau.36132] - $480.00 : Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros
Total damage : US$2,164.00

For Oly E-M5 being not an ultra high resolution camera, I think arcylic WA port will not make noticeable difference compared to a glass no ?


Being very mechanically oriented, I will never want a polycarbonate housing or whatever plastic one if I can avoid them, unless the footprint is small like a GoPro. I don't even like Ikelite housings for Canon G12 kind of camera. It wont stand the abuse I do to my gear and I like housings with controls like a Styer LG110 Olympic grade match air rifle.......I mean elegantly built and high precision.

Borrowing my friend's Nauticam and "ripping them a part" reminds me of how precision engineering should be.
I have not play with Nauticam version for E-M5 but I messed enough with Nauticam NEX7 and the Nauticam D800 and I seen the NA-EM5 housings photo. It shares NA-NEX7 design philosophy.
The Nauticam controls/buttons/dials are amazing, the kind of trouble Nauticam did to get the ergonomic as priority is a sign of the designer is a user too and a hardcore one I am sure.

There are so many things I find Oly PT-EP08 lacking for its price class. Surely 1st is aluminum material of Nauticam is way better than polycarbonate or whatever plastic Oly uses.

The Oly port locking mechanism is another turn down. Reminds me of my swimming pool filter cartridge locking mechanism

The Oly housing lock ..why is it so big ? I mean it protrude out so much to the right side and I bet it wont be nice for my hands/fingers to play with camera controls.

Depth rating of 45 meters is a big NO NO as Mola Mola in my waters hangs out at 55ish meters. I hate it when I can't go deeper ( I won't go deeper than 57.5 meters though) because something I bring can't handle the depth, nor would I want to ruin a US$1000+ camera while testing beyond its depth limit.

Buttons feel I can't say much since I never touched any Oly housings this size, but my logic tells me, it can never come close to a Nauticam. I get so horny looking at the mechanism on Nauticam NEX7 for its rear wheel multi function button......its just an art in engineering, similiar to the Nauticam D800 but D800 has many links, all in the effort to make a user access them easier without removing fingers from handle.

Oly buttons egornomics as Alex M put it politely as "there is little ergonomic finesse"...... for me who has messed with a Nauticam NEX7 and understood Nauticam design philosophy , that means Oly ergonomic is bad.

TTL bulkhead ready on a NA-EM5 is not important for me but surely that is a smart design compared to optical trigger only for Oly.


Oly sells camera and housing. Nauticam only sell housings.
I know Nauticam 4/3 family shares ports between NEX7, Panasonic and Oly 4/3rd.
Oly won't want to allow their housing to use other brand's toys I suppose, they want to eat them all. Nauticam on the other hand is trying to save people's money on ports with adapters for this brand and that brand of ports to be used in their housings...hoping they can sell more housings.

The only reason I see why Oly housing is so expensive is probably they need lots of $$ for the cost of the mould, where as Nauticam uses 5 axis CNC machine and can make anything from solid block alu. At such low volume a housing sales would be, I wonder when will Oly make back their money for their tooling ? One can tell a CNC machined alu housing over a cast one of the old days.


Thanks Guys......
Iya
.

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

Hello Iya,

I think you need to go back and start over with your choices.

First you need to understand that two types of lenses are made 43 lenses for DSLR cameras and M43 lenses for mirrorless cameras. Since both are "open" systems the Olympus and Panasonic lenses are interchangeable within each type of camera system.

The port systems for each type of lens is the same so you have ports for M43 lenses and ports for 43 DSLR lenses.

I see know need to go backwards and use the 43 lenses because for the Olympus E-M5 a very full set of M43 lenses from Olympus, Panasonic and others can be had to cover most if not all of your needs. None of the lenses Will require an adapter and many of the ports will fit as well.

So for wide angle you can choose between the Panasonic 8 fisheye, 7-14 zoom and Olympus 9-18 and 12mm. For macro you have the Panasonic 45 macro and the coming 60 macro from Olympus.

Nautican has ports And gears for all of these lenses and more. If you want optical glass ports it appears that Nauticam is considering an adapter for the ZEN Underwater line of ports that cover the same lenses.

The Zen ports were designed for the Olympus line of PEN housings.

I think you will be more than happy with the image quality from the lenses I have listed and I see no reason to mess with The old DSLR ports and lenses unless you already own them.

Phil Rudin

 

[IyaDiver]

Hello Phil,

Thanks very much. Lenses choice does confused me. In the end the lens collection will cost more the the body

I do not yet have something as small but capable as NEX7 or Oly E-M5 yet . Have a few DX DSLR.
I am more video driven actually but amazed at nice macro photos people been getting......nice.

Will do more homework. As with UW camcorder, the housing availability is the 1st research I must do. I know more of Sony E-Mount lens than any 4/3.

Again thanks for the kind advice yah.

Regards,
Iya

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

Hello Iya,

I have an NEX-7 and I think you will find many more M43 lenses to love for U/W photography than you will in the current E-mount line.

Phil Rudin

---------- Post Merged at 04:30 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:19 PM ----------

Regarding the Olympus PT-E08 housing for the Olympus E-M5 camera Olympus Japan has posted the attached system chart for the E-M5 housing, http://www.olympus.co.jp/jp/support/cs/pen/acce/pdf/system_ptep08.pdf

It includes eight lenses (three are the 14-42 versions) listed to work with the stock PPO-EP01 port which unlike the PEN housings port has only one O-ring. No new gears are listed for the 45 F/1.8, 75mm F/1.8, 12-50 kit zoom or the coming this year 60mm macro. So the answer to will they fit the port is yes, the answer to can they take advantage of all the controls is NO at this time.

The Euro/British Pound based Olympus web sites still have the housing listed for around $1350.00-$1394.00 US.

Phil Rudin

 

[ASA400]

Phil,

Do you know of a source for an extra battery. This past weekend, I was doing some video and stills and ran through the battery. Fortunately, I was able to get home for a couple of hours and charge it up before the activities I was involved with continued, but it would have been so much better to have a second battery in reserve.

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

Amazon has an after market battery and charger, you will need both. No Olympus battery has shown up in the US that I am aware of.

Phil

 

[ASA400]

Thanks for the help Phil, I just ordered one up!