few questions about pl3 and Olympus housing

[lennyJ]

I have a few questions.... hopefully someone can give me some guidance

I'm looking at purchasing an Olympus e-pl3 with the pt-ep05l underwater housing.
Questions:
1) since the camera does not have a built in flash will it use the flash that comes with the camera within the mentioned housing?
2) are there any issues with the ISO only going to 200 instead of ISO 100 like in e-pl1?
3) does anyone use the focus ring? Is it used for hard to focus subjects or for macro pictures?
4) is the stock 14-42mm lens a good lens to start with?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[cardog]

1) Yes
2) No
3)Do you mean the zoom ring? If so, yes.
4) Yes

 

[lennyJ]

Awesome
Are there any known problems with this setup that I should know about?

 

[cardog]

Awesome
Are there any known problems with this setup that I should know about?

I have the E pl2 and have had no problems at all. I also haven't heard anything bad about the 3 other than the little led lights are worthless. Oly has another housing coming out for the 3 that does not have the led lights.

 

[holzstock]

Hi!

Awesome
Are there any known problems with this setup that I should know about?

As far as I know there are no known problems with the setup you mention. At least I have not noticed any with mine. But there are some considerations you should be aware of.

When shooting in wide-angle mode (~14mm) you receive better results with a dome port (ZEN or Athena or... ). This is simply a fact due to physics.
The 14-42mm perfectly fits also into the ZEN port. Probably also with others, I use the ZEN port.
The zoom ring is highly recommended, since you won't be able to change the focal lenght otherwise. No manual focusing is available with the PT-EP05L and the 14-42mm or 9-18mm as far as I know.

But these are just facts. And the setup is perfect. I used it two weeks ago with my NDiver dry gloves during an ice dive - no problem!

From my point of view this is one of the finest combinations Oly made for u/w photographers. And I'm already looking forward to the new 60mm f/2.8 macro lens coming up this year Hopefully a port will be available soon.

br and good light!
zelko