New Oly M4/3 camera + housing coming!

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The single greatest thing i see on this housing... ridges on the port! Swapping ports on my EPL2 housing is hernia inducing with absolutely nothing to grab on to. I'm considering moving to a nauticam housing purely for the ease of swapping ports.
 
Yeah, everything about the 12-50 looks wonderful. But it is a power zoom!?! What a drag. Fine for video perhaps, but yech for still photos.


Don,
Do you ever have anything positive to say about a new product or do you just concentrate on the negatives?
Bruce
 
Perhaps Don should take a second look at this new lens. It has a power zoom button but it also has a large manual zoom ring just like every zoom lens. So a gear can be added to zoom the lens in the housing just like every other zoom lens. If a new port is designed which allows the power zoom to be used as well all the better for the video users. The lens also has internal focus so the front element does not move in and out. It also focuses to about seven inches. It is weather sealed, will have better auto focus speed than any of the Kit 14-42/14-45 lenses and I am sure it will have much better image quality. It will also cost more just like the Nauticam housings will. You get what you pay for and some will want to stay with the basic housing and lower cost others will want a better quality system and go for the 60 macro, E-M5 camera and the 12-50 lens.

Phil Rudin Weathersealed.jpg
 
You need a strap wrench. Much cheaper than nauticam housing!!!

Can't find a strap wrench in Thailand... I don't even know how to say strap wrench in Thai. I'm using an old leather belt right now...
 
Bruce, I guess you haven't been reading how happy I am about the oly omd em5. Nothing but praise.

And for my money, if a product has flaws, I like to point that out, as it all adds up to the yes or no, decision that I and others are making.

And Phil, I am so glad to see it is not purely power zoom.!!!! Yippee!!! Now I can almost go ahead and pre-order the camera and lens. But I guess I'll wait for a few tests and reviews. I had already noted the incredible close focus and semi-macro capabilities of this lens.

And just for Bruce, I have to say, "if only oly had been able to make the 12-50 lens with apertures that would allow any shallow depth of field, they would have really scored! Ohh, too bad!!!"

:wink:
 
I agree with Don in regard to the 12-50 being a bit to slow. It would have been great to see the lens at F/2.8 to F/4 like the Olympus 12-60 for 4/3 DSLR's. The problem is that this market is driven by price points of the equipment and a 12-50 at F/2.8-4 would have doubled the price. This would have set off more negative posts than the slow aperture speeds have.

I have an article about the turtle project in Barbados coming in the Mar/Apl issue of Underwater Photography magazine (uwpmag.com) in which the entire article was shot with the Olympus 12-60mm F/2.8-4 and the Olympus E-3. It has a wide range of coverage and uses. The 12-50mm should work almost as well for this type of coverage.

Phil Rudin
 
Oly OM-D E-M5 and PT-E08 have caused me to start saving money so I can purchase them some time this year or early next year. Had hoped Oly wouldn't offer a camera that would cause me to upgrade for a couple of more years. I currently have Oly PL1 (two bodies), housing, kit lens, 40-150mm, 45mm, 12mm; Panny 7-14mm, 8mm fisheye, 20mm, 100-300mm; ZEN dome for 7-14mm, dome for 8mm fisheye, and Inon D-2000 and S-2000.

I really hope Olympus will keep dial and button layout the same for future releases so the housing will work for several OM-D upgrades.
 
Can't find a strap wrench in Thailand... I don't even know how to say strap wrench in Thai. I'm using an old leather belt right now...

Maybe show them a picture of one? Most hardware stores and auto stores will have them.

Maybe you can show them a picture, or order one from here.

Amazon.com: strap wrench: Automotive
 
Isn't it great to have so many choices and so many developments? It seems like only yesterday I was struggling to decide whether to house my Oly E330 and wishing for some other "compact" choice. I am currently using a GF1 in a Recsea housing and am quite happy with it, but can see that it won't be long before I am tempted by the lure of new sensors and lenses and so on. This new camera looks wonderful and even if I don't house it, I will probably want one.

I am not sure how good the 60mm macro will be for underwater use, but I am keeping my fingers crossed. I fear the 12-50 will be a bit too slow for underwater use, but maybe not.
 

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