Olympus Pen EP1 underwater settings

[decimal86]

I am just getting started shooting the ZEN WA100 port with the M-9 to 18 zoom and I have not yet tried the Pany 7 to 14 or the 14 to 42 zoom. I would think the 14 to 42 would work very well, keep in mind that the dome will make both the wide and narrow ends of the lens wider. So far the dome is rendering sharp corners and it is very well made. I have used the Olympus 170 mm dome with the 4/3 9 to18 zoom on the Olympus E-3 DSLR and find the results from both domes to be equal.

The housing, camera, 9 to 18 zoom and gear with the Zen 100 dome are just slightly buoyant. With twin Inon Z-240 strobes, twin tray and eight inch arm sections the balance in salt water was as good as it gets. I could set the unit on the bottom without it drifting off in the current and still use it with one hand and have total control without fatigue to my wrist and forearm.

I have used the 9 to 18 and the 7 to 14 zooms underwater and have found the auto focus speed to be as good as with a DSLR. This is not the case with the Panasonic 45 macro which seems slow at best. The images are very high quality however and I am hoping the Olympus 50 macro when it arrives will be faster.

I am also using the Athena port adapter for the Olympus housing which allows the use of the Olympus, Athena and Inon ports for the Olympus, Seatool and Nexus DSLR housings. So far I have shot the 7 to 14 zoom with the 170 mm port and the 14 to 42 with the Athena port for the 35 mm macro DSLR lens.

The port adapter is well designed and has the same duel O-ring seals as the ZEN port and installes the same way. The ports then threat into the adapter and reduce the effort of making a port change. The adapter will retail for around $255.00 and may appeal to Olympus DSLR housing users who already own the 170 mm dome.

The ZEN WA100 port is by far the better choice if you don't already own the Olympus DSLR dome ports.

This Athena link, http://www.athena-opt.com/PT-EP01.html has additional details.

Phil Rudin

thks phil...i didn't know the orig port could be removed although i have wondered about that screw on the inside.....

no flooding issues?

one more thing, i am using an INON Z240 Type 4, could you show me how you hooked up two of these? thks

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

The ZEN PEN underwater dome port is very well made, it retains the two o-ring seals like the Olympus port and has an outstanding optical glass element. NO leaks to 150 feet (46 meters) for me.

The Inon strobes use a fiber optic cord with the bare end like this, http://reefphoto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=4&products_id=3522

The PT-EP01 housing ships with two rubber plugs in the fiber optic ports on the front of the housing. The bare end of the fiber cord is pushed into the rubber plug after the plug is cut open on the closed side. This allows the cord to be pushed all the way through the plug and exposed to the cameras pop-up flash when it fires. It is a very fool proof system with a low failuer rate.

Phil Rudin

 

[decimal86]

wow this is a master class for Olym pen owners...that was excellent dude!! appreciate yr help. will go order mine now!

 

[Piccola]

I just purchased the Pen PL-1 and housing but have not tried it underwater yet. I also purchased a book to help me figure out the advance features. I too was trying to find out how to set it for underwater macro mode and could not find it in the owners manual. Thank you for the tip. So far the camera looks to have some fun and creative settings.

Keep the tips coming...

 

[deeper thoughts]

I just purchased the Pen PL-1 and housing but have not tried it underwater yet. I also purchased a book to help me figure out the advance features. I too was trying to find out how to set it for underwater macro mode and could not find it in the owners manual. Thank you for the tip. So far the camera looks to have some fun and creative settings.

Keep the tips coming...

What book? Olympus?

 

[mantmich]

Hi, what would be a good recommendation for a single strobe and video light available for the PT-EP01?

 

[nikitich]

One more thing that I noticed - in UW close upmode (1 fish on the display) the strobe power is significantly lower compared to a wide mode (3 fish). So if your picture looks underexposed you probably forgot to swich back to a UW wide mode

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

For me the best settings are, manual mode, center weighted metering, S-AF, for both CFWA and Macro. This would be the same with any camera I use from the EVIL's to the Hasselblad H4D. I think all the auto modes and macro/W/A settings are highly over rated and do not allow you to learn as much from your mistakes. If you go through my past camera reviews you will see that all of the images were taken using the same basic settings. I will some times switch to manual focus after auto focusing on a static close object to lock focus at the longest end of the range.

I will be teaching another underwater photography workshop with MexicanDiver.com in Cozumel Mexico April 16 to 23, 2011. This is a great oppertunity for Olympus users to meet and learn more about all aspects of underwater photography. You can contact me direct at philrudin@me.com or follow the attached link for more information. Look for the Underwater Digital Fiesta $619.00 pp banner and link for more details.

Mexicandiver Magazine

Phil Rudin began taking photographs underwater while he was in the U.S. Navy in 1968. He is now a freelance writer/travel photographer, Senior Photographer for Dive Chronicles magazine and DC Dive Shows. As past President of the South Florida Underwater Photography Society, Phil has served on the Board of Directors for over eighteen years and enjoys the diverse makeup of the club membership. Phil is retired from the West Palm Beach Florida Police Department where he served as Dive Team Commander for the city. With thirty years experience as a public safety diver and dive team manager Phil has done over five hundred recovery dives during his carrier. Phil has recovered vehicles, aircraft, evidence, bodies and more. Other dive team duties included hull inspections of large commercial vessels, underwater crime scene management, crime scene photography, collection of evidence, training and more. Phil has also traveled extensively throughout the world to pursue his passion for underwater photography. His images have appeared in magazines such as Popular Science, Reflections, Scuba Diving Magazine, Underwater Journal, Skin Diver, Florida Underwater, South Florida Adventures, Waterways, The Sun, Dive Chronicles, Underwater Photography Magazine and others. Phil also lectures on travel destinations, public safety diving and photography around the country. He also teaches at digital seminars in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, St Croix and the US.

 

[Piccola]

The Olympus E-PL1 book for dummies. I bought it at my local Borders. (ISBN 0470879505)

 

[deeper thoughts]

For me the best settings are, manual mode, center weighted metering, S-AF, for both CFWA and Macro. This would be the same with any camera I use from the EVIL's to the Hasselblad H4D. I think all the auto modes and macro/W/A settings are highly over rated and do not allow you to learn as much from your mistakes. If you go through my past camera reviews you will see that all of the images were taken using the same basic settings. I will some times switch to manual focus after auto focusing on a static close object to lock focus at the longest end of the range.

I will be teaching another underwater photography workshop with MexicanDiver.com in Cozumel Mexico April 16 to 23, 2011. This is a great oppertunity for Olympus users to meet and learn more about all aspects of underwater photography. You can contact me direct at philrudin@me.com or follow the attached link for more information. Look for the Underwater Digital Fiesta $619.00 pp banner and link for more details.

Mexicandiver Magazine

Phil Rudin began taking photographs underwater while he was in the U.S. Navy in 1968. He is now a freelance writer/travel photographer, Senior Photographer for Dive Chronicles magazine and DC Dive Shows. As past President of the South Florida Underwater Photography Society, Phil has served on the Board of Directors for over eighteen years and enjoys the diverse makeup of the club membership. Phil is retired from the West Palm Beach Florida Police Department where he served as Dive Team Commander for the city. With thirty years experience as a public safety diver and dive team manager Phil has done over five hundred recovery dives during his carrier. Phil has recovered vehicles, aircraft, evidence, bodies and more. Other dive team duties included hull inspections of large commercial vessels, underwater crime scene management, crime scene photography, collection of evidence, training and more. Phil has also traveled extensively throughout the world to pursue his passion for underwater photography. His images have appeared in magazines such as Popular Science, Reflections, Scuba Diving Magazine, Underwater Journal, Skin Diver, Florida Underwater, South Florida Adventures, Waterways, The Sun, Dive Chronicles, Underwater Photography Magazine and others. Phil also lectures on travel destinations, public safety diving and photography around the country. He also teaches at digital seminars in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, St Croix and the US.

What setting do you use for white balance?
Thnx