OMD EM5 mII and Neewer case: 12-50 or mm?

[Jean Francois Desfosses]

So I have an OMD em-5 Mark ii.

I also have a 14-150, and a 20mm 1.7

I have my mind set in a Neewer case (same as Meikon or Divecam), which accepts both the 12-50 or the 60mm

I am torn and cannot afford both, money and space saving reason!

On one hand the 12-50 is versatile, but less IQ than the 60, as well as obvious lower low light capabilities. I can also have it for 250$ Canadian, versus 410 for the 60mm. Also, out of the water I will have virtually no need for it as my 14-150 is pretty much glued on!

The 60mm from what I read has glowing reviews in IQ, and will outperform the 12-50 in low light, as well as being a dedicated 1-1 macro in-out of the water. But definitely less versatile in the water.

I cannot afford both. I also am in space saving mode. I am currently traveling for 18 months in South, Central,north and Southeast Asia. I am carrying camping gear, camera gear, winter condition hiking gear. Iam also going to do my DM, IDC, and buy a sidemount kit between Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia...

So suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks so much!

JF

 

[WS007]

Hi Jean Francois,

The 60mm Macro is a dedicated and excellent macrolens, so go for it in case you want to shoot exclusively macros. Normally people that have different lenses, each optimized for its application (fisheye, wide angel, standard, macro) use it.

The 12-50mm is a standard lens with a wide range, starting from 12mm wide angle. It also has a macro mode, that is of course not as good as the dedicated 60mm. For people that have one lens only this is certainly the better solution...

 

[Jean Francois Desfosses]

Well, we already have the 14-150 and 20mm. So if it was on dryland I wouldn't even hesitate and get the 60mm... But I wonder how the 60mm as a unique lens fares underwater? Would it be versatile enough?

 

[WS007]

As I said: the 60mm is a dedicated macro. On land you can use it also for portraits. UW 60mm (90mm equivalent) is in most cases too much for regular photos: you want to get as close as possible, as the more water between lens and object, the less contrast, colors and clarity...

 

[WS007]

correction: in MFT 60mm is equivalent to 120mm...
=> Image quality will suffer a lot, when shooting with 120mm through water...

 

[bvanant]

While the equivalent field of view is the same as a 120 mm lens on a 35 mm film (or full frame) you will not be shooting from that far away for most things. More like 20 mm or less (minimal focal distance is 19 mm or so). Also if you use the 12-50 you will NOT be able to access macro mode in the Neewer housing and it is not clear that there is an appropriate focus gear for the 12-50.
Bill

 

[pendivr]

I've only used the Oly housings, but if you're ready to buy the Neewer either way, I'd order one and try it with your 14-150. I suspect it will at least work at 14mm (it's ~1/4" wider and a few hundredths shorter).

I find the 60 to be too long to use on anything other than a pure macro dive and usually have the 7-14 or 12-40 attached. The 12-50 zoom can be controlled electronically, but if the 14 fits in the housing and you can work with the focal length, I'd consider putting the cash and space toward a strobe instead.

 

[Ardy]

Hi I have the 12-50 and the 60mm lens. I find that the 60mm is the more versatile for what I do. I can still do decent fish portraits and I enjoy macro more than any other. The 12-50 is a good lens but it is neither a wide angle (enough) lens nor a good enough macro.

I do not have it but have a look at the new 30mm macro lens. New Olympus 30mm macro - Any interest divers?

 

[h2sk1]

I have both of these lenses. I love macro, so most of the time I use the 60mm. For bigger fish (stone fish, grouper, large angel fish), or turtles, rays & shark, the 60mm has too much zoom. Backing away from the subject gives me less options on lighting the background vs foreground, so I find it trickier.

The 12-50 is a good overall lens for fish portraits and coral pictures. Its macro capability is poor in comparison to the 60mm.

If you want to save some money, why not stick with the 12-50 and then bring a wet lens diopter to give you a bit better macro capability. A +7 should allow you to photograph most shrimp (Pederson, banded coral, squat anemone, etc). This will be your most compact setup.

 

[jmartel]

The 60mm is by far the better lens. Go with that one, and then the housing will likely work with the 14-42mm as well. That lens does a decent job for non-macro type subjects (large fish/sharks) and can be found used/refurbished for $50-75 USD.