Best options re EM5

[guyharrisonphoto]

I have the dedicated 12-50 port. I use it with the zoom and the 60mm macro. I am finding the zoom so versatile (semi-wide scenic to fish portrait, plus power zoom for video), and the macro function so effective, that the 12-50 stays on the housing 70% of the time. Right now, I use the 60mm only if I am going on a dedicated ultra-macro hunt for tiny fingernail-sized things. However, I might add the nauti super macro diopter on a flip adapter to the 12-50 and have almost the same capability, plus the versatility of the zoom.

For wide angle, I will differ a little from burhan and strongly recommend the 9-18 mm with the 4" dome. This is great for all sorts of wide angle work. No need to get the pany 7-14 (which I have). I like the rectlinear look better than the fisheye look for UW scenics, and the zoom is MUCH more versatile. I see that you don't have the fisheye. that being the case, it is really no contest, just get the very moderately priced dome for your 9-18mm and, with two ports, you cover everything from wide angle, to portrait lengths, to ultra-macro.

 

[sjwhite26]

Update - Nauticam Housing has arrived with 12-50 port and mechanism [emoji3] now have to figure out what is going on!


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[jbb]

I have this set up. I tend to dive my 60 mm in Seattle more often than not but I do have the 12-50 mm and 9-18 mm. I got the dome for the 9-18 mm just prior to a UW photo workshop in Indonesia and it was fun to learn how to use it for the first time underwater. You can check out what is possible looking at my modest attempts with the three of these on my flickr site. I really like the 60 mm for dedicated macro dives and I have a +5 Subsee to put in front of that too.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Thanks Phil, in terms of the 12-50mm how do you zoom in either of those ports? I assume you need a gear (I'm not referring to the expensive access the macro function gear)? Would the 12-50mm gear work in the 60mm port?

I have the em5 with the Olympus housing. When I use the 12-50 in the standard port, this zoom gear has been fantastic

Unterwasserkamera.at - D&D Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 EZ Zoom Gear

My 2cents

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

You can find several after market gears for the Olympus 12-50 including those from Deepshots.co.uk, NONE of these after market gears allow you to engage the 43MM "macro" function on this lens. With any of these after market gears you can use the 12-50 with several ports both flat and dome, like the Zen PEN 4" dome port, Zen DP-170 n85 II or n85 with extension, Nauticam 60mm flat port, Nauticam 45mm macro port with 20mm extension and so on.