Question help choosing Housing for om1 mark ii
- Thread starter hypoxi
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bvanant
Contributor
True, true, you will not likely service a Nauticam/Marelux/Isotta/Seacam/Subal et al yourself. The good news is they can run five years and hundreds of dives between $ervice.
bvanant
Contributor
True, but hundreds of dives for us is a year and when a housing needs a tweak it is often on a boat in the middle of the ocean. I don't know anymore but I think service for a Nauticam mirrorless housing might be like $450 or so. In any case, knowing that you can do some work yourself is comforting (but maybe delusional).
Bill
Bill
In the EU, service for Nauticam and Isotta runs around $700 or €640 – definitely not a small amount, but if you spread it over 3–5 years, it’s not too bad. I just found a used Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO for a nice price, so now I’ve got even more things to think about 
Right now I’m mostly leaning toward starting with the AOI housing and fisheye dome. But with Isotta, according to their port chart, I could use the same 6" acrylic or 6.5" crystal dome for both the 12–40 and the 8mm fisheye. That would mean one less port to buy initially, and if I compare that to going AOI with both a fisheye dome and dome for the 12-40, the pricing gets a bit closer.
Right now I’m mostly leaning toward starting with the AOI housing and fisheye dome. But with Isotta, according to their port chart, I could use the same 6" acrylic or 6.5" crystal dome for both the 12–40 and the 8mm fisheye. That would mean one less port to buy initially, and if I compare that to going AOI with both a fisheye dome and dome for the 12-40, the pricing gets a bit closer.
Furnari
Contributor
I know you replied to me earlier in the thread about my suggestion to use the 12-45 as opposed to the 12-40, but if you're cheap and patient, you could end up with a PEN-port system dome that will work with both the 8mm and the 12-45 in the AOI housing for less than a dome port for the 8mm and 12-40, while having a much smaller form factor. I sound like an evangelist for this, but for good reason- I had an OMD 170mm dome for the 12-40, 7-14, 8mm, and Panasonic 8-18, but going to a PEN dome for the 8mm and 12-45 is so much nicer. The only downside is that the 170mm is a lot better for split shots, but man- smaller is so much better while traveling, swimming against current, hiking down to the entry, etc. Here's my write up on the 12-45:
I know you replied to me earlier in the thread about my suggestion to use the 12-45 as opposed to the 12-40, but if you're cheap and patient, you could end up with a PEN-port system dome that will work with both the 8mm and the 12-45 in the AOI housing for less than a dome port for the 8mm and 12-40, while having a much smaller form factor. I sound like an evangelist for this, but for good reason- I had an OMD 170mm dome for the 12-40, 7-14, 8mm, and Panasonic 8-18, but going to a PEN dome for the 8mm and 12-45 is so much nicer. The only downside is that the 170mm is a lot better for split shots, but man- smaller is so much better while traveling, swimming against current, hiking down to the entry, etc. Here's my write up on the 12-45:
You're starting to get me convinced about finding a used 12-45 and a PEN port dome. In your thread, it looks like you’re using a DLP-03/04 or a similar dome? If I order the housing I will probably order the dome and extensions at the same time so would appreciate if you can write what dome and extension combinations that would be closest to your setup! And use with both the 12-45 and zuiko 8mm fisheye pro
Furnari
Contributor
The dome setup I prefer is the Inon EP01 with an AOI 34mm extension ring. Field of view was slightly wider at all focal lengths, while having slightly better minimum focus distance, which makes for more magnification. The second dome I tested was the Zen WA-100-EP mini dome originally intended for the 14-42 and 9-18 lenses. I would have no problem using that dome, it’s just that the Inon was slightly better. The DLP-03 and 04 are for the same lenses so they should work as well. The Zen has been around for a long time and is often available used. I bought my copy off ebay for a little over $150. Add the zoom gear and used copy of the lens and you could be at $600. Here’s the zoom gear: AOI LG-OM1 Zoom Gear: Olympus 12-45mm f/4 PRO M.Zuiko ED Lens. Remember- you can use this set up with the 9-18 for wide rectilinear as well. Personally, I wasn’t super thrilled with the 9-18 when I shot with it underwater about 10 years ago, but lots of other people like it.
All that said- I doubt that the Zen mini dome (or the AOI equivalents) would work with the 8mm fisheye. That’s one more reason I prefer the Inon; if I’m on a trip I can remove the extension ring and shoot with the 8mm. I also bring a big dome for the 8-25 if I want rectilinear, but I find that I rarely use it and just stick with the 12-45. As I mentioned in the post I linked to, my particular Inon dome is discontinued. My assumption- and it is just an assumption- is that any other PEN dome for the 8mm FE should work. I’m basing this on the fact that the 12-45 seems awfully forgiving- there’s some significant optical engineering differences between the mini dome and fisheye dome, yet photo quality is pretty much the same (the difference is in the minor field of view and magnification). However, the dimensions of the Inon dome are slightly larger than other fisheye domes from Zen and AOI. I believe this is due to the original Zen fisheye dome being designed around the Panasonic 8mm fisheye (to use their dome with the Olympus 8mm you need an extension ring). The Inon was purpose built for the Olympus, so they went slightly larger. Or, they already had the glass being used in different ports for different lenses and it was a way to save money. Either way, it’s a few mm bigger. If it were me and I couldn’t find the Inon, I would go with one of the other PEN domes for the fisheye rather than a mini dome, especially if you also want to shoot the 8mm. The 34mm extension ring should still be what you need, but be prepared to test and switch it out for a shorter extension if needed. All in all, this is still cheaper than buying everything you need to shoot the 12-40 if you're starting from scratch- even buying used. Hope this all helps; let me know if I can answer any other questions.
All that said- I doubt that the Zen mini dome (or the AOI equivalents) would work with the 8mm fisheye. That’s one more reason I prefer the Inon; if I’m on a trip I can remove the extension ring and shoot with the 8mm. I also bring a big dome for the 8-25 if I want rectilinear, but I find that I rarely use it and just stick with the 12-45. As I mentioned in the post I linked to, my particular Inon dome is discontinued. My assumption- and it is just an assumption- is that any other PEN dome for the 8mm FE should work. I’m basing this on the fact that the 12-45 seems awfully forgiving- there’s some significant optical engineering differences between the mini dome and fisheye dome, yet photo quality is pretty much the same (the difference is in the minor field of view and magnification). However, the dimensions of the Inon dome are slightly larger than other fisheye domes from Zen and AOI. I believe this is due to the original Zen fisheye dome being designed around the Panasonic 8mm fisheye (to use their dome with the Olympus 8mm you need an extension ring). The Inon was purpose built for the Olympus, so they went slightly larger. Or, they already had the glass being used in different ports for different lenses and it was a way to save money. Either way, it’s a few mm bigger. If it were me and I couldn’t find the Inon, I would go with one of the other PEN domes for the fisheye rather than a mini dome, especially if you also want to shoot the 8mm. The 34mm extension ring should still be what you need, but be prepared to test and switch it out for a shorter extension if needed. All in all, this is still cheaper than buying everything you need to shoot the 12-40 if you're starting from scratch- even buying used. Hope this all helps; let me know if I can answer any other questions.
There are just two pieces of gear I still use which I bought shortly after I started taking pictures underwater (14 years ago), and they are the 12-40 pro and the Zen 170ii dome. Credible corners, fast focus, very sharp, eminently croppable images. And after almost a dozen years with it, I remember to engage the autofocus ring! (Well, OK, not really. I finally put a rubber band in the groove so I can't disengage it.)
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