Is the 12-50 really 'one lens to rule them all'

[deeper thoughts]

Yes. Below are three shots of a nudibranch that I took to illustrate the versitility of the 12-50mm with the Nauticam port:

Nudibranch at 12mm

Nudibranch at 50mm

Nudibranch at 43mm(macro)

---------- Post added January 19th, 2013 at 11:43 AM ----------

More shots with the 12-50mm:

Garibaldi

Gopher rockfish

Painted greenling

Nudibranch

Rainbow seaperch

Curious rockfish

Spanish shawl nudibranch

Interesting kelp

Margaret on the wreck

Lobsters everywhere

Kissing lobsters

Lobster

Vermillion rockfish

Very nice!!!!

---------- Post added January 27th, 2013 at 02:12 PM ----------

I have the omd and the olympus housing. Is there a port for this housing or will it fit with the standard port which I own already?


thanx all

 

[Wisnu]

I am thinking of upgrading to an EM5 and would love to use just one lens for my (mostly) macro shots and the occasional wide(ish) angle and of course fish shots.

In looking at this lens it seems to do a pretty good job at macro and with a wet lens should handle everything I want.

Can the 12-50 do 1:1 or is it more like 1:2? How good are wet lenses? I have not used them since my Nikonos 3 in the 70's when they were rubbish.

What are your experiences with this lens is it sharp or just a standard lens? I am currently using a 50mm macro as my main lens on my E-520.

I have 12-50mm, 60mm and 7-14mm.
The 12-50mm is good lens if you want one lens for all.
But 12mm is not wide particularly if you use flat port; and the macro mode at 43mm is not comparable to the 60mm macro.
Since you are using 50mm macro, I don't think the 12-50mm will satisfy your need for macro.
And for WA, 12-50mm is not in the same class as 7-14mm.

 

[deeper thoughts]

I have 12-50mm, 60mm and 7-14mm.
The 12-50mm is good lens if you want one lens for all.
But 12mm is not wide particularly if you use flat port; and the macro mode at 43mm is not comparable to the 60mm macro.
Since you are using 50mm macro, I don't think the 12-50mm will satisfy your need for macro.
And for WA, 12-50mm is not in the same class as 7-14mm.

Thank You

 

[Ardy]

I have 12-50mm, 60mm and 7-14mm.
The 12-50mm is good lens if you want one lens for all.
But 12mm is not wide particularly if you use flat port; and the macro mode at 43mm is not comparable to the 60mm macro.
Since you are using 50mm macro, I don't think the 12-50mm will satisfy your need for macro.
And for WA, 12-50mm is not in the same class as 7-14mm.

Hi Wisnu - Understand where you are coming from and will consider your POV. The thing I am thinking is that I have seen some great macro shots from the 12-50 with wet lenses. Does this mean that the quality of the 12-50/wet lenses is not there? Or is there something else I need to consider. I rarely do WA shots I find them boring. CFWA is more interesting and I have not done any of that - is the 12-50 any good for that kind of pics?

Super macro is another branch that does interest me but I have been up to my ears with muck diving and getting the most out of that for the last 5 years. At age 66(almost) I wonder if I have another 10 years in the water, before the big shark in the sky comes to get me!

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Going back to your original post, if you want "one lens" for fish portraits, macro subjects, and reef scenics, then the 12-50 does indeed "rule them all" in the dedicated port/gear. The macro you get is true macro and of very good quality. The zoom is very versatile.

You only need to consider other lenses in addition to (not instead of) the 12-50 if you want more specialty shooting. In your case, you like macro and are interested in super-macro. The 12-50 gives what would be considered "true macro" in 35mm terms so you are set there. It seems that adding diopters when the lens is in macro mode only gives a modest increase in magnification, and reduces working distance to a degree that makes shooting difficult. So, if you want "super macro" you can add the Oly 60mm. That lens gives double the magnification of the 12-50 in macro mode and fits and works perfectly in the 12-50 port so no need for another port. You have true "super macro" capability with the lens without diopters, but you can add diopters to greater effect with this lens for even higher magnification.

So, for you, the 12-50 with dedicated gear, and the 60mm, both in the 12-50 port.

 

[Wisnu]

Hi Wisnu - Understand where you are coming from and will consider your POV. The thing I am thinking is that I have seen some great macro shots from the 12-50 with wet lenses. Does this mean that the quality of the 12-50/wet lenses is not there? Or is there something else I need to consider. I rarely do WA shots I find them boring. CFWA is more interesting and I have not done any of that - is the 12-50 any good for that kind of pics?

Super macro is another branch that does interest me but I have been up to my ears with muck diving and getting the most out of that for the last 5 years. At age 66(almost) I wonder if I have another 10 years in the water, before the big shark in the sky comes to get me!

Ardy,
12-50mm is great lens, sure on the right hand will produce great shots
I will always use it if I do not have the 60mm and 7-14mm.
In fact, I chose this lens for the night dive when we expect to find blue ring, bobtail, nudis, epaulette shark and wobbegong. I don’t think any other lens can do the task better.
However, adding wet lens will slightly reduce the quality. Mine is Inon UCL165; Subsee probably better but I believe still not up to the 50mm quality.
For CFWA, I think 12mm is not wide enough; to my knowledge, you need FE lens.
We tried to shot various object from close distance at 12 mm, but the BG is not really wide, so can say a truly CFWA.

Hey, 66 is good number, wish the big shark will rotate CW 180.

Cheers

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

I own the Panasonic 45 macro, the Olympus 60 macro, the 12-50 zoom and I used the Olympus 50 macro for DSLR cameras for years. When I went to the E-M5 with the Nauticam NA-EM5 housing I intended to carry over my 8mm fisheye, 7-14 zoom, 12mm, 45 macro and add the 60 macro. It was my intent to use the 12-50 zoom as my prime travel lens and to pass on the Nauticam 12-50 port in favor of the extension for the 45 macro port so that I could house both the 45 and 60 macro lenses. While on a trip to the Philippines in December I got my hands on the 12-50 port and gear for a few days and found it to be much more versatile than I had expected. While I still think the Olympus 60 macro is the ultimate macro lens for M43 the 12-50 does have a wider range and quite good image quality. Regarding how well it works with the SubSee +10 closeup lens I have attached once again the standard test I do with each new lens to get an idea of how close it will focus while in the housing and out of the water. This test could also be done in a pool but I was not in the mood. It is based on the premise that most U/W photographers relate to "life size" or "1:1" as the 35mm full frame size, so that is the base line for the test. For those of you who are younger and never used film the base line is a 35mm slide mount which is about 35mm life size. The idea is to tape the slide mount to a bill and then onto a window for back lighting and focus the lens as close as you can at a given focal length like 50mm and the 43mm macro range of the 12-50 zoom. The results go like this and I would also point out that none of the images requlred a closeup lens to fill the frame.


Photo #1 base line.

#2 60mm macro at max magnification.

#3 60 macro with SubSee +10 at max magnification.

#4 12-50, at 50mm and max magnification.

#5 12-50, at 50mm with SubSee +10 at max magnification.

#6 12-50, at the 43mm macro setting at max magnification, with the SubSee +10 closeup lens I had little to no room between the C/U lens and the subject at max mafnification so I added NO photo for that combo. Because the 60mm macro gives more distance between the subject and the C/U lens at max magnification it is by far the better choice for "supper macro or what ever you want to call it". The Inon 165 M67 is less than half as thick as the SubSee+10 and would be the better choice for the 43mm macro setting but it is still cutting it close.

Also attached are a few of the images with the 12-50 from 12mm, (frogfish) to 43 macro.

Bottom line is that when I had a chance to see the 12-50 images on a large screen and the review the wide range of subjects I photographed with the lens I put my name on the waiting list the next day for the Nauticam port and gear which have just arrived for the macro class I am teaching this weekend.

Phil Rudin

 

[deeper thoughts]

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I own the Panasonic 45 macro, the Olympus 60 macro, the 12-50 zoom and I used the Olympus 50 macro for DSLR cameras for years. When I went to the E-M5 with the Nauticam NA-EM5 housing I intended to carry over my 8mm fisheye, 7-14 zoom, 12mm, 45 macro and add the 60 macro. It was my intent to use the 12-50 zoom as my prime travel lens and to pass on the Nauticam 12-50 port in favor of the extension for the 45 macro port so that I could house both the 45 and 60 macro lenses. While on a trip to the Philippines in December I got my hands on the 12-50 port and gear for a few days and found it to be much more versatile than I had expected. While I still think the Olympus 60 macro is the ultimate macro lens for M43 the 12-50 does have a wider range and quite good image quality. Regarding how well it works with the SubSee +10 closeup lens I have attached once again the standard test I do with each new lens to get an idea of how close it will focus while in the housing and out of the water. This test could also be done in a pool but I was not in the mood. It is based on the premise that most U/W photographers relate to "life size" or "1:1" as the 35mm full frame size, so that is the base line for the test. For those of you who are younger and never used film the base line is a 35mm slide mount which is about 35mm life size. The idea is to tape the slide mount to a bill and then onto a window for back lighting and focus the lens as close as you can at a given focal length like 50mm and the 43mm macro range of the 12-50 zoom. The results go like this and I would also point out that none of the images requlred a closeup lens to fill the frame.


Photo #1 base line.

#2 60mm macro at max magnification.

#3 60 macro with SubSee +10 at max magnification.

#4 12-50, at 50mm and max magnification.

#5 12-50, at 50mm with SubSee +10 at max magnification.

#6 12-50, at the 43mm macro setting at max magnification, with the SubSee +10 closeup lens I had little to no room between the C/U lens and the subject at max mafnification so I added NO photo for that combo. Because the 60mm macro gives more distance between the subject and the C/U lens at max magnification it is by far the better choice for "supper macro or what ever you want to call it". The Inon 165 M67 is less than half as thick as the SubSee+10 and would be the better choice for the 43mm macro setting but it is still cutting it close.

Also attached are a few of the images with the 12-50 from 12mm, (frogfish) to 43 macro.

Bottom line is that when I had a chance to see the 12-50 images on a large screen and the review the wide range of subjects I photographed with the lens I put my name on the waiting list the next day for the Nauticam port and gear which have just arrived for the macro class I am teaching this weekend.

Phil Rudin

Thnx for the info Phil.
Do you think or have heard that there will be a port for this lens?(Olympus housing/omd em5 camera)

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

I understand you can use the stock port with the 12-50 and Olympus housing. The problem is you will not be seeing a gear that allows full access to zoom and macro.

Phil Rudin

 

[deeper thoughts]

I understand you can use the stock port with the 12-50 and Olympus housing. The problem is you will not be seeing a gear that allows full access to zoom and macro.

Phil Rudin

Thnx I will wait and hopefully a port comes out