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

[Mel Moncrieff]

My images are stored off site and I "point" to them using the URLs and image tags. I do not upload them to this board.

Hi Everyone:

I would also agree that this is a great combo lens--probably the best out there. I just got back from 10 days of diving in Anilao, Philippines and used this lens on 80% of my dives. I also used an 8 mm Panasonic for some better w/a, and if you like that type of photography, you will want to consider it, but for macro, it was almost as good as the 60 mm Olympus macro, and focused very quickly. Here's a link to my favorite shots from the trip--nice to be able to shoot pigmy seahorses and reef scenes on the same dive:

Philippines Dive Trip | Facebook

Mel

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

Lets not get it twisted here, while the 12-50 zoom is an excellent all around lens with the only true macro feature in a zoom kit lens it is hard to call it almost as good as the 60 mm macro.

DXOmark.com posted its resulte for the Olympus 60mm macro today and said it is one of the best macro lenses they have ever tested, that includes ALL lenses not just mirrorless or M43 lenses. It was tested on the Panasonic GH2 a camera DXO gave a score of 60 compared to the 71 score they gave the E-M5. Both lenses are excellent for what they do but the 60mm is by far the better macro lens.

Phil Rudin

 

[DSR-3]

Will the 12-50 fit the stock port, PT-EP01/E-PL1 setup?
Thanks

 

[Ardy]

Thanks Phil for a great report on this lens. Sounds like the Nauticam port is essential.

---------- Post added February 1st, 2013 at 10:51 PM ----------

Hi Everyone:

I would also agree that this is a great combo lens--probably the best out there. I just got back from 10 days of diving in Anilao, Philippines and used this lens on 80% of my dives. I also used an 8 mm Panasonic for some better w/a, and if you like that type of photography, you will want to consider it, but for macro, it was almost as good as the 60 mm Olympus macro, and focused very quickly. Here's a link to my favorite shots from the trip--nice to be able to shoot pigmy seahorses and reef scenes on the same dive:

Philippines Dive Trip | Facebook

Mel

Mel you didn't miss much did you? After my love affair with Bali is over I am off to the Phillipines..

great photo's thanks for sharing...

 

[bvanant]

I was with Mel and Norma on the Philippines trip and they did get some really great images. I did a few dives with the 12-50 on macro mode (with and without the Dyron +7) in the 60 mm port and also with the 60 macro lens. For my type of subjects, the 60 was magnificent, great lens with remarkable Bokeh. The 12-50 was nice but if you are looking for teeny things not in the same class as the 60. But I don't do much fish portraiture work so Mel's point is still valid, for a lens to shoot both big and little guys then the 12-50 is a great choice.
Bill

 

[Enoshima]

Will the 12-50 fit the stock port, PT-EP01/E-PL1 setup?
Thanks

It most definitly does fit and work.
I will be diving with that setup very soon.

The only disadvantage is that Olympus has not made a zoomgear for the 12-50 lens.
There is a company that does, unterwasserkamera.at, located in austria.
Shipping cost to european countries is 20 euro's, I don't know if they ship to the US. (and free shipping with orders over 600 euro). Payment is by Paypal.
They are also a european importer of Athena, one of the few brands making ports for the olympus housings.

They have two versions of this simple gear, one for olympus housing (and confirmed working with the 12-50 in the PT-EP01 housing in both manual and E-zoom modes by me, choosen before adding the gear). And also a version for nauticam.

Unlike the official nauticam zoom gear, this gear does not allow acces to the macro button, but is also easily removed.
The gear also works on the olympus 60mm as a focus gear.

Here is a link to the gear for olympus housing:
unterwasserkamera.at - D&D Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 EZ Zoom Gear
And here to the Nauticam version:
unterwasserkamera.at - D&D Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 EZ Zoom Gear


Above water the 12-50 is a huge step up from the 14-42 lens (version 1), so I am very curious to the difference under water.


As for macro, I intend to use wet lenses to compensate not being able to access the macro mode.

 

[DSR-3]

THANK YOU Enoshim for the good news, info, and links!
Please post comments, etc. after your use.
*and welcome to the forum

 

[Enoshima]

I took the camera into the swimming pool last friday.
The focus speed is very much improved, lack of external flash meant I had a lot of not so sharp photo's.

Here are a few photo's of the zoom gear on the camera and inside the housing.



The gear fits on the lens just fine, depending on how you push the zoom ring, you can use manual or electronic zoom.

Here are a few underwater photo's. At 12mm straigt lines are somewhat bendy, but zoom in a little bit and it is gone.
I didn't shoot the photo's for the subject, but for the effect of the lens.

 

[jdfmail]

Can this lens and port be used with the E-pl3 and OEM housing?

 

[Enoshima]

Can this lens and port be used with the E-pl3 and OEM housing?

The port for the E-PL3 underwater housing is a few millimeters shorter due to the LED's.
Unfortunetly, that makes the E-PL3 underwater housing the only standard housing to not fit the 12-50mm or the 60mm macro (these two lenses are pretty much identical in size)

It should be possible to change to standard port of your PT-EP05L housing with a dome port that can fit the 12-50mm.
I have neither PT-EP05L, nor a dome port, so I cannot test this for you.