NAUTICAM Housings for E-PL series, any reviews?

[ProfF]

I am being tempted to consider the Nauticam housing for my brand new land-locked E-PL3. Anyone with experience with this type of housing (e.g., the NA-EPL2 for example)? It looks much higher quality housing (small form, metal rather than plastic, etc). But I wonder whether there are hidden quirks I should be aware of?

Thanks!

 

[mjh]

Just started playing with the first one to arrive in the shop, WOW! Incredible quality, well thought out, easy to use and full access to all the need buttons and menus. Good choice of ports for this camera/housing. With that camera, housing, a good set of strobes and a high end video/focus light the limiting factor is no longer the gear Is a set-up that really has me wondering about buying another DSLR kit.

 

[cardog]

Just started playing with the first one to arrive in the shop, WOW! Incredible quality, well thought out, easy to use and full access to all the need buttons and menus. Good choice of ports for this camera/housing. With that camera, housing, a good set of strobes and a high end video/focus light the limiting factor is no longer the gear Is a set-up that really has me wondering about buying another DSLR kit.

And only 3x more expensive than the Oly housing for the E- PL2......

 

[HollywoodiversImaging]

The machined aluminum housings are definitely more costly than a plastic housing, however the benefits are significant as well. We just received the Nauticam EPL3 housing in the store, and we have had many of the Olympus EPL2 housings through here during its time. The ergonomics of course on the Nauticam are fantastic. The build quality, well its obvious, machined aluminum versus polycarbonate. One great thing is the versatility of the Nauticam housing and the available ports to fit different 4/3 lenses.

A couple of very important factors in deciding on the housing (besides the obvious budget) are number of dives per year, and depth of dives. We supply a lot of technical divers with cameras, and as can be seen on board posts too, diving below 100 feet has proven its share of problems on the plastic housings from Canon and Olympus at times.

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

In the last month I have been using both the E-PL2 and now the E-PL3 housings from Nauticam. I just finished three days of dives with the Nauticam E-PL3 housing at SPLASH DIVE CENTER in Placencia Belize. I am using the 4.33 inch dome with the Panasonic 8mm fisheye and the Olympus 12mm lenses. Both have worked very well in combination with the dome port. The port can also be used with several other W/A lenses. In the past I have used Olympus housings for the E-PL1 and E-PL2 cameras. While the Olympus housing with the kit lens makes a great entry level system most photographers will invest in additional lenses and dome ports. ZEN Underwater makes a superb line of dome ports for the Olympus housings when used with the 8mm fisheye, Panasonic 7-14mm zoom, Panasonic 45mm macro and the Olympus 9-18 zoom.

When you start to compare the Olympus housing vs. Nauticam keep in mind that you will be adding new lenses and domes to your system. When you compare the cost differences between the two systems with the additional lenses and ports the Nauticam begins to look a lot more cost effective.

The Olympus 9-18 zoom is more than three times the cost of the 14-42mm kit lens. However you get what you pay for with a much better lens, the same is true with the Nauticam housings. The advanced port locking system, the quality of the camera controls and the size of the housing alone are well worth the extra cost. Having used both systems I can tell you that the Pen with an Olympus housing is the best bargain you will find on an entry level mirrorless camera. The Nauticam housing for the E-PL2 and E-PL3 is by far the best overall choice if cost is not the top issue in selecting your system.

Phil Rudin

 

[ProfF]

Thanks for the quick and informative replies! I decided to the (financial) leap and spoil myself with the nauticam and looking forward now to receive it (once I dive with it I will share experiences and pics).

Nir

 

[Prop Joe]

Now with free tray and handles...
Nauticam International Ltd.

 

[amnong]

BTW: does anyone have E-PL3 UW gallery to share?

 

[General Po]

Do you know what the weight difference is between the 2 housings? I can see from the nauticam site that the housing for the EPL3 is 1.03kg but I can't find the same information on the Olympus housing.
This is an important factor in the choice for me. I'm fairly slight and local boat dives around here can consist of handing up a camera out of 9 degree (C) water up a high sided boat to a skipper who's too mindful of his back to bend over the side.

 

[ProfF]

I don't think there is a published weight. However the PT-EP03 (the housing for E-PL2) weights 1080gram, and I suspect the new housing will be within the same ballpark. Bottom line this is not a deciding factor....