new micro 4/3 camera and goes underwater

[Nemrod]

Is there a 4/3rds macro lens out there now?

Yes, there are quite a few Micro 4:3 lenses from both Panasonic/Leica and Olympus and more planned, two more just got released and there is an adapter that allows use of standard 4:3 lenses. Macro, it looks like the housing in the pic I posted has some sort of adapter for macro?

This housing does not have a removable port so it would either have to use wet lenses, if possible, or live with the limitation. However, the future can only get better :cool2:.

Yeah, and it even makes good HD movies.

N

 

[davelew]

Is there a 4/3rds macro lens out there now?

There's a Panasonic 45mm macro lens for the Micro Four Thirds mount, which is good but a little pricey. There's also the Olympus 50mm macro for the four-thirds mount, which is a truly spectacular piece of optics that can fit on this camera with the FT-MFT adapter.

 

[hanachan]

oly, its too late for me because ive already made the housing for panasonic GF1.:shocked2:

im disappointed with unexchangeable port & no use of internal flash directly.
imho the most important issue is that E-PL1's focus function is improved or not.

 

[xariatay]

I was almost sold!!! Until I realised that the internal flash can't be used... y???
Will just wait for real photos by the talented u/w photog here to convince me. Who is taking the plunge 1st?

 

[MJSmith]

Looks interesting. I couldn't see what zoom power it had. Anybody know?

 

[davelew]

Looks interesting. I couldn't see what zoom power it had. Anybody know?

The E-PL1 is a Micro Four Thirds camera with interchangeable lenses, just like a dSLR, so the zoom power depends on what lens you use with it. The lens with the most zoom power for MFT cameras is the 14-150mm zoom made by Panasonic (Oly is coming out with their version later this year), which has a 35mm equivalent of 28mm-300mm, or just over 10X zoom. I don't expect that to be very useful underwater, though.

For underwater, the kit 14-42 lens with a 3X zoom might be acceptable, but I think the best underwater zoom will be the 9-18 zoom coming out in May. That's just a 2X zoom, but most of the best underwater zoom lenses (like the much loved Tokina 10-17) are around that power.

 

[Nemrod]

I was almost sold!!! Until I realised that the internal flash can't be used... y???
Will just wait for real photos by the talented u/w photog here to convince me. Who is taking the plunge 1st?

You will need to use optically triggered strobes. The flash, I believe pops up just enough to allow operation to trigger strobes so as to limit the size of the case. Like a dSLR, the expectation is that people with this class of camera will have moved beyond the "do I need a strobe" thinking. If I am wrong there, then it will need a wired strobe like a Z240.

It is an interchangeable lens type camera, some lenses have NO zoom, others having varying degrees of "zoom" depending upon the intended purpose like all interchangeable lens cameras.

Long zoom ratio lenses are slow, big, and of little value underwater.

N

 

[under water]

Ikelite updated their DSLR page to reflect the new model and it seems they bumped back the date to Q3.
E-P1, E-P2, E-PL1These models are under consideration for a housing in Q3 2010. No information currently available.

Olympus Camera Chart

 

[Prop Joe]

Small/compact and HD video!!! Me likey. Might be the C-5050 replacement I've looking for. I can't wait to see what housings come out for this.
Couldn't Ikelite (or other mfg.) make a smaller housing using existing hotshoe? Then no pop-up flash requirement = smaller housing?

 

[shoturtle]

Is there a 4/3rds macro lens out there now?

Besides the panny macro and the oly 50mm and adapter setup. You can also get a oly 35mm 3.5 macro with a panny m4/3 to 4/3 adapter. I will give you a full frame equivalent of 70mm. The price of the lens and adapter will be around 300 dollars. And you get true 1:1 macro ability like the other two more expensive lenses mention.

also the panny adapter works exactly the same way as the oly, but cost 50 dollars less. You get full AF and metering from the lens.