Oly 45mm F/1.8 for UW?

[chile7236]

What would you recommend for a macro lens, Scott? That will come after I house the e-pm1, tho.

 

[deeper thoughts]

good info

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

This is quite simple to me, the Olympus 45 F/1.8 is not a macro lens the Panasonic 45 F/2.8 is a macro lens. This is the difference at minimum focus distance with both lenses. The Panasonic is the winner as a macro lens the Olympus 45mm is a MUCH sharper, I.E. better image quality than the 14-52 kit lens and a much faster lens. Both in AF speed and Aperture. Each would be useful for difference reasons. The 45 macro would be the better overall choice in most cases for underwater use. The Olympus 60mm macro coming later this year will be even better.

Phil Rudin

 

[General Po]

I'm watching this post very closely as I'm planning to get one of these lenses early next year. I've got the EPL-3 in a Nauticam housing so I suppose I'll be limited by choice of ports. I see at the moment there is a port for the Panasonic 45 F/2.8 but I'm not sure about the others.

I might be wrong here but isn't the minimum focus difference the same on both the Olympus 45 F/1.8 and the Panasonic 45 F/2.8 unless you use the limit switch on the Panasonic? And doesn't the limit switch slow the focus speed? and you can't change once it's in the housing?

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

You are wrong Po, one lens is a macro lens and the other is not. The limiting switch on the Panasonic lens justs limits the lens from going all the way to 1:1 so that the lens will focus faster when not using it close up. The Olympus can never go any where near 1:1.

Phil Rudin

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

What would you recommend for a macro lens, Scott? That will come after I house the e-pm1, tho.

Troy, it looks like Phil has covered this pretty well. Like he said, I'd get the Panasonic Leica 45mm macro lens, or the Olympus 60mm macro lens if you can wait until later in the year.

Scott

 

[terson]

Troy, it looks like Phil has covered this pretty well. Like he said, I'd get the Panasonic Leica 45mm macro lens, or the Olympus 60mm macro lens if you can wait until later in the year.

Scott

Hi Scott,
I read somewhere that you suggest that the 60mm macro will arrive after 'The Fall' can you give the rest of the world a month to go by?
Not all forum go'ers are from the USA. . . sorry, but true.
Bruce

 

[Packhorse]

I think "The Fall" either refers to the fall of the US $ to bellow 0.25 euro or the falling of leaves. The latter is known in TROTW as Autumn. This would indicate that us in the southern hemisphere will either get it 6 months earlier or 6 months later than those in the north.

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

I think that we have been encouraged that the new Olympus 75 F/1.8 will arrive in the US in the next two weeks. Since the announcement of the 75 and the 60 macro came at the same time we may be guessing that it should arrive sooner rather than later. I would guess it will be out ahead of Photokina in September world wide.

Phil Rudin

 

[chile7236]

i will endeavor to get the cheaper of the two