Ordering an E-PL1

[Uber]

duplicate

 

[Uber]

Ordered PT-EP01 and gears from b&hphotovideo today, expected delivery this Friday. Guess I'll be doing some cold water diving this winter to play with my new camera system.

OK ....please don't flame the guy who can't even use a point and shoot!....here goes:

Do you absolutely have to have the gears for the PT-EP01?

I am confused - I have bought the camera already (present for missus) who is the photographer .... it comes with the standard (14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom) lens.... are you telling me you have to fork over another $45 on top of the $480 for the PT-EP01 for a PPZR-EP01 plastic gear just so that you can zoom in and out ??:shocked2:

I read "The PT-EP01 has a fix lens port that supports the use of the Zuiko ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and the Zuiko ED 9-18mm f/5.6 lenses." what does that mean?

Will she be able to at least use her Sealife strobes???:ermm:

This stuff looks neat too...(to a non-photographer) http://inonnews.blogspot.com/2010/04/olympus-e-pl1pt-ep01.html can you buy it in Canada/US?

 

[under water]

If you don't want to zoom in or out, you don't need the rubber gears.
Just pick what setting you need and go with that. I have the gears and noticed that I shot 99% of the shots at 14 mm and cropped later if needed. A lot depends if you will be shooting semi-macro and semi-wide.

 

[Uber]

If you don't want to zoom in or out, you don't need the rubber gears.
Just pick what setting you need and go with that. I have the gears and noticed that I shot 99% of the shots at 14 mm and cropped later if needed. A lot depends if you will be shooting semi-macro and semi-wide.

thanks... I think....once you start talkig semi-macro etc I get a bit lost

I suppose I can always get it later if she really needs it..... I don't want to give half a gift....

now about her Sealife strobes.....can I still screw the Sealife base to the bottom of this housing and attach the wires (I know they are optical thingies) ? I see two recepticles in the front for attaching slave (?) stobes.....

 

[under water]

thanks... I think....once you start talkig semi-macro etc I get a bit lost .....

Just meant that 14mm is almost wide and 42 is almost macro.

now about her Sealife strobes.....can I still screw the Sealife base to the bottom of this housing and attach the wires (I know they are optical thingies) ? I see two recepticles in the front for attaching slave (?) stobes.....

I can't guarantee it, but the housing has a pretty standard set of holes on the bottom and I have been able to use an Ikelite tray and a Ultralight tray, so the Sealife tray (base) should work.
The fiber optic cables for the strobes should work as well if you use one of these -

Inon Double Hole Fiber Optic Plug (Rubber Bush Plug) [ino.456212143565] - $3.00 : Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros

- and stick the bare side of the cable into it.

 

[Uber]

Thanks Frank - Appreciate it.....

so I think I may as well get the gears and 2 rubber plugs there to be on the safe side. I had assumed that they would come with the housing as standard.....amazing what gets left out!

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

Uber,

The rubber plugs for the fiber optic cables DO come with the housing, gears do NOT because each lens needs a different gear. The 14-42 and 9-18 gears are different. The included FLAT port works well with the 14-42 lens. With the 9-18 the corners go soft and the angle of view of the lens is reduced. Most users are buying the ZEN Underwater DOME port for the 9-18 zoom.

Checkout the attached link and you can see the difference between using the flat port and the Zen dome port with the 9-18 zoom. You can also find some of my images taken with the ZEN dome port and the 9-18 zoom at the second link.

Welcome to zenunderwater.com!

http://www.zenunderwater.com/gallery.php?shooterid=5

Phil Rudin

 

[nudibranco]

Phil,

I am wondering how the zen port would work with the panasonic macro lens from Panasonic/Leica.
I am trying to save on space and weight for traveling gear and go with just the Zen port rather than Olympus one. Also very tempted to buy some fisheye lens but would the Pana 8mm need a separate port? I do have the 9-18mm but I prefer fish-eyes...

Andrea

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

Andrea,

First the Pan/Leica macro lens does NOT work well in the Olympus or the ZEN 9-18 port because it sits way to far back in the port and tends to try to focus on the dome glass rather than the intended subject.

The Pany 8 mm fisheye will NOT work in the ZEN 9-18 port, ZEN will have ports for the 8 mm fisheye (at DEMA) and the 7-14. A ZEN port for the 45 macro is also coming soon from ZEN. Keep in mind that with interchangable lens cameras EVIL or DSLR that for best results more than one port is a must. I do 95% of my shooting with two lenses, a macro and a wide angle and I have ports for both.

Phil Rudin

 

[nudibranco]

Thanks! I just need to be patient and wait for upcoming pieces!

With regards to the macro lens: the diameter seems 1mm larger than the kit lens so I was actually thinking of adapting the the 14-42mm zoom ring to fit on the macro lens and focus manually when in trouble getting the correct focus. It would be interesting to know what Olympus does in the macro area next spring.

cheers,
Andrea