I have a buddy considering entering uw photography. He wants a cost effective system, small body with interchangeable lens.

I am strongly considering the m4/3 options, specifically the OM-D E-M5 mark III vs OM-D E-M10 IV as recommendations.

The least expensive option is the OM-D E-M10 IV including the AOI poly housing for ~$1600 USD.

Questions:

• Seems the E-M5 III has faster focus, but is it a major difference?

  • E-M5 III also requires a more expensive housing.

• If properly cared for, are there any downsides to the AOI housing?

• How is the image quality of 14-42 EZ lens and the AOI wet mount wide lens?

I appreciate any feedback on these specific models and the AOI housing.

@Chris Ross I know you have extensive knowledge in the m4/3 world.

Many thanks!

chip

**Please note - I have extensive experience with Sony and Canon models.

I own and use the Sony a1, Sony a6700, and Canon R5 as well as others in the past.

I also owned the E-M1 and loved it for a variety of reasons.

In my experience the m4/3 seems to be a solid option for his specific needs, but appreciate current info and user experience on the points above.

https://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-special-features/article/review-om-system-olympus-om-d-e-m10-mark-iv-backscatter-octo-housing/

should help address at least some of the questions :)

14 minutes ago, MatthewSullivan said:

https://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-special-features/article/review-om-system-olympus-om-d-e-m10-mark-iv-backscatter-octo-housing/

should help address at least some of the questions :)

Excellent - thanks @MatthewSullivan , really appreciate it!!

Added bonus - I know you are a very fair, realistic reviewer as well!

Edited 20 hours ago20 hr by ChipBPhoto

If I was him I'd be considering a used M4/3 setup.

I recently picked up a EM1-II in a Nauticam housing with lens and port for $1200usd, all it needed was a vacuum valve.

It's a generation old but I don't see cameras as having advanced much since then.

3 hours ago, Grantmac said:

If I was him I'd be considering a used M4/3 setup.

I recently picked up a EM1-II in a Nauticam housing with lens and port for $1200usd, all it needed was a vacuum valve.

It's a generation old but I don't see cameras as having advanced much since then.

Great suggestion @Grantmac - thanks!

What lens do you like / use the most?

I'd get the EM-5 III over the EM-10V model, the feature list on the 10 series is a lot more limited, things like custom settings on te top dial is missing - you can save all your UW settings and call it up on the top dial, AF is better with the Em-5 III as well. Downsides to the AOI housing include no rear eyepiece, so you can only use the rear screen and if I recall correctly limitations on flash sync speed with the built in trigger. There was a thread on that recently, believe in RC mode the sync limit is 1/160 for EM10IV and manual limited to 1/200.

An EM-1 MKII is also a great option if you can pickup a second hand Nauticam housing. The EM-1 II has 3 custom settings on the dial you can recall. Regarding lenses used, the question is what he wants to shoot. Macro - the 60mm macro is the go-to lens. Wide angle there are a few options to look at, the 14-42 by all accounts is sharp at the widest, but a bit soft when zoomed right in. Can't comment on the AOI wet lens, but a review on almost any camera would have some relevance. A lot of people seem happy with a 14-42 with a WWL or a Panasonic 12-35 with WWL-C. There was a Nauticam EM1-II on the classifieds for a great price recently.

Other wide options include a 12-45 in the Zen 170mm dome, the 8mm fisheye in the Zen 100mm dome or something like the 8-18 or 8-15 or 7-14 lenses but they require an N120 adapter and N120 Zen dome. The rectilinears are easier to deal with in Isotta as they have a 102mm port system rather than the 85mm port system and you don't need to get into the expensive N85-N120 adapters.

Be easier to suggest something knowing what the preferred subjects are.

I'm currently using the rather odd 12-50 kit lens with a diopter and WWL-1 but starting to feel it's limitations. Currently debating between the 30 and 45 macro.

The biggest limitation I feel is wide angle.

I own the 14-42mm + WWL-1B combo and, despite my constant complaining (I use it for video), it’s a formidable pairing. It allows you to focus practically right on the glass of the WWL-1. It definitely gets soft when zoomed in a lot, but at f/5.6, the edges are perfect (for video). You can’t have it all.

Over the last few months, I’ve seen several used OM-system kits for sale.