Questions about lenses/ports for Olympus PT-E0X housing

Yes, that is what I have been saying the 170 mm dome while $400.00 more up front is much more universal and can be used with at least nine different lenses. While it may not be the best choice, in size, weight for some of the lenses it can cover a wide range of lenses very well. If you want the very best port for the 14 to 42 it would be the Athena port and I think the 170 mm port will render the best results for the 9-18 zoom.

Phil

Does 170 mm port fit 9-18, 14-42, 8mm without any extension? If I will buy 50mm macro Do I need macro port?

Yes the 170 mm dome will work with those three lenses without extension and yes you will need a macro port for the 50 macro.

Phil

Hi Phil

I will just chuck this question in here hoping that is OK with OP.

Just got the 50mm macro (very happy) and wondering if it is worth chasing up a 52mm 'light blind' the screw on thingy that keeps light out?

Q's 1. Is it worth it ie does it affect photo quality.

2. Will it fit behind the ppo-e05 port as the 50mm expanded seems close to the glass.

Phil I saw Athena doesn't have 170mm domeport for Olympus. Did you say PPO-E04 Oly port?

Glanluke,

This is the Athena 170 mm dome port, http://reefphoto.com/index.php?main_page=p...fc09a28bce3d8eb

It can be purchased without the port extension. The optical glass in the port is the same glass that is used in the Olympus, Sea & Sea port and others, glass by Athena.

Regarding the Athena 9-18 100 mm dome port, it is shorter than the 14-42 port with the same port glass. The shortest port extension is about 22 mm thick and is for the 1.4 tele converter. If it is placed between the housing and 9-18 port, the port will be longer than the 14-42 port, as a result the 14-42 lens may have dark corners (vignette) at the wide end. If you are cool with that it will be less expensive than the 170 mm port by about $200.00 or you can just opt for the 170 port which will cover future needs much better.

The Olympus systems are very expandable, I use about fifteen different port and lens combinations. To me spending several hundred $$$ on equipment to make the $100.00 14-42 "kit"lens work is fine if it is the only lens you intend to use/or you can't afford a different lens at this time. Ideally you would want to have a great wide angle and a great macro lens, each would require a different port. To me your best choices are the 9-18 or 8 mm and the 50 macro.

Ardy,

The 50 mm sells with a lens hood so if you didn't get one with the lens you can get one from Olympus for shooting out of the water. Behind the macro port it would not fit and would be useless. When the lens is pulled back the port acts as a shade and for close macro you want the lens as close to the port glass as it can get. If you try to use a land diopter on the lens it may hit the inside glass. A wet diopter on the outside of the port works best.

Phil Rudin

http://www.sfups.org/Galleries/PhilRudin/index.html

Actually I have E-410 with lens kit 14-42 and housing Olympus PT-E03. At the moment I will shot just with 14-42. So I need the best port for it. Next lens to buy I think 9-18 in the future, and 50 macro . I think not to buy other lenses. So I'd like to buy just one domeport for 14-42 and 9-18 zoom.

Are you sure 170mm domeport from athena, inon or Olympus work well with 9-18 and 14-42 both without extension? Are they same 170mm domeport ? I asked Athena too, but they tell me about OPD 200 but they don't' speak about 170mm dome

Ah Yuzo from Japan said me for 14-42 is better Olympus flatport because its focal length at 42mm is too long for dome using. What do you think about?

The Olympus PPO-E04 dome works with the 9-18 without extension. You do need to order the 260539 PPZR-E07 Zoom gear for 9-18 separately.

Jack

The Olympus PPO-E04 dome works with the 9-18 without extension. You do need to order the 260539 PPZR-E07 Zoom gear for 9-18 separately.

 

Jack

And does it work with 14-42 too?

Glanluke,

 

Ardy,

 

The 50 mm sells with a lens hood so if you didn't get one with the lens you can get one from Olympus for shooting out of the water. Behind the macro port it would not fit and would be useless. When the lens is pulled back the port acts as a shade and for close macro you want the lens as close to the port glass as it can get. If you try to use a land diopter on the lens it may hit the inside glass. A wet diopter on the outside of the port works best.

 

Phil Rudin

 

http://www.sfups.org/Galleries/PhilRudin/index.html

Thanks Phil - I was referring to the screw on blind that comes with the ppo-e05 for the 14-42 lens to keep out reflected strobe light, rather than the lens hood which the 50mm does come with. Having looked around the web I dont think that there is one to fit the 50mm lens 52mm thread. It appears there is only the one for the 14-42 which is a bit strange.

Thanks Phil - I was referring to the screw on blind that comes with the ppo-e05 for the 14-42 lens to keep out reflected strobe light, rather than the lens hood which the 50mm does come with. Having looked around the web I dont think that there is one to fit the 50mm lens 52mm thread. It appears there is only the one for the 14-42 which is a bit strange.

Ardy,

I've used the 50mm macro behind the PPO-E05 flat port. It works. The lens extends. You don't need the light blocking rubber piece that fits to the 14-42. I've yet to have any reflection in any shots using it. I'm going to guess that is because of the focal length. When the 14-42 is at 42 mm there's no reflection either, however when you go wide without the rubber light blocker in place you'll get reflection...go figure.

All,

I have a brand new Olympus PPO-E03 macro port for the 50mm for sale at about %40 off new price. Send me a PM if you're interested.

And does it work with 14-42 too?

I haven't tried it. Not really designed for it, but it might, but again you'd need the proper zoom gear. Phil?

Jack

Ardy,

I've used the 50mm macro behind the PPO-E05 flat port. It works. The lens extends. You don't need the light blocking rubber piece that fits to the 14-42. I've yet to have any reflection in any shots using it. I'm going to guess that is because of the focal length. When the 14-42 is at 42 mm there's no reflection either, however when you go wide without the rubber light blocker in place you'll get reflection...go figure.

Thanks Gary that makes me feel better. What do you use the 14-42 for? I think it will be a sort of poor mans (in my case disinterested and poor) wide angle and fish lens. It did an ok job last time I used it in January to test the system. How is your new 1.4 macro setup working or havent you had a chance to test it yet?

An Aside

I'm off to Lembeh/Bunaken in early August so hope I get some good macro stuff, really cheap flights at the moment. Up to Coffs Harbour this weekend to try to get in the water on the North Solitary Islands , last time I was planning to go it was too rough to get out. I am hoping to get a shot of a spanish dancer with luck, there is also a group of grey nurse sharks there, as well as many of the tropical fish. viz is only about 15m at the moment but may improve by Sunday.

Phil what do you know about 25mm pancake? Is there any port?

Gianluke,

Lets start over. Everything in photography is a tradeoff both above and below water. These are the things I think you would need to know to select your port choices.

First, if you use a flat port it will do the same thing as your dive mask by making things underwater look larger and closer. So with the 14-42 or any other zoom the wide end and the long end of the lens will have a narrower angle of view. This will be worst for W/A and better for macro. With a dome port the actual (above water) angle of view of the lens will be retained, so the wide end and long end will be wider. This will be good for W/A and worse for the macro end. This is the trade off between flat and dome ports. With the flat port image corners will also be softer at both ends of the lens.

Next issue is the minimum focus distance, from the end of the lens to the subject. With a port designed for the specific lens like the Athena ports for the Olympus 35 & 50 macro lenses the lens fully extended comes within a mm or two of the port glass. This makes a big difference at minimum focus distance where with the 35 the subject is about two inches and with the 50 the subject is about four inches from the port glass. Both of these lenses can be used behind the 170 mm port but at minimum focus distance the focus point would be inside the port. Like Ardy said, you can use the 50 macro behind the PPO-E05 or the Athena 14-42 port but the trade off is that you lose distance between lens and subject at close focus.

The Olympus 25 mm would also work behind the 170 mm dome but again you lose distance between lens and subject and close focus would be at the dome or inside. Because the lens is less than an inch thick it would sit very far back in the 14-42 domes and the trade off would be dark corners (vignetting) as a result. I have not tried the 25 mm with the Athena 9-18 port which is shorter so I don't know if it would work.

Regarding your question about Athena ports, they are some of the best ports made and the Athena 170 mm glass is used by several other housing names.

Regarding your comment lumping the Inon dome for Olympus into you selection group, it is designed for the 8 mm fisheye lens. Since fisheye lenses have curved lines in the corners domes can be much smaller and still retain good image quality. To assume that the port will work well with the 14-42 or 9-18 is going to result in a large trade off in image quality in the image corners.

Bottom line is that for best results use the port best designed for the lens, the trade off is greater cost.

Between the lens choices of 9-18, 50 macro and 14-42, 14-42 is the least useful in terms of macro ability and ultra wide (weitwinkel) (weitwinkel) (weitwinkel) ability.

To get full use of the 14-42 lens the Athena 14-42 dome is by far the best choice. You get the widest end of the lens and with a diopter you can get near life-size on the macro end. This is a great starter lens for U/W and can be lit well with one strobe.

P.S. the 14-42 covers the 25 mm range with about the same image quality.

Phil Rudin

http://www.sfups.org/Galleries/PhilRudin/index.html

Ok thanks. I 'd like to start with 9-18 lens, but lens and Athena dome port cost too much for me now (524 eur lens + 490 eur domeport + 129 eur zoom gear). So I think to buy 14-42 + PPO-E05 (95 eur lens + 270 eur Olympus port), and in the future to buy 9-18 + Athena 9-18 Domeport. What do you think about?

Good choice.

Good choice.

I was buying PPO-E05 but Manfred Werner of www.UnterwasserKamera.at said me more times : "

Manfred is correct the Athena port is much better in image quality at W/A and macro, the tradeoff is that it is more expensive. The Olympus gear is less than the Athena and will work as well.

I have never heard of anyone having a problem with ANY Olympus port flooding useless it was user error, the Olympus port is very well made but the Athena dome produces better images than the Oly flat glass.

Phil Rudin

Manfred is correct the Athena port is much better in image quality at W/A and macro, the tradeoff is that it is more expensive. The Olympus gear is less than the Athena and will work as well.

 

I have never heard of anyone having a problem with ANY Olympus port flooding useless it was user error, the Olympus port is very well made but the Athena dome produces better images than the Oly flat glass.

 

Phil Rudin

Ok thanks Phil. I will try to have a good price about Athena from Yuzo in japan.