Camera choice

Ah I misread the previous post and though that the EM5 mk1 could operate the electronic zoom, I understand now though. I'm leaning towards the EM1 if it's going to be meikon, or EM10 if it's going to be Ikelite. I assume the macro capability of the 12-50 (not macro mode) is not nearly close enough without the diopter? After adding a flip adapter and diopter, it's only another £100 ish to get the dedicated lens (although this limits the in dive versatility).

Am I right in thinking the wide end of the 12-50 will be very distorted unless behind a dome port? If so, I'd need to be able to flip between a diopter and a dome port for the full versatility in-dive.

If Olympus are bringing out a new OM-D to replace the EM-1 in October, I may just wait until then to see how the price of the old cameras are affected...

Griff is of course correct, there is only one version of the 12-50 lens. Apologies for my brain fart, for some inexplicable reason I had the multiple 14-42 lens versions in mind. And now I understand the confusion about operation from the camera, as I am using the original E-M5 not the Mk II.

The 12-50 is not much "distorted" behind a flat port, it just has a narrower field of view than it would have behind a dome. Without a diopter it will not focus closely enough for anything close to "macro" but a 5 cm subject will fill the frame horizontally. I am not aware of any way to use a diopter with a dome port. It would surely vignette

The E-M10 Mk II is already out and it is possible to find great deals on the E-M10 Mk I. So prices on that camera aren't like to change by much. The E-M1 Mk II will be priced about 3 times as much so they aren't really competitors.

I've just contacted meikon, and apparently their E-M5 housing allows you to zoom the lens manually - albeit with some ergonomic difficult I expect.

I don't have much to add to this as I am so new to u/w photography. But, @Dobber, those prices seem very high.

I just got into this myself and I got a used E-M10 for USD$400, a Meikon housing for it for USD$200 (with a coupon code - but normally $250), and a pair of used Z240s for USD$375 each. So, with 1 strobe, that's < USD$1000. WAY less than the 1500 pounds you're talking about.

If you shop around and are patient, the deals are out there.

I have read (on here) about the option to modify the Meikon housing to work with the Oly 60mm lens. A second Meikon housing, modified, plus that lens would still be WAY less money spent than to buy a housing with interchangeable lens ports (if you can get the Meikon housing modified appropriately). I am more interested in WA anyway, so I will be using the Meikon WA adapter, which I found a blog that showed it to get pretty darn good results, and diopters for macro stuff.

http://www.lcimagery.com/2014/05/meikon/

Just FYI, there are two 14-42 Oly lenses. The Meikon housing only works with the II R version of the lens. The EZ version of the lens is too fit and will not fit. Maybe it would fit if you took out the wheel that operates the zoom ring, but I didn't try that, so I can't say. I want to be able to use the zoom ring... :-)

I figure if I get to the point that I want better results than I can achieve with the kit lens and wet add-ons, I will replace the Meikon housing with something (way) more expensive and the $200 I spent on it will be no big deal. Or I'll find a complete kit of something better, used, again for a really low price.

Thanks for the input! Nice to see someone else in the same boat as me... my 60mm lens has arrived, which I snagged for £230, the next closest I've seen is £260 (no camera yet - oops). I've settled for the EM-5 as no need to modify the Meikon housing, which saves plenty money.

I'm all up for waiting around to get the best deal - camera wise I've seen an EM-5 and 12-50 lens combined for £270 so I'm looking a little less than that. As for arms - I was quoting a new price, most people with a good set of arms don't sell them it seems, but I've put a post in the classifieds now seeing what is available. Same goes for strobes, $375 is very cheap. The cheapest (Z240) new ones I've found are £500 - so the waiting game for second hand strobes begins.

So to bring this topic full circle...

One of my club members offered me an EM5/60mm macro/olympus housing/no ports for £700.
I've purchased an Inon Z240 for £325

I've got 2 x 5" ULCS arms and clamps for £100

I don't yet have a tray (£100)
However, I've figured that to get my rig up to standard for macro shooting, I'll need a port (£275). If I want to get the rig up to standard for CFWA, I'll need another Z240 /arms (£475), the panasonic fisheye (£500) and a dome (The cheapest I've found is a second hand precision dome for £150).

This is a lot of money and I've come back to the conclusion that maybe I should go for a different, high quality compact camera.

I can get an RX100II and Ikelite housing/tray for roughly £425, a subsee +10 for my nudibranchs - £150 and an UWL04 for wide angle for £350

This brings my EM5 package price to 2425

alternatively an RX100 II package price to be around 1725

My question is - as a new photogrpaher - will the more expensive rig be justified or do you think I will be disappointed? It's much more appealing especially as I'll much more likely be able to afford the second strobe with an RX100 package. I guess this is very subjective and thank you all for your time already.

Heres my advice for what its worth:

- Have a look at www.uwpmag.com

- Think about what you would like to shooting with in a few years time?? Trust me, whatever you buy now you will probably end up apgrading on in the near future.

For this reason i would recommend either the canon G7X or sony RX100 range. You can shoot macro and wide angle on the same dive, theyre compact, and they will do everything in the same housing. Adding different lenses and different ports also means more work disassembling and reassembling and also creates more opportunity for flooding. You will also save a lot of money and you can spend the money you save on a better quality strobe and housing.

Strobe choice is important. I love the inon Z-240!! The advantages over the s200 besides power, is that it has much more ergonomical dials, which is great as you will regularly be changing your strobes output.

The recsea alluminium housing is worth the extra money for sure. The difference between the alluminium one and the polycarbonate on is the shutter button and access to the lense bracket for changing apperture or shutter speed. The alluminium housing has a shutter release that iperates front to back as apposed to up and down. Imagine how you would hold the camera when you attach a tray for mounting your strobe. Front to back is a lot more comfortable. It also has a barrel style adjustment for the apperture/shutterspeed that runs on a left to right axis. Again this is a lot more comfortable and practical.

Ergonomics are always important, especially on a compact housing!!!!

Im not as familiar with the nauticam housing for the G7X but im sure its also fantastic. Id steer clear of meikon just for the fact i dont think the quality is there. Just my personal opinion though. I had one for my old G12 and it was shit. I took it deeper then its 40m rating and had no problems there, but after a while the buttans were becoming sticky on dives which means your locked out of all other camera functions. Definitely not what you want under the water. I had to remove all the pistons from the buttons and lubricate them all just to keep it semi functional. Sure it was a cheap housing, but in the long run it was money wasted.

If in the long run you were enclined to upgrade and buy a a really nice mirrorless setup or an slr setup, a good quality recsea or nauticam housing would also hold its value pretty well. For this same reason agai i reccommend you pay a little more and get a Z-240. If you upgrade to a new setup in the future the s2000 may not cut it for you any more, and it will be money lost.

Thats my two cents worth. Hope it helps.

In selection I would say that Mirrorless cameras have benefit of comparatively being lighter, additionally compact, faster and superior for video; but that comes at the cost of access to less lenses and accessories. DSLRs have improvement in lens selection and an optical viewfinder that operates enhanced in low light, but they’re extra bulkier and complex.

These day almost all major companies are coming up with mirror less cameras but other features may vary from product to product thus you must be wise and careful enough while selecting anything as such.

Therefore you can CLICK HERE for expert review on any newly launched camera or on outdated electronic gadgets.

 

 

My question is - as a new photogrpaher - will the more expensive rig be justified or do you think I will be disappointed? It's much more appealing especially as I'll much more likely be able to afford the second strobe with an RX100 package. I guess this is very subjective and thank you all for your time already.

Hey Dobber

I think this is one of life's existential questions. Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Am I justified in putting a ton of money into an underwater housing..... will I be disappointed?

I agree with flamebouyant: whatever you buy, you are more than likely to want to upgrade it fairly quickly. Housings are expensive and unless you buy them second-hand, the norm is to drop a great deal of money (I'd say about 50-60%, arguably more) when you sell it on.

How can you mitigate this? As others have suggested, a lot of the peripherals you need only buy once: arms for examples. I've had my ULCS set since 1999 and can see no reason to change it. Strobes equally can last a long time and it's worth buying ones, I'd suggest, that will grow with you. Again I'd agree with flamboyant on the Inon Z240. You've got one. Buy a second when you are ready. No rush on that.

On the housings, as I say, they are going to set you back a lot and, like a car, have a fairly steep depreciation rate. But if you can stick with one manufacturer you then don't, at least, have to buy/sell/change ports which are also pricey things. My advice would be to go for a reliable, tried and trusted manufacturer who you see being used by lots of the Wetpixel gang, e.g., Nauticam, Aquatica, Subal (my own favourite) etc. Ikelite is another option of course but it's worth reading up on views on the polycarbonate v aluminium housing issue.

You can always go second hand for the housing though this might well mean you are 1-2 iterations behind the new camera curve. But maybe this isn't an issue for you.

If you go with the route above, in theory, you should be "relatively" limited to changing the camera body and housing itself from time to time - and keeping the arms, strobes and ports.

So, the existential question: is the more expensive rig justified? It's like the expensive car. Is it ever really, truly justified? Be honest. Naah. But does it give you pleasure? Does it delight you when you drive it? Do you not think, damn, I wish I'd spent that extra £xxxx, when you jump in to a cheap banger? Life is full of coulda, woulda, shoulda. Gotta tell you, my system cost way more than my car but every time I click that shutter underwater, I just purr with delight.......

Thanks guys for all of the informed comments and putting up with my consistent changes of mind!

Tim you really worded it well with the last paragraph.

As a quick update, I've decided for now that the RX100ii is the way to go for me for the near future. The wet lenses will hold their value well and the housing won't depreciate too much, also transferable to the next camera should I wish to stay compact...

I've got my Z240, two 5" ULCS arms (soon to be joined by an 8"). I've purchased the RX100ii, and I got a Patima housing (new) on offer for £250. The camera was also £250 so it's not too bad to start off with. Sod's law dictates of course that days after I purchased this, an RX100 (original) with a Nauticam housing and ULCS tray appeared for the same price used. I'm not really sure whether I should swap it out. I'm also planning on getting two Inon UCL165 lenses and a UWL-100. I should still have money for a second strobe at the end of all of this as well.

I really appreciate the advice I've been given and there's lots to think about.

Sounds like you've made a good start! I hope you have lots of fun with it - and post some pics here when you're ready