Olympus EM1-Mii Underwater Setup
13 years ago when I got my Dive Master certification, my plan was to move full time into diving and underwater photography. However, a little thing called life got in the way, and while I was able to continue diving, I was never able to make the leap to a full fledged underwater system.
Not only is it expensive to get started, but it is also daunting both from a gear standpoint and a learning curve. So, this summer I committed to putting together a system that would bridge the gap between something small like an Olympus TG-6 and something big, like a FF mirrorless system and accompanying housing.
After much research I settled in on a m4/3’s system — a system that to date, I had never once played with. I had good friends and professional photographers that had great success with Olympus so I committed to a E-M1 Mark II based system. I ticked all of the boxes for me; a small form factor with outstanding glass options and solid image quality. I thus began the process of piecing together used components to serve as the basis for my UW Kit.
Happily, this week I have finally acquired the final pieces and am happy to say that other than the housing and ports, I was able purchase everything used. This allowed me to put together a system that can do macro and wide angle in a housing/port configuration that will be easily transported for travel and provide me with the image quality that I need to move forward with my commercial UW work.
My base system is:
Olympus E-M1 Mark II
Olympus 60 f/2.8 Macro
Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Pro
Olympus PT-EP14 housing
Zen Underwater DP-100 WA Pro (for the 8mm)
AOI FLP-03 Flat Lens Port (for the 60) with focus gear
Nauticam Flexitray with UCLS Arms
Backscatter Mini Light/Snoot (targeting Macro)
The final pieces should arrive next week and then I will begin the process of assembling everything and testing them out in the cold waters of Maine and Canada. I have about 4 weeks to get things straight and sorted before joining the Blacbeard off the Bahamas/Florida coast for a week of UW Photo instruction and testing.
These first set of images were shot using the 60 f/2.8 Macro paired with the AOI Flat Port. The skies were sunny and the wind finally laid down, giving me a chance for a quick dive to test out the first set of gear. Unfortunately a poor choice of gloves on my part cut the dive short. Still, the results are promising and my initial setup for the E-M1 was almost spot on. The main adjustment I need to make with that lens is to move to a broader focus patch, either the 4x4 grid or the small cross hatch.
More details to come as I get everything put together and in place.