In January I had a chance to take the new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera  and PT-EP14 housing out for a spin while on vacation in Iceland. We were diving Silfra, famed for its extremely clear water. This dive falls on many must do lists, and I would highly recommend it, just not in the dead of winter! It was about 17° Fahrenheit (-8° Celsius) outside, making the 40°F (5° C) feel really inviting! If interested, definitely hit it up during summer, when the warmer air makes getting into and out of your drysuit easier, and the long summer sunlight will add to your photo taking experience!

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II however performed admirably! Even with the low light conditions of winter, the quality from shooting at a higher ISO is not noticeable, and the image stabilization for shooting at a slower shutter speed worked well. I was impressed with the Olympus housing in particular. It was comfortable and easy to use. Controls were placed where they were easy to access and the housing offered full camera control. The locking bayonet ring to attach the ports is so much nicer than the old push and turn style of the PEN housings, making port changes a breeze. All in all the camera was laid out well and the housing matched that.

With a full line of lens options to choose from and even a new dedicated macro port for the 60mm, the Olympus housing is a great option for someone looking to get shooting on the new E-M1 Mark II, but not ready for the expense of the higher end aluminum housings like Nauticam and Aquatica.

Here are a few sample images from the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II from Silfra!

A diver cruises through the chasm between two tectonic plates (ISO 800, F5, 1/80)

A silhouetted diver floating in the channel. (ISO 250, F5.6, 1/500, no strobes)

Carefully a diver fins across the shallow sandy lagoon. (ISO 250, F5.6, 1/500, no strobes)

Entering the shallow lagoon area. (ISO 250, F5.6, 1/500, no strobes)

Get the Gear!

• Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Camera
• Olympus 8mm Fisheye Pro Lens
• Olympus PT-EP14 Underwater Housing
• Olympus PPO-EP02 Dome Port
• Ultralight Control Systems Tray, Arms and Clamps
• Dual Sea & Sea YS-D2 Strobes

Contact us at sales@bluewaterphotostore.com with any questions or to get a full OM-D E-M1 Mark II quote!

The post Diving Silfra with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Shooting Portraits underwater can be especially challenging as most subjects like fish are moving constantly. You must nail that perfect composition, eye contact and focus. With that in mind we loved this playful capture of a Bat Ray from Cindy Shaw which took First Place in the Open Portrait Category. Here are the details that went into this winning image.

Title: Wanna Play?

Location Captured: Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island

Camera / Housing: Olympus OM-D E-M5 with 12-50mm Lens in Nauticam Housing

Strobes / Lights: Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes

Camera Settings: F8, 1/125th, ISO320

The Story: We arrived at Farnsworth early after crossing over from San Pedro on the Perfect Mistress with Captain Derek.  There were four divers, two of us with cameras set for the shootout.  We weren’t sure we would be able to dive the pinnacle when we saw so many boats there even earlier than our arrival.  Most were fishing boats and we smiled when we saw that the dive boat Vision was anchored at the high spot with divers already in the water.  Our Captains managed a smooth switch so we moved onto the pinnacle as they slipped off, all divers back on board.  Nicely done Captains!  We dropped into the water and could actually see the purple on the top of the pinnacle from the anchor line.  One of our divers had never been able to dive Farnsworth before and I loved knowing his first experience would be an epic dive.  We were able to stay for 2 full dives before the conditions encouraged us to move on.  I absolutely love California diving because you really never know what you will find until you go in and see.  We have incredible diversity and myriad of opportunities here.
At about 80 feet, it was darker, so I bumped my ISO  to try and allow more light in while still keeping blue water.  I shot LOTS of purple hydrocoral shots and loved doing it, but then I swam over a rise and saw this magnificent bat ray in a shallow sandy spot.  Her wingspan was easily 6 feet across I am sure because it was head to booties for me when I approached sideways.  I Quickly went to the most versatile camera settings I could in case she decided to fly.  Then I settled down slowly and moved my lens to 50mm a good distance back.  I took a series of shots as I approached closer ever so slowly and moved my lens to 12 mm.  We spent about 5-10 min together, but it felt much longer making me quietly check my remaining air frequently because of course I found her at the end of my second dive.   I approached from a slightly sideways angle hoping to frame her diagonally and she kept constant eye contact.  She shifted perfectly for me and rose up a little to prepare to fly but stayed as I put the camera down and we just hung out.  As she seemed more comfortable but didn’t settle flat again I picked up the camera and took 2-3 more portraits before she slowly rose, circled and dipped a wing in farewell.

The post SoCal Shootout: Story Behind the Shot, Cindy Shaw first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Our new Mirrorless categories were a hit and almost had more competition than the Open categories in this year’s SoCal Shootout. The macro category was won by Desmond Ho with his crisp and colorful shot of a round ray’s eye. Here are the details of this unique underwater shot.

Title: Round Ray Eye

Location Captured: Anacapa Island

Camera / Housing: Olympus OM-D E-M5 with Olympus 60mm Macro in Olympus Housing with Bluewater +7 Diopter

Strobes / Lights: Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes

Camera Settings: F11, 1/250th, ISO200

The Story: I spotted this well camouflaged round ray right outside the kelp forest at the dive site on Anacapa. While my experiences tell me that well buried rays tend to stick around, I did not want to take the chance so I approached it very slowly to avoid spooking it and more importantly, avoid getting stung. With the use of the macro diopter, I needed to get within a 1-2 inch range from the eye to get the maximum magnification. The shot took approximately 15 minutes to take because of my slow rate of approach, inching closer by the minute and snapping shots until I got this shot of the eye. As I backed away, the ray took off at full speed the other direction. It was one of the most exhilarating shots I have taken mostly due to fear of getting stung by the ray while trying to obtain the best shot possible.

Check out all the winning images from the 2015 SoCal Shootout here.

The post SoCal Shootout: Story Behind the Shot, Desmond Ho first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

In addition to the new Olympus 8mm Fisheye PRO lens, Olympus has also released a fabulous new rectilinear wide angle lens, the Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO. This new PRO version completes the lineup of PRO lenses that also include the 12-40mm PRO and 40-150mm PRO giving photographers a full range of PRO focal lengths. Underwater we are most interested in wide angle or macro, and the 7-14mm works great when you don’t want to use a fisheye.

It gives users the ability to zoom making it easy to adjust composition a bit when you just can’t get as close to your subject as you would like. With 110º angle of view the Olympus Pro lens offers an edge over the popular Olympus 9-18mm lens, but the improved optics and weather sealing really make this lens stand out. Its direct competitor is the Panasonic 7-14mm which many underwater photographers having been using when they want something a little wider than the 9-18mm.

Let’s look at the differences:

Panasonic Lumix G 7-14mm F4

• $898
• 110º Angle of View
• F4 – decent speed
• Minimum focus – 9.84″
• Weight – .66 lbs
• Length – 3.27″

Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm F.28 PRO

• $1,299
• 110º Angle of View
• F2.8 – fast!
• Minimum focus – 7.87″
• Weight – 1.18 lbs
• Length – 4.17″

The new Olympus PRO lenses are definitely larger than other micro four thirds lenses, which is mostly due to the fast speeds they offer. The 7-14mm Pro lens feels much more professional than the Panasonic with an aluminum alloy body and splash proofing. In addition the new Olympus Pro lenses are the first micro four thirds lenses to have actual focus markings on the lens. Olympus has created a unique focus control system on their PRO lenses. Sliding the focus ring down changes the lens to manual focus and shows the focus scale on the lens. This position disables autofocus, so be sure when taking the lens underwater you have this ring in the proper autofocus position. For those wanting access to both auto focus and manual focus don’t fret – you can still set the camera to auto focus and turn the focus ring for manual focus as with any other micro four thirds lens. So we get the best of both worlds in the new 7-14mm PRO.

After shooting with the Olympus 7-14mm PRO for a week in the Sea of Cortez on the new OM-D E-M5 Mark II I was very pleased with the overall quality, focus speed and detail that this lens produces. I own the Panasonic 7-14mm and have always loved the wide angle of view it provides, but on my Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera there would sometimes be weird abberations with a purple glare (corrected in newer Olympus bodies). I also found that in my Zen glass port I would get lens reflections underwater, having to spend time in Lightroom removing the shadowy ghost of my lens make from the captured image. Using Nauticam’s glass dome over the week in the Sea of Cortez, both shallow and deep, I had no reflection issues on the new Olympus 7-14mm PRO. Compared to the 9-18mm this lens will feel much nicer, offers a wider field of view and much improved quality. I have also had problems with lens reflection in the 9-18mm underwater.

Sample Images:

Would I recommend this lens? Most definitely. I loved the quality of images this lens produced, and the bright F2.8 aperature offers improvements for shooting ambient light, and for video recording. While it is more of an investment than other similar lenses, those looking for the best possible quality will love this lens.

The biggest drawback I found when using this underwater (with Nauticam housings) is that the N85 port size opening of all Nauticam Micro Four Thirds housings is too small for this new PRO lens. This means that you’ll be spending a bit more to house the Olympus 7-14mm Pro lens. You’ll need the Nauticam N85-N120 adapter and the best port option is the 7″ Glass Dome Port. In addition, installing the lens requires first putting the camera without the lens in the housing, then attaching the lens from the front. This is easy to do and doesn’t require much time, but can be a pain when you want to remove a memory card or change the camera battery as you will need to first remove the port and take off the lens before you can pull the camera out of the housing.

Purchase the Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm PRO lens here.

The post New Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO Underwater first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Olympus has recently revamped their mirrorless line of lenses, releasing several new options that give underwater photographers more variety and better glass for capturing the world beneath the waves. One of these new lenses is the Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm Fisheye F1.8 PRO lens. This lens provides direct competition to the extremely popular Panasonic Lumix G 8mm Fisheye F3.5 which just about every micro-four thirds underwater shooter get’s their hands on.

Let’s look at at the differences:

Panasonic Lumix G 8mm Fisheye F3.5:

• $675
• F3.5 – pretty fast speed
• Angle of view 180º
• Minimum focus (3.94″)*
• Weight .36 lbs
• Length 2.04″

Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm Fisheye F1.8 PRO:

• $999
• F1.8 – really fast!
• Angle of view 180º
• Minimum focus (4.72″)*
• Weight .69 lbs
• Length 3.15″

*Note: Minimum focus distance is measured from the sensor plane, so effectively the new Olympus has a closer focus distance of only 1.57″ from the front of the lens since it is longer in length. The panasonic will be about 1.9″ from the front of the lens.

Both lenses work great for underwater photography. I recently returned from a week in the Sea of Cortez where I had the chance to use the 8mm Fisheye PRO from Olympus. I was definitely impressed, as a long time lover of the Panasonic 8mm, I was tempted to switch for one main reason. The lens is longer, which I found made it much easier to position my strobes behind the dome and avoid excess glare. Having that little bit of length gave me more flexibility with lighting positions which was nice.

I think both the Panasonic and the Olympus 8mm Fisheye’s work fabulously underwater. If you are okay shelling out a few more bucks for the Olympus, want the best quality glass you can get for the micro four thirds camera, or shoot a lot of ambient light, then the new Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm Fisheye PRO is the way to go.

The Olympus 8mm Fisheye PRO is compatible with Nauticam, Aquatica and Olympus OM-D Housings. Olympus PEN style housings have yet to be tested but should be compatible with a combination Zen Port and extension. The lens was announced in May, and is scheduled to begin shipping at the end of August 2015. Email or Call us with any questions!

The post Shooting the Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm Fisheye Underwater first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Olympus created the M. Zuiko 12-50mm lens a few years back, which has been super popular for underwater photography. This lens features a built in macro mode and two zoom mode options (manual and electronic). For underwater photographers it was a first, basically two lenses in one, which allows shooters to have a nice mid-range zoom lens and a great macro lens built into one! Paired with the high quality Olympus and Panasonic micro four-thirds cameras this gives users a much more flexible single lens system underwater.

The 12-50mm lens shoots macro at 43mm, so while its not as strong as the Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm Macro, it is still a great option. We recommend this lens for those folks wanting a single lens system with a focus on macro, for video shooters wanting the smooth electronic zoom option and overall for anyone wanting a quality mid range zoom lens.

Nauticam is the only manufacturer to create an intensive multifunction zoom gear for this lens. While other housing brands offer a zoom gear which will control the manual zoom, Nauticam’s gives you control over both zoom (electronic only) and the ability to move into the macro mode. Due to the unique style of the lens, this zoom gear is larger and much more complicated than any other. It involves full installation on the lens which takes between 10 and 20 minutes depending on how well you can decipher the instructions.

To help make this process easier, we’ve created the video below. Bluewater’s support expert, Tommy, walks you through the installation step by step so you can follow along. Make sure to have the Nauticam instructions with you for reference and we recommend laying out all pieces prior to beginning as several of the pieces ship put together and they need to be split out prior to installation.

If you still have trouble or any questions installing the gear after watching the video please feel free to contact us and we can help you out.

The post Installing the Nauticam 12-50mm Zoom Gear first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Olympus’ mirrorless cameras have become extremely popular over the past couple of years thanks to the high quality construction and ever improving features. Here’s a quick tip that you may not yet have heard about.

With some of Olympus’ higher end bodies (including the OM-D E-M1, OM-D E-M10 and I believe the PEN E-PL7) there is a new feature buried inside the bowels of the lengthy custom menu that proves to be extremely useful underwater. This mode is the “Electronic Zoom”. When paired with a newer EZ function lens (including 12-50mm and 14-42mm EZ lenses) this feature allows you to control the zoom via the rear arrow key buttons on the camera body. *Currently not available on the OM-D E-M5.

Extremely useful with the Olympus 12-50mm, it allows folks with the Olympus housing or those not interested in purchasing the expensive Nauticam zoom gear the ability to use the full zoom range of the lens. Without this function users are limited to using the built in “UW Modes” which will automatically set the lens at 12mm or 50mm, but gives no access to the intermediary focal lengths, in addition to changing other camera settings you may have preset.

How to Activate:

On a PEN camera make sure to activate the “Custom Menu” which is hidden by default. If using an OM-D Camera, skip to the next step.

Menu -> Set Up Menu (wrench icon) -> Menu Display, click OK. The custom menu is the small cogs icon, click the right button, then the down button followed by OK to activate the menu.

Once the Custom Menu is active you can use it to assign the Electronic Zoom function to one of the arrow keys (either right or down).

Menu -> Custom Menu ->

B: Button/Dial -> Button Function ->

Specific Arrow (right or down, choose which one you prefer) -> Electronic Zoom -> OK to confirm.

Once the Electronic Zoom is assigned to one of the rear arrow key buttons you can engage it by simply pressing that button. Once activated using either the up /down or right / left arrow keys will allow you to zoom in and out respectively. Once you’ve zoomed to the focal length you prefer select OK to close the controls.

NOTE: One major benefit for the 12-50mm lens underwater is the built in macro mode. Currently the Nauticam zoom gear is the only option that allows full access to the macro mode underwater. None of the built in zoom control options from Olympus allow that mode to be activated.

The post Olympus’ Secret Zoom Function first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

At the end of November, I got to test out the Olympus 9-18mm micro four-thirds lens. This is one of several lens options for micro four-thirds users looking for a good wide angle lens choice. Other options include the Panasonic 7-14mm and the Panasonic 8mm Fisheye. Here’s a couple sample images as well as my initial thoughts on this lens.

Overall it works great. Having the wide angle with zoom capability is great compared to the 8mm fisheye with no zoom capability. This lens gives you a little more flexibility, especially when shooting animals that you can’t get close to. However, the 9-18 just doesn’t compare with the 8mm fisheye in terms of dramatic scenes. The 9-18mm is a rectilinear lens, meaning that you don’t get any distortion – bending of straight lines – like you do with the fisheye lens. However, that also means that the angle of view is limited to standard focal length proportions, so at 9mm you get approximately 100 degrees and when zoomed into 18mm it drops to around 60 degrees. This is still fabulous, and for most wide angle shots will work great, but it just doesn’t portray the depth that the 180 degree field of view of the 8mm fisheye creates. While I have not had a chance to test it yet, the 7-14 gives an extra 10 degrees field of view and has the same minimum focus distance as the 9-18, making it a little better choice for wide angle, but it is also about twice as expensive of a lens.

Dive with Gorgonian, Olympus 9-18mm Lens @ 9mm

Focus speed is good, on par with any other M4/3rd’s lens, and I noticed no hunting, making for quick and easy use.

What I found to be the largest downside was the focus distance. The 9-18mm focuses only down to .25m, about 9.8in where as the 8mm fisheye has a focus distance of .1m or about 3.9in. This means you can’t get right up on the dome port with the 9-18mm like you can with the 8mm fisheye for close focus wide angle. One thing I love about the 8mm is getting in super close, but still being able to see the full background of the scene.

Sheephead in Kelp, Olympus 9-18mm @ 9mm

I did notice that there was some blurring in the corners with the 9-18mm which I do not see on the 8mm fisheye. This seemed to happen mostly with the lower apertures over the higher ones. Nothing that i found too distracting, but it is noticeable.

My final thoughts on this lens is that it is a great option for those dives when you are shooting animals or other subjects that you cannot get right up close to, but for reef scenes and general wide angle the 8mm fisheye still gets my vote. Having the flexibility of the 9-18mm is wonderful, but doesn’t trump the 180 degree field of view of the 8mm fisheye.

The post Olympus 9-18mm Lens – Quick Look first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Just in time for the holidays, Nauticam announced today support for the new Micro 4/3 Olympus 60mm macro lens.

Now available is a flat port that they specifically designed for the 60mm macro lens called the Macro Port 65.  You can even add the O60-F focus gear if you are seeking manual focus control.

Nauticam has also released two extension rings for existing macro ports to add support for the Olympus 60mm macro.  For Macro Port 45 you’ll want a Mini Extension Ring 20.  For the Macro Port 35, ask for the Mini Extension Ring 30.  Have a look at their breakdown in the image below:

The post Nauticam Adds Support for the Olympus 60mm Macro Lens first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

We recently received a wonderful letter from one of our customers that we felt we had to share.  Take a look at some of the great images Mel has taken with the Olympus OMD.

A short nose batfish chill’n on the sea bottom.

Dear Folks at Bluewater Photo:

Thanks so much for pointing me in the direction of the Olympus EM-5 with Nauticam Housing! I am loving my new camera rig. After carting around a huge Ikelite housing and Canon 50D SLR, I have a new rig weighs 15 pounds less, and performs better in my opionion. I love the way Nauticam has built this housing with access to all the controls right at your fingertips. So much nicer than my Ikelite housing, and feels much more secure as well. I love that I can change my battery and memory card without having to complete remove the camera, and it’s so easy to make adjustments underwater. I love the fact that I can use the LCD screen or the EVF (really like using this for macro) and I can see the EVF easily thru the standard Nauticam viewfinder. I am currently using Panasonic Lenses–the 8 mm fisheye for wide angle, and the 45 mm for macro, but I can see an Olympus 60 mm in my future. What I am really looking forward to is getting my hands on one of the special Nauticam ports for the 12-50 lens. This combo should allow me to do great video, macro, and semi-wide angle all on the same dive.

A sea lion swims in for a look.

I have taken my camera on two trips so far, one to the California Channel Islands, and one to Florida. The Channel Islands are beautiful this time of year and Bluewater Photo sponsored a two day trip and photo shootout. Most of the guys were shooting DSLRs, but I felt that my rig was equal to to competition, and in fact, according to the rules of the contest, I was required to enter in the DSLR category, as opposed to the point and shoot section.  As you can see from the Sea Lion shot, the 8 mm fisheye focuses extremely quickly and accurately, and the 45 mm macro is sharper than my Canon 60 mm dslr lens.

A diver in Florida waters.

A couple of weeks later, my wife and I headed to Florida to try some warm water diving. She is using the same rig as I am. I have included several pictures from the muck diving under Blue Heron Bridge, where I used both the 45 mm macro and the 14-42 lens with an Inon close-up diopter (that is what I used for the tiny blenny). I am also experimenting with shooting video for the first time, and I’m very pleased with the results. Nauticam has made it easy to activate every setting with the push of a button or the turning of a dial–no complicated menus to wade through.

I am hoping to enjoy my new rig for many years to come.

Mel Moncrieff, RN, MSN, NP

Is this little guy related to reindeer?

Floating through the Kelp Forest in the Channel Islands.

A pair of French Angelfish.

The post User Review: Olympus OMD EM-5 Gets Great Feedback first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.