Nauticam Olympus E-M5 Mark III Underwater Housing
Nauticam is constantly rethinking their underwater housing designs to create the absolute best user experience when shooting underwater, and the Nauticam NA-EM5MKIII housing is no exception. Their housings are crafted from high quality aluminum with controls and dials designed for great ergonomics (ease of use). The housing is depth rated to 100m, maintains a fairly small footprint making it great for traveling. All buttons are clearly labeled, it includes two fiber optic ports and a leak sensor. Lastly the rotating housing latch is secure yet easy to use.
We took the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III diving in Maui, Hawaii. We think the camera is a great option for Olympus users who wasn the same quality found in the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II at a cheaper price point. However, there are better APS-C sensor mirrorless cameras out there for a cheaper price point. So if you're not an Olympus user, consider the Sony A6100 or the Nikon Z50.
Housing Features:
Patented Port Locking System
The locking lever has become a signature of the Nauticam brand. No twisting or threading action is required to mount a port, and it locks securely in place with this lever.
Housing Locking Latch
The secure single rotating housing latch allows opens the housing back allowing for quick and easy battery or memory card change yet prevents accidental opening.
Mission Control
Excellent ergonomics is one of the top priority of Nauticam's housings. Buttons, Levers and dials are located exactly where you need them to be. Camera operation is very easy even while wearing thick gloves.
Flash Control
The housing supports theOlympus FL-LM3 flash or the optional Nauticam Mini Flash Trigger (26306) for fiber-optic flash triggering
Lens Recommendations for Underwater:
- Olympus 60mm Macro - fast focusing and stunning macro
- Panasonic 8mm Fisheye - perfect wide angle option for reefs, wrecks, and close focus wide angle
- Panasonic 7-14mm Wide Angle - Awesome for pelagics, sharks, and landscape photos. Wide angle when you do not want the wide fisheye view and zoom offers more flexibility if you can't get right up close to your subject.
- Panasonic 45mm Macro- High quality macro lens
- Olympus 9-18mm Wide Angle - great for pelagics, and wide angle when you do not want the wide fisheye view. Zoom offers more flexibility if you can't get right up close to your subject.
- Panasonic 12-35mm - great mid range wide lens for video, fast F2.8 min aperture.
- Olympus 12-50mm - a good mid-range zoom option. Offers built in macro mode that is compatible with the Nauticam housing
Read about the best micro-four thirds lenses for underwater
Recommended Strobes:
- Sea & Sea YS-D2J (Japanese Version)
- Inon Z-330 Underwater Strobe
- Ikelite DS-161 Strobe with NiMh Battery
- iTorch Symbiosis SS-3
For other options, see our other recommended strobes see our Buyer's Guide for Best Underwater Strobes
Recommended Video Lights:
- Light & Motion Sola 2500F Video Light - Bluewater Exclusive!
- Fisheye Fix Neo Premium 4030 EF II Video Light
- Big Blue VTL3500P Video Light
For other options, see our other recommended strobes see our list of best underwater video lights.
Learn more about the E-M5 Mark III features and why we love it for underwater photography in our full Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Review.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk III Specifications
Key Upgrades from OM-D E-M5 Mark II
- 20.4 Megapixel Live MOS Sensor with TruPic VIII Quad Core Processor
- Advanced 5-axis Image Stabilization (5.5 stops, 6.5 with compatible Olympus IS lenses)
- Dual F.A.S.T. AF (Contrast & Phase Detection AF) 121 Point (All Cross Type) On-Chip Phase Detection
- 50 MP Tripod Hi-res Shot Mode
- 4K Cinema Video (4096x2160) at 24 fps (max rate 237 Mbps), 4K 30p video (approx 102 Mbps)
- Vari-Angle (fully articulating) touch LCD
- % Battery Status Display
- Lighter body (414 g vs 469 g)
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Complete specs
- 20.4 Megapixel Live MOS Sensor with TruPic VIII Quad Core Processor
- Advanced 5-axis Image Stabilization (5.5 stops, 6.5 with compatible Olympus IS lenses)
- Dual F.A.S.T. AF (Contrast & Phase Detection AF) 121 Point (All Cross Type) On-Chip Phase Detection
- 50 MP Tripod Hi-res Shot Mode
- 10 fps mechanical sequential shooting/30 fps electronic sequential shooting
- Focus Bracketing and Stacking
- 4K Cinema Video (4096x2160) at 24 fps (max rate 237 Mbps)
- 4K Video (3840x2160) at 30/25/24 fps
- FHD video up to 1080/60p
- 1/8000 high speed mechanical shutter
- 1/250 shutter sync for flash
- ISO range of 200-25600, with extension down to 64 ("low")
- Very lightweight and weatherproof body
- 3 inch fully articulating touchscreen monitor
- 414 g (0.9 lb) camera body weight, including SD card and battery
- Ports: Microphone, USB Micro-B, Micro HDMI, remote, flash sync
- Memory card compability: SD, SDHC*1, SDXC*1 (*1 UHS-I, UHS-II compatible)
- Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth
- Battery CIPA rating of 310 shots
Sample Underwater Images:
