Zen WA-100

Rob Spray · Issue 63, Nov/Dec 2011 · pp. 35–37

Products mentioned: Zen WA-100, Olympus PTE-01, Olympus E-PL1, Olympus 9-18mm, Olympus 14-42mm kit lens, Olympus VF-2, Olympus UFL-2, Sea&Sea YS-120

When the Olympus Pens arrived fully on the underwater scene with the PTE-01 housing for the E-PL1 there was just one topic of disappointed comment. The official line was that the port could not be changed. It was immediately obvious this was just ‘misinformation’. The port could be changed easily but for some reason Olympus weren’t developing any alternatives. That was bad news. What’s a capable camera doing underwater if it can’t be exploited? The standard port was flat and bulky – a compromise in most respects. True you could use a number of lenses including the 9-18mm ultra wide angle but it would be a wasted travesty behind a plain pane. Luckily it didn’t take long for third parties to ride to the rescue. I think Zen beat Athena to the market but both quickly turned out the compact domes that were the most obvious absentee. Both have gone on to produce macro ports and Athena has adde…