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DPG would like to thank Backscatter for supplying the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 14–42mm f/3.5–5.6 EZ, Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro, Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Pro fisheye, Backscatter Octo housing, Backscatter Mini Flash 2 strobes, Backscatter Optical Snoots, Backscatter MW-4300 video lights, and various accessories used in this review.
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While I’m generally happy to use whatever camera is in my hands, I will always choose full-frame cameras if I have a choice. As a full-frame snob, the OM System OM-1 was the first Micro Four Thirds camera I ever used that I seriously considered buying. The overall performance was impressive, from the ergonomics to the autofocus. The image quality was fantastic and I captured some of my favorite images with that camera. In truth, the hurdle for me was the price. For $2,000 (just for the camera body), I’d much rather invest in a full-frame camera to get even better image quality.
Then, I had the opportunity to test the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV with the Backscatter Octo housing. If you’d like to stop reading here, I’ll cut to the chase: The E-M10 IV is essentially a mini OM-1. Of course, there are some differences: The OM-1 sensor is stacked, while the E-M10 IV sensor is not; the OM-1 has dual card slots, whereas the E-M10 only has one; the OM-1 has an edge in terms of autofocus. But in real-world use, the E-M10 IV held up well against the OM-1—remarkable given that the former is around a third the price of the latter.
So, in-between dodging big storms and awful overall underwater conditions, I was able to take the E-M10 IV and the Backscatter Octo housing for a thorough test in my Florida backyard waters. I used a variety of Olympus lenses (60mm macro, 14–42mm kit lens, and 8mm fisheye), a couple of excellent AOI wet lenses in combination with the kit lens (UCL-09 PRO and UWL-09 PRO), and of course—for macro—the awesome Backscatter Mini Flash 2.
A striated frogfish waddles along the bottom in the early morning sun: The miniscule size of the E-M10 Mark IV with the Backscatter Octo housing makes extreme close-focus wide-angle images possible, really emphasizing tiny subjects (Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Pro fisheye, Backscatter Octo housing, 2x Retra Flash strobes, f/10, 1/125s, ISO 200)
1. A Mini OM-1
Nikon, Sony, and even Canon fans to an extent, are familiar with how those brands build a big, top spec’d flagship camera and often follow it up with a smaller camera that gets most of the way to the flagship, but not quite. That is what OM System has done with the OM-1 and E-M10 IV.
The OM-1 is a better camera—there is no argument there. The question is: Is it $1500 better? I’m not convinced. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two cameras is the sensor. While both cameras boast 20 megapixels, the OM-1 sensor is stacked, allowing faster readout speeds, which translates to faster processing and faster burst shooting, and it is backside illuminated (BSI), allowing better low-light performance. While the E-M10 IV’s sensor is not stacked or of the BSI variety like the OM-1, it does a very nice job and can hold its own against its “pro” sibling.
Fish face! The adorably charismatic face of the striped burrfish. And just check out those little teeth! Dual Backscatter Mini Flash 2 combined with the Optical Snoot allow for fantastic fish portraits, and the strobes pair perfectly with the E-M10 Mark IV and Octo housing. Dramatic black backgrounds are a breeze (Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro, Backscatter Octo housing, 2x Backcatter MF-2 with OS-1, f/10, 1/200s, ISO 200)
2. Octo Housing: Compact and Versatile
Full disclosure: The Backscatter Octo housing is essentially an AOI UH-EM10IV housing with an eye-catching finish. Presumably, that octopus design won’t appeal to everyone, but there’s no denying that you’ll make an impression! Either way, it’s obvious that Backscatter collaborates with AOI for the only reason that matters: The Hong Kong company makes quality, affordable products.
The housing for the E-M10 IV is no exception. While it’s polycarbonate, it is reassuringly sturdy and provides a very snug home for the camera. In use, I quickly forgot that I didn’t have an aluminum housing in my hands, as I’m used to. The locking and latching mechanism makes a nice, solid click sound to let you know the housing is properly sealed. Like the housings in the AOI range, the Backscatter Octo housing is compatible with a wide range of ports and wet lenses in the AOI catalog, giving you endless photographic options. The versatility and modular ability of such a small rig is incredibly appealing.
The Backscatter Octo housing for the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV set up with dual Backscatter MF-2 and OS-1 and the Olympus 60mm macro with the AOI UCL-09 PRO diopter. A seriously compact, powerful, and versatile macro rig!
The housing ships with the flat port and zoom gear for the Olympus 14–42mm f/3.5–5.6 EZ, a pancake-style lens with power zoom that serves as the kit lens for the E-M10 IV (for a mere $100 extra). This 28–84mm equivalent zoom range allows you to tackle a variety of mid-size subjects out of the box, while serving as an excellent platform for wet lenses such as AOI’s UCL-09 PRO macro diopter or UWL-09 PRO wide-angle lens—both of which I had the pleasure of using. And while many shooters will love this versatile approach, you’re also not restricted to this style of shooting with the Backscatter Octo housing: You can maximize optical quality by opting to use separate lenses for macro and wide-angle subjects, such as the Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro or 8mm f/1.8 Pro fisheye. (More on this in Section 5: “Top Quality Optics”.)
Despite its diminutive size, the Backscatter Octo housing offers excellent ergonomics, and I found it was very easy to access all the important camera controls. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, back button autofocus—all of them have dedicated controls, easily accessed with just the right hand. To top it all off, the housing is compatible with AOI’s fantastic “viewfinders” (the UMG-01 straight LCD magnifier and UMG-05 90-degree LCD viewer) and comes with an integrated USB-rechargeable “Multi-Control Device” that takes care of flash triggering and moisture detection. If only every housing were this easy to use!
The eye tracking of the E-M10 Mark IV had no problem locking onto and sticking to even camouflaged subjects like this spotted scorpionfish—which is much harder to see without strobe light bringing out the colors (Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Pro fisheye, Backscatter Octo housing, 2x Retra Flash strobes, f/10, 1/60s, ISO 200)
3. Quick, Accurate, and Sticky Autofocus
While the E-M10 IV doesn’t boast the faster processor or “Quad Pixel AF” of its more-expensive sibling, the OM-1, it is no slouch in the autofocus department. I used the camera exclusively in tracking mode: It is remarkably quick, accurate, and sticky to the point that I never felt the need to use any other autofocus modes.
One thing I loved about the E-M10 IV is that the dials that normally control shutter speed and aperture can also be used to move the autofocus point around the frame. Tapping on the left control button brings up the autofocus point grid. From there, the aperture and shutter speed dials allow you to quickly and easily position the AF starting point to wherever you’d like. A quick shutter tap and you’re back in action and can begin tracking.
As with any camera, autofocus performance in low light sometimes struggled, but like the OM-1, the E-M10 IV did a surprisingly competent job of acquiring focus and maintaining it. Back button focus is accessed via a convenient lever on the housing, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend enabling back button focus on the camera and leaving it there, as it works beautifully.
The E-M10 Mark IV had no issues tracking this juvenile highhat even in poor visibility with the Olympus 60mm macro lens (Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 60mm macro, Backscatter Octo housing, 2x Kraken Sports KS160 strobes, f/8, 1/10s, ISO 200
4. Sharp and Detailed Images at Lower ISOs
With regards to image quality, I felt the E-M10 IV was perfectly adequate for just about every application other than high ISO situations, which isn't a surprise given the sensor size. Obviously, it cannot match full frame image quality, and I felt it also fell a bit short of the OM-1. That said, images were sharp and detailed, especially at lower ISOs, and files were quite malleable: You can pull back some details in the highlights and lift shadows quite well. Overall, image quality will not blow your hair back, but for such a relatively inexpensive camera, it more than holds its own.
It’s worth noting that sensor size isn’t the only reason why, ultimately, Micro Four Thirds cameras cannot compete with their full-frame counterparts in terms of image quality. Most Micro Four Thirds cameras have a base ISO of 200, compared to the standard base ISO of 100 on full frame. That means the “best” image from a Micro Four Thirds camera is going to be slightly noisier than that from a full-frame camera.
The E-M10 IV offers an extended Low setting, which is equivalent to ISO 100. This should result in slightly improved image quality, though at the expense of dynamic range if exposures need to be pushed or pulled in post. I didn’t notice any significant advantage or disadvantage in using this setting, so I left the ISO on 200 just about all the time while shooting.
A spotted scorpionfish with some disco ball bokeh (Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 60mm macro, Backscatter Octo housing, Backscatter MF-2 with OS-1, Backscatter MW-4300 with color filter, f/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 200)
5. Top-Quality Optics
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the E-M10 IV and other Micro Four Thirds rigs is the huge variety of small, high-quality, and affordable optics. For this review, I used the Olympus 14–42mm EZ kit lens with AOI’s UCL-09 Pro and UWL-09 Pro wet lenses for macro and wide angle, respectively, as well as the excellent Olympus 60mm macro and 8mm Pro fisheye.
The Olympus 8mm Pro fisheye is a phenomenal piece of glass, second only to the legendary Nikonos 13mm RS, in my opinion. Every time I shoot it, it is a pleasure to work with. As well as being very, very sharp, it is also impressively compact, meaning you can shoot it behind tiny dome ports, and it allows for fantastic close-focus wide-angle opportunities. AOI has ports for the Octo housing including an incredibly small dome, but the 8mm doesn’t suffer any perceptible image quality degradation when behind the small acrylic port.
A trio of goliath groupers huddled together out of the current: The tiny size of the rig likely made the grouper more comfortable and made it possible to get very close, further emphazising the fish’s enormous size (Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Pro fisheye, Backscatter Octo housing, 2x Retra Flash strobes, f/13, 1/25s, ISO 200)
I have shot the Olympus 60mm macro on a number of cameras now, and it has performed amazingly well on all of them. It acquires focus very quickly, even on the “budget” E-M10 IV. The camera was able to lock onto and track subjects without issue despite the long (120mm equivalent) focal length. I have always loved this lens for its sharpness, even at wide apertures. It is also hard to beat the value—it’s half the price of typical macro lenses made for full frame.
A golden phase spinyhead blenny lit selectively via snoot: The smallest hole in the aperture card for the Backscatter OS-1 was used; the blenny’s head was the size of a match head. Even at a wide aperture and with such a tiny subject, the E-M10 Mark IV and Olympus 60mm macro had no issue locking onto the the eye and tracking it while composing the frame (Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 60mm macro, AOI UCL-09 PRO, Backscatter Octo housing, Backscatter MF-2 with OS-1, Backscatter MW-4300 with color filter, f/5.6, 1/200s, ISO 200)
A few years ago, the Nauticam WWL-1 revolutionized wet optics, and it is still near the top of the heap in terms of image quality today. The AOI UWL-09 Pro is essentially a WWL-1 twin with a smaller price tag. It may be a tad less impressive optically, but it is not by much. It allows for full zoom-through of the 14–42mm EZ, making this a very compelling combo.
For more skittish subjects like gar when the 8mm fisheye might be too wide, the 14–42mm with the AOI UWL-09 PRO comes to the rescue! The zoom-through ability and slightly narrower widest perspective make it easier to fill the frame (Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 14–42mm f/3.5–5.6 EZ, Backscatter Octo housing, AOI UWL-09 PRO, 2x Kraken Sports KS160 strobes, f/11, 1/40s, ISO 250)
6. Final Thoughts
When paired with the Backscatter Octo housing, the E-M10 Mark IV is a versatile and capable system offering amazing value. Add top-notch Olympus glass, the Backscatter Mini Flash system for macro, and a good set of wide-angle strobes, and you have a rig that can make the most of almost any subject in the most commonly encountered shooting scenarios.
If you are looking at a Micro Four Thirds system and don’t need the top-of-the-line autofocus or performance that the OM-1 provides, you can get a significant amount of the OM-1 in the E-M10 IV. I genuinely enjoyed my time with this system and created some pictures that I am very happy with. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this system to anyone keen on getting high-quality images on a budget.
Just because a subject is common doesn’t mean it can’t make for an interesting picture. This arrow crab was huddled up against an unattactive brown pipe. I threw a color filter onto the front of a Backscatter MW-4300 video light and made it much more appealing (Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro, Backscatter Octo housing, 2x Backcatter MF-2 with OS-1, Backscatter MW-4300 with color filter, f/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 200)
About the Reviewer: Matthew Sullivan is a Florida-based wildlife photographer who has been diving since he was 10 years old. He has traveled extensively, visiting well-known dive destinations such as Guadalupe Island, Indonesia and the Philippines, but he also likes to dive closer to home in the Pacific Northwest. When not taking pictures underwater, he can be found trekking mountains, or exploring national parks and rainforests in search of new adventures and wildlife encounters.
When purchasing underwater photography equipment like the products mentioned in this article, please support DPG by supporting our retail partner—Backscatter.com | ![]() |
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