Best Housing for Oly C-Series Digicams?

[kwesler]

Per Dee's advice in various threads, I just bought this system this past weekend. I got the 4040 with 2 128 meg cards for $699. The housing was $280 with shipping, and it came the next day!! BTW-the people at Underwater Digital could not be nicer or more efficient.

Ken

 

[Dee]

Ken...you're gonna love it!

 

[TexasMike]

Originally posted by Laurence Stein DDS
How did you get an entire picture on the thread--cool!

The software for this ScubaBoard uses the tag to insert images. But to keep down bandwidth, LadyDiver and crew only allow the tag to operate in this particualr forum.

It's suppressed in all the others.

 

[miked]

Hi all,
I was going to start a new thread with a question regarding camera housings, but this thread is "it". In fact , some of my questions have been answered already-not the first time this board has done that!
Okay, enough prologue.
The situation: I have decided to "go digital"-the triggering event was the demise last week of the strobe on my MMII EX.
As a result of the info obtained from a "panel of experts" (the folks on this board ), I purchased an Olympus C4040. Now, I need the housing,and a strobe. I knew they existed from reading earlier threads, in fact, I was up way into the night two days ago reading, linking, etc. The result:information overload, confusion, in part caused by my not being fluent in "cameraspeak", and by not having the physical housings/strobes to look at-I have seen the pictures, but still have questions.
I've tried to summarize my understanding(?) of the options,and would deeply appreciate being corrected/reinforced/assisted by those of you that have actual experience with the items being discussed.
My understandings: are they correct??
(PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong )
1.) The three primary housing options to consider are (are there others?):
Ikelite: clear plactic, rated to 200 ft. ;a bit bulkier than the others.
Oly PT010: also clear plastic, rated to 30m.
Tetra (light and motion?) aluminum, rated to 200 ft (or 300', from one source).
Cost factors (least to most): Oly, Ike, Tetra.
2.) regarding strobes:
The Ike and Oly housings, being clear plastic, can work with an external ("slave"?) strobe, "connected"(electronically) to the housing/ internal strobe by a fiber optic cable "velcroed" to the housing . [e.g.: the YS90DX, and Ike's DS-125or DS- 50-any others??]
The strobes in this configuration are "triggered" by the internal strobe (my understanding of a 'slave' strobe),but they must be set to ignore the Oly's "preflash", and loose the "TTL" capacity, and must be manually set for intensity.
The Tetra requires a physical, wired in connection, or bulkhead type plug in, and, due to its metal construction, eliminates the usefulness of the internal flash. Strobes so "wired" retain the TTL ability.
Some Questions:
I know the Tetra has a "viewport" so you can see the monitor, but is there a viewport to see the LCD screen that is on top of the camera-if not, is that a problem? (My actual hands on knowledge of the camera is very limited at this time.)
Are there any dealers in the Metro NY/North Jersey area that would have these items, so I could physically "inspect" them?(That's the tough one!!)
Can any of the strobes that have the "fiber optic" capacity also connect to the MMII EX -a four pin, screw on "bulkhead" connection).

Sorry for the length of this post, and for, in effect, asking so many of you to repeat and clarify ( and I will be re-reading earlier posts for more details), but, I can't think of a better place to go for this input.
Many thanks,
Mike

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by miked
Hi all,
I was going to start a new thread with a question regarding camera housings, but this thread is "it". In fact , some of my questions have been answered already-not the first time this board has done that!
Okay, enough prologue.
The situation: I have decided to "go digital"-the triggering event was the demise last week of the strobe on my MMII EX.
As a result of the info obtained from a "panel of experts" (the folks on this board ), I purchased an Olympus C4040. Now, I need the housing,and a strobe. I knew they existed from reading earlier threads, in fact, I was up way into the night two days ago reading, linking, etc. The result:information overload, confusion, in part caused by my not being fluent in "cameraspeak", and by not having the physical housings/strobes to look at-I have seen the pictures, but still have questions.
I've tried to summarize my understanding(?) of the options,and would deeply appreciate being corrected/reinforced/assisted by those of you that have actual experience with the items being discussed.
My understandings: are they correct??
(PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong )
1.) The three primary housing options to consider are (are there others?):
Ikelite: clear plactic, rated to 200 ft. ;a bit bulkier than the others.
Oly PT010: also clear plastic, rated to 30m.
Tetra (light and motion?) aluminum, rated to 200 ft (or 300', from one source).
Cost factors (least to most): Oly, Ike, Tetra.
2.) regarding strobes:
The Ike and Oly housings, being clear plastic, can work with an external ("slave"?) strobe, "connected"(electronically) to the housing/ internal strobe by a fiber optic cable "velcroed" to the housing . [e.g.: the YS90DX, and Ike's DS-125or DS- 50-any others??]
The strobes in this configuration are "triggered" by the internal strobe (my understanding of a 'slave' strobe),but they must be set to ignore the Oly's "preflash", and loose the "TTL" capacity, and must be manually set for intensity.
The Tetra requires a physical, wired in connection, or bulkhead type plug in, and, due to its metal construction, eliminates the usefulness of the internal flash. Strobes so "wired" retain the TTL ability.

You're clear so far! One clarification...strobes are hot wired to the Ikelite housing, the S&S YS90-DX is the only one using the fiber optic cable connection. If I'm wrong, someone correct me.

Some Questions:
I know the Tetra has a "viewport" so you can see the monitor, but is there a viewport to see the LCD screen that is on top of the camera-if not, is that a problem? (My actual hands on knowledge of the camera is very limited at this time.)


Are there any dealers in the Metro NY/North Jersey area that would have these items, so I could physically "inspect" them?(That's the tough one!!)

Are you talking about the small viewfinder window vs. the LCD on the back of the camera? I don't remember if you can see the viewfinder on the Tetra or not. On the Oly, although I don't look through it to compose the pics, I do use it for the focusing light so I'd think it would be a problem if you can't see it.

Can any of the strobes that have the "fiber optic" capacity also connect to the MMII EX -a four pin, screw on "bulkhead" connection).

Yes. The S&S YS90-DX can be used with the MMII. You would connect it with a regular S&S sync cord...you old one should work but check on that. The 90 will also work as a slave strobe. It's the most versatile on the market at the point and one of the reasons I chose it, other than the fact that I've always been extremely happy with S&S products.

Sorry for the length of this post, and for, in effect, asking so many of you to repeat and clarify ( and I will be re-reading earlier posts for more details), but, I can't think of a better place to go for this input.
Many thanks,
Mike [/B]

Da Nada...repetition is how we all learn, isn't it? I've got lots of links pertaining to all thing digital that I collected when I did my own research. Let me know if you need more! hehe

 

[boydski]

Hi Miked

The Tetra requires a physical, wired in connection, or bulkhead type plug in, and, due to its metal construction, eliminates the usefulness of the internal flash. Strobes so "wired" retain the TTL ability.

The strobes on the Tetra are wired, but do not retain TTL. All of my exposures are set manually, but this is pretty easy to do. You get instant feedback when you messed up the exposure, so it's easy to adjust and take another.

Some Questions:

I know the Tetra has a "viewport" so you can see the monitor, but is there a viewport to see the LCD screen that is on top of the camera-if not, is that a problem? (My actual hands on knowledge of the camera is very limited at this time.)

There is no viewport for the top of the camera, and to be honest, I never use the top data screen, even when taking pictures on land. You can get all of the same information on the LCD screen, and that is what you use to take your pictures with. It works very similar to an SLR camera. You see the same thing the camera does.

Boydski

Here's a picture of a giant Nudibranch that I took this morning with my Oly and Tetra housing:

 

[miked]

Dee and Boydski,
Many thanks for your answers- the info they contain is helping me make a more informed decision.
BTW, I love the pictures you both have posted -in this and other threads.
Boydski,one more question: With the Tetra,can you see the viewfinder-or more importantly the 2 lights next to it? ( the ones referred to by Dee). If not, how do you work around not having them?
Thanks again to both of you,
Mike

ps: if either of you, or anyone else can think of something to add-please feel free I appreciate any and all help.

 

[Dee]

I misunderstood what you meant by the small LCD screen on the top of the camera. I forgot about that one! Answer for me is yes, I use it. As Boydski mentioned you can have the same info on the larger LCD screen but I prefer using the little screen for that info. It's probably one of those personal preference things but I like not having it clutter up the focusing screen. That's another good thing about the clear housing, you can see the camera itself. You can notice things like condensation and leaks...God forbid!...before they become a problem.

I understand the argument for a metal vs. a plastic housing as far a strength goes but I just couldn't justify the extra expense. The PT-010 is extremely hardy and I'm confident in it.

 

[boydski]

With the Tetra,can you see the viewfinder-or more importantly the 2 lights next to it? ( the ones referred to by Dee). If not, how do you work around not having them?

No, you cannot see the viewfinder, or the little led's next to it, but to be honest with you, I have never used them. I leave the camera set on autofocus, and simply hold the shutter release half-way down to "lock" the focus a second before I shoot ( you can tell through the screen when it is focused ) . Both focus and Exposure information is available if you want them. I do not use the Internal Flash, so the orange LED wouldn't provide any usefull information, and the green LED tells you when the camera is ready to take another picture, which I get through the main screen using autofocus and preview mode.

I agree with Dee that the PT-010 is a great housing, that is one of the best on the market for the price. I believe it is also the most popular housing. If I were only shooting in tropical water, that is probably the housing that I would use. I think the Tetra is the "best" housing if price is not an issue, but am not sure that the extra cost is justified for most divers.

Most of my UW Photography is done shore diving in Puget Sound, so the housing get's knocked around pretty good ( set down, or banged on rocks, boats and barnacles a lot). The Tetra housing is really well built, with double 0-rings on the lens ports and the housing itself. I also never worry about the camera on Deep dives. When I bought mine ( about 18 months ago ) it had the best setup for attaching strobe-arms and wiring up strobes. It has seen a lot of abuse and neglect since then, and has always performed flawlessly ( wish I could say the same about myself ;-) ).


Boydski

 

[undrwtr1]

I have the C-3040 with an Ikelite housing and a DS-50 substrobe. The reason I opted for the Ike housing is their extensive reputation and customer service (just e-mail them and you'll see), not to mention the huge price differential. Moreover, the Tetra doesn't use TTL flash and you can't see the top LCD screen to verify macro mode, flash, etc. (although this info is displayed on the back screen, it's harder to see when in sunny shallow water).

Also, the DS-50 substrobe comes with a slave sensor and was designed for digital (i.e. they use pre-flash for proper exposures, etc.) True TTL just like above water - this was a BIG selling point.

For the money, the Ike was my choice. Yes its bigger than Tetra, but I like dual handles and it gives good stability below and above water. Also, the housing is CLEAR so you can see if there are any problems. For general recreational diving, it certainly fits.

Even though I have the Ike, I also got the PT-010 for snorkeling, rainy days and playing in the pool. It is not as substantial as the Ike but it is good and compact for shallower dives or rainy days. And, for the price of the Tetra, you can afford both!

Good luck in your decision - it was a tough one for me, but so far so good.

Check the different websites and just take the plunge!

Gerry