Death of the PT-E03 housing

[gary-ramey]

Well I just purchased one, if not the, last housing in the US. Olympus, 6 months after releasing the housing, totally underestimated the demand and there are none to be had. Olympus is no longer making the housing so the remaining housings have gone through the roof in price. I'm a little ticked at Olympus for their disposable, buy-again-if-yours-breaks mentality. If I were starting over and didn't already have optically driven strobes, the Ikelite would be the way to go. In the long run the Ikelite ports are cheaper making adding lenses and ports down the road a little easier and you hardly ever have to worry about Ikelite not be able to fix or recondition a housing. I ended up pay close to $200 more for the Oly housing than I paid just 5 months ago. A bittersweet affair as I read that mine shipped today I had a sense of relief that I was actually getting one. I just hope that this housing I receive is free of defects and waterproof.
So long story short, if you're purchasing an E410 for underwater you'll probably end up going Ikelite if you can't find a used housing.

 

[MarkUK]

Gary,

Was speaking to Olympus in the UK and they said that there had been a delay with the PT-EO3 housing, but that the company had not stopped production of the housing.

Given that the E410 and its associated housing are the current top-of-the-line underwater DSLR offered by Olympus, given that the E510 and E420 don't have one (and apparently they aren't planning on making one at present for the latter), it did seem odd that they would phase out production. Let's hope his information is correct, and as it is coming direct from Olympus, I think it should be.

I am getting an E410 and housing to have a play with and compare with my E330 and housing, which I have been using as a commercial unit for the last year. It is holding up well to an abusive regime of regular diving assignments in the UK and abroad and I am well-impressed with the liveView – will be interesting to see how bad the E410 LiveView is underwater compared to the E330's. I'll let you know how the two match up to one another.

And when our photography mags get an E420 in, I will have a go at getting it into the E410 housing and report back on that as well.

Mark

 

[gary-ramey]

Thanks Mark,
I had heard via a reputable US vendor that Olympus told them exactly the opposite. I'll definitely be interested in what happens. I've also read on the forum at DPreview that the 420 will fit in the PT-E03 housing with only the mode dial being an issue. That one, though, is from someone I don't know.
Live view on the 410 will be somewhat of a disappointment to you if you're used to the E330. It doesn't show active focusing so I can't imagine it being much use underwater. I've actually had the camera underwater and tried out the live view once after using the viewfinder all day. I never turned live view on again. The viewfinder is nice and bright and was easier for my old eyes to frame the shot with it than strain to see an LCD with the sun on it. I'm definitely interested in your thoughts,
Cheers,

 

[MarkUK]

Gary,

Just awaiting delivery of the housing, but I've got the E410 now and it is a nice piece of kit. Lightweight, tiny (I always thought the E330 was pretty small for a DSLR, but it looks massive next to the E410) and with a nice range of features, but man, you were right – the LiveView sucks!

I tend to use LiveView on the E330 when underwater 99 per cent of the time, as it makes it easier getting shots in locations where I wouldn't be able to get my head down to look through the viewfinder. I have never had an issue where I haven't been able to see the LCD screen clearly because of glare, which was a problem with some of the compact digi cameras I have tested in the past.

I'll give the viewfinder on the E410 a pop once the housing arrives, and I will try the LiveView, but even on land I found it frustrating compared with the E330. Here's hoping that Olympus do make another camera following the E330 dual-sensor route... Doubtful I know, but you never know...

Mark

 

[gary-ramey]

You can actually speed up the live view a little by hitting the AEL button and holding it when you take the picture...but its certainly nothing like the E330.

 

[reubencahn]

Mark, do you have a housing on the way? When do you expect to receive it?