e-510 or e-520?

[gert7to3]

Gary and/or Ardy,

Do you have the flat port or the dome port for your lens? Ikelite says a +4 diopter magnification lens is needed with a dome port, for lenses with a close focus 12 or more inches away.

Since there is no means for adjusting zoom, you just keep your lens at its widest zoom level, correct? The only thing I could see using it for would be macro subjects.

If they have any deals at Our World Underwater next weekend, I may buy the Ikelite housing and port. While the Oly housing is less, the ports seem more expensive, nearly negating the price difference.

 

[Ardy]

Gary and/or Ardy,

Do you have the flat port or the dome port for your lens? Ikelite says a +4 diopter magnification lens is needed with a dome port, for lenses with a close focus 12 or more inches away.

Since there is no means for adjusting zoom, you just keep your lens at its widest zoom level, correct? The only thing I could see using it for would be macro subjects.

If they have any deals at Our World Underwater next weekend, I may buy the Ikelite housing and port. While the Oly housing is less, the ports seem more expensive, nearly negating the price difference.

Hi Gert - I have the EO5? flat port and the Olympus housing allows you to control zoom. I bought this port as, according to phil and gary it is a very handy thing that allows you to use the 14-42 and the 50mm macro. These are the only 2 lenses I will use as I am keen on macro/muck diving. May put a diopter on to get better than 1:1 but that is later. The Olympus port is glass and seems well made to my amateur eye.

I looked at the Ikelite and didnt like the tight connection to their flashes and when I checked in November there was no difference in the package price. Still dont think you can go wrong there are lots of them out there.

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

Hi Gert,

While Iklite makes fine housings they work best with Iklite strobes and accessories. If you own these already then Iklite may be the way to go. However if you are just getting into a system the Olympus housing has some obvious upsides. First the housing is designed for that camera only not a one size fits all type housing. Second all of the over twenty ports made by four different manufactures for the Olympus DSLR housings are optical glass and all of the Olympus ports for zoom lenses include the very fine zoom gears.

The 14 to 42 mm zoom focuses to 9.8 inches and that is from the sensor plain not the front element of the lens so use of the +4 diopter would be over kill with any of the dome ports made for Olympus. In fact no diopter power would be needed with these ports.

The Olympus PT-E05 housing for the Olympus E-520 camera is also fiber optic ready. This means you can use any of the newer and much smaller Inon strobes with the cheeper and more robust fiber cables while retaining the ability to TTL exposures.

In the long run the Olympus housing is the better overall value.

Phil Rudin

 

[gary-ramey]

hey Gert,
If your talking about the 14-42 or 50mm macro, but if you're refering to the 9-18 I haven't got a pot as of yet. My guess is that if you had to put on a +4 diopter that might defeat the purpose of the WA lens. The 14-42 is a great lens and is very crisp for a kit lens. I think phil has even found it sharper behind the inon or Athena dome port. Also you can zoom with either the 14-42 or 9-18

 

[gert7to3]

I thought the 14-42 lens didn't focus less than 12 inches, so that answers that question.

The Ikelite housing didn't seem to offer a means to zoom the lens, but I could be wrong on this.

My main reason for leaning towards Ikelite, is that I have an E-510 not an E-520. Olympus was rather emphatic that the PT-E05 housing was not for the E-510 body. I didn't want to blow $1400.00+ on an experiment which could require another $500+ to complete.

 

[gary-ramey]

hi gert
Why not update your camera body you could probably get a 520, sell the 510 for a delta of less than a couple hundred dollars. The new Olympus housing is really nice and more affordable than even the ikelite.

 

[scipionems]

Hi to all.
I bought the Olympus E-520+PTE-05 with Athena Dome Port for 14-42 lens in september, but I was able to use it only in february in Maldives.
It is my first reflex, so I have not a great technic and experience, but I'm happy with it.
Here some pictures made in Maldives
Flickr: scipio2010's Photostream
Scipio

 

[LineSider]

In case anyone has a need and is interested, I'm selling my PPO-E03 port for the 50mm Macro on eBay right at a good used price. They are very pricey new.

Bob - "ASD"

 

[gary-ramey]

Scipio - Nice turtles. What strobes were you using?

 

[scipionems]

Hi Gary, You are very kind, I've seen your pictures and are simply fantastic.
Wow, perhaps one day I'll be able to shot so well (I hope).
I have an Inon D2000 Type II connected with fiberoptic cable.
Ciao
Scipio