E520 Underwater Help needed

[dannygoesdiving]

Hi there,

I have a E520 with a 14-42mm lens and am planning on using it underwater. I have been looking for what my basic requirements are and wonder if anyone can advise if I need anything else/am overlooking anything (strobes will have to follow due to budget constraints).

It looks like I need the PT-E05 housing, PTBK-E02 housing bracket & the PPO-E05 port ?

Do I also need the shading ring ? Also on some sites it keeps mentioning a #4 diopter filter - is this something I need ?

This is my first venture into the DSLR world from my simple point and shoot underwater camera and any help is greatfully received.

Many thanks

Danny

 

[pennywise]

Hi there,

I have a E520 with a 14-42mm lens and am planning on using it underwater. I have been looking for what my basic requirements are and wonder if anyone can advise if I need anything else/am overlooking anything (strobes will have to follow due to budget constraints).

It looks like I need the PT-E05 housing, PTBK-E02 housing bracket & the PPO-E05 port ?

Do I also need the shading ring ? Also on some sites it keeps mentioning a #4 diopter filter - is this something I need ?

This is my first venture into the DSLR world from my simple point and shoot underwater camera and any help is greatfully received.

Many thanks

Danny

Hi Danny,

I've used the same set up and yes, your basic set will consist of the camara housing, the PPO-E05 port plus the shading ring (thought that came with the port and housing combi). As tray I used the Ikelite double handle tray, which is cheaper and fits the oly housing nicely.
You don't really need the diopter; I've never used one and didn't miss it.

 

[dannygoesdiving]

Thanks for the info

Danny

 

[slowhands]

Hi there,

I have a E520 with a 14-42mm lens and am planning on using it underwater. I have been looking for what my basic requirements are...
It looks like I need the PT-E05 housing, PTBK-E02 housing bracket & the PPO-E05 port

Do I also need the shading ring ? Also on some sites it keeps mentioning a #4 diopter filter - is this something I need ?

Yes, you need the PT-E05 housing, the PPO-E05 port (includes the needed zoom ring), but the shading ring is optional. It comes with a cloth hand grip that is very good for hand holding without an external flash too, so you can hold off buying the tray and flash until you can afford them. You should also buy a sturdy coiled lanyard to attach the housing to your BCD so you don't lose the darn thing, it does happen. That would be a good basic rig, but very limited by no external flash.

If you want to try a flash, you can mount a cheap one on the coldshoe bracket on the top of the housing. It's not ideal, but gets you going for less money and no need for a tray yet. Inexpensive flashes like the ISS4000 or that ilk work, but not super well. Most people end up migrating to a better flash later on.

You do not need to buy the expensive Olympus PTBK-E02 housing bracket, it's just an over priced tray and arm combo with the Olympus logo. You are better off to buy a generic tray and handle. Or the superb but expensive Ultralight setup.

You don't need the +4 diopter unless you use a dome port, later. Then it's optional if you want closer focus.

There is a clip on macro adapter for M67 macro lenses you may want to buy. It fits the PPO-E05 port.



I know you own the E-520, and it's great. But you will spend over $1200 on the housing, port, shade ring setup. Be aware that there are other options. Consider buying a cheaper Oly E-PL1 and PT-EP01 housing for about $1000. It comes with the port, so you are done (maybe you have to buy the zoom ring too, don't recall, it's $45 or so). Just a thought, it's much smaller and easier to start with.

 

[diver 85]

BTW, for anyone reading this --------a Diopter is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioptre

----NOT something you put on the front of a camera or it's housing.........lol..........Just one of my pet peeves(after measuring & working with--the real--diopters for over 39 years, I'm tired of it continually getting whizzed on here & other photo sights-------)-----carry on, my rant is over.........

 

[slowhands]

BTW, for anyone reading this --------a Diopter is:

Dioptre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

----NOT something you put on the front of a camera or it's housing.........lol..........Just one of my pet peeves(after measuring & working with--the real--diopters for over 39 years, I'm tired of it continually getting whizzed on here & other photo sights-------)-----carry on, my rant is over.........

yada yada yada, yes we know it's a unit of measurement for the power of a lens. The term is used sloppily here and there. But this brings me to an interesting point.

They say on some sites that typical dome ports underwater have the effect of reducing the 1 meter focus point to say ~400mm, more or less. So close up lenses are recommended for allowing certain lenses, mainly zooms, that won't focus as close as 400mm to work inside domes. The commonly recommended strength is +4 diopter. I suspect that is just a rule of thumb, because the minimum focusing distance of zoom lenses varies a lot. Since you are an expert on these matters, can you expound on this?

 

[pennywise]

Without the shading ring you get a nice white circle in your pics as a reflection of the internal strobe once you use that to trigger the external strobe(s).

 

[slowhands]

Without the shading ring you get a nice white circle in your pics as a reflection of the internal strobe once you use that to trigger the external strobe(s).

I know. It's just that I hate to spend $45 for nothing more than a lens hood flattened.

So, I made my own from a rubber lens hood ($5 at Adorama). I ripped off the rubber, and re-installed it reversed.

I first got the idea for this after putting the Olympus shading ring on my standard 14-42 lens and watching the gap it made as you zoom out in the PP-E05 port, huge, major light leak. See the first thumbnail below of the lens zoomed out; the PP-E05 Port flares out at the short end of the zoom, wide angle position. So there is a gap when the lens is zoomed out to 42mm as shown. I thought a reversed rubber lens hood would close the gap well, better than the standard shading ring.

So I made one for the M43 lens on my E-PL1. See second thumbnail below. Works just dandy inside the Zen Dome Port for PT-EP0X housings. But it touches the glass and hampers focus and max zoom with the standard flat port, so if you have that, this is not a perfect solution.

I just got the new lens, 14-42mm II, for my camera and will make another shade ring from a 37mm lens hood. Another option would be to cut an old floppy disk media to size, glue it to a 37mm UV filter and use that.

Standing back from all this, why didn't Olympus just put a duct around the flash? That would kill the spurious reflections at the source. Just saying.....

 

[Ardy]

Hi I use this set up and it works very well. The 14-42 lens is also excellent for general uW photography.

I would consider buying an old manual 2nd hand strobe. I just sold a Sea n Sea YS50 for $46 on ebay last week and it had worked well for me over 5 years. Great cheap way to get started with a manual flash set on top of housing with home made optical connector (see my post in strobes). Farting around down there without a flash is very frustrating.

Later on you can buy two good flashes and do not skimp on those.

BTW - meant to say I saw a new PT-E05 for sale for $600 last week cant remember where but could have been B&H.