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The main advantage of the Olympus PT-023 housing over the Ikelite 6130.80 housing is cost. It is much cheaper, say $180 versus $540 for the Ikelite.
The Ikelite is far more durable and less likely to leak, and it has built-in TTL flash support for Ikelite digital strobes. Ikelite has far better product support than Olympus. You get what you pay for. That's the high level summary.
People here use both. With very gentle handling and careful maintenance, the Olympus will serve well, and will save money.
Here are some detailed differences between them. First, the O-ring issue. The Ikelite housing for the C-8080 has a back O-ring, and a port O-ring --- half the number of O-rings compared to the 4 on the Olympus. I think you could still flood either housing, by leaving a thread, hair or grit across the back O-ring, but the Ikelite back ring is easier to inspect for proper seal, and it is bigger in diameter and has higher clamping pressure so it is really sealed well. I just trust it more.
Another problem is that the Port clamps on the Olympus housing won't hold the port on firmly in rough seas. It uses a pin that fits in a dimple in the housing, and the pin slips out far too easily. I've had this happen on my PT-027, and read postings about floods caused by this. You just have to be very gentle with it, and make sure it stays in position. I considered taping the port to the body, since I don't expect to change to the Wide Angle Port.
The Olympus is far lighter and more compact than the Ikelite. I think that's a real plus for the Olympus if you travel. Another plus is you can use the internal flash with the PT-023, but not the Ikelite. That means you can use optical slave strobe triggering, also. Depending on your intentions, that can be very important.
The Ikelite has far better support for wide angle lenses, because it has a good dome port available. If you will be shooting wrecks, or large pelagics, you should really go with the Ikelite and dome port. I would strongly advise against using the Olympus wide angle port, as the port clamp is too fragile for the big port.
Long term, you will have better product support from Ikelite. Olympus discontinues these housings fairly rapidly, and ends support for them too. It is harder to get O-rings for the older Olympus housings, and they are much more expensive to start with (remember, you need 4 at $12 each, every year). If they are not available, this can actually end the life of your housing, because they should be changed annually. When Olympus stops their spare parts support, you have a real problem. Ikelite has a much longer support life for their housings; you can do the O-ring service yourself, or just send the housing in and they will check everything for a fair charge. Again, you get what you pay for.
Both housings allow you to take great photos. Your have to make a value judgment on whether the benefits of the Ikelite outweigh it's higher cost. It's not a bad idea to start with an inexpensive setup, improve your diving and photography skills, and then decide if you need a better setup. On the other hand, if you are sure you want something really solid and dependable, or feel very uncomfortable with some of the weaknesses of the Olympus, definitely spend the money for the Ikelite.
The Ikelite is far more durable and less likely to leak, and it has built-in TTL flash support for Ikelite digital strobes. Ikelite has far better product support than Olympus. You get what you pay for. That's the high level summary.
People here use both. With very gentle handling and careful maintenance, the Olympus will serve well, and will save money.
Here are some detailed differences between them. First, the O-ring issue. The Ikelite housing for the C-8080 has a back O-ring, and a port O-ring --- half the number of O-rings compared to the 4 on the Olympus. I think you could still flood either housing, by leaving a thread, hair or grit across the back O-ring, but the Ikelite back ring is easier to inspect for proper seal, and it is bigger in diameter and has higher clamping pressure so it is really sealed well. I just trust it more.
Another problem is that the Port clamps on the Olympus housing won't hold the port on firmly in rough seas. It uses a pin that fits in a dimple in the housing, and the pin slips out far too easily. I've had this happen on my PT-027, and read postings about floods caused by this. You just have to be very gentle with it, and make sure it stays in position. I considered taping the port to the body, since I don't expect to change to the Wide Angle Port.
The Olympus is far lighter and more compact than the Ikelite. I think that's a real plus for the Olympus if you travel. Another plus is you can use the internal flash with the PT-023, but not the Ikelite. That means you can use optical slave strobe triggering, also. Depending on your intentions, that can be very important.
The Ikelite has far better support for wide angle lenses, because it has a good dome port available. If you will be shooting wrecks, or large pelagics, you should really go with the Ikelite and dome port. I would strongly advise against using the Olympus wide angle port, as the port clamp is too fragile for the big port.
Long term, you will have better product support from Ikelite. Olympus discontinues these housings fairly rapidly, and ends support for them too. It is harder to get O-rings for the older Olympus housings, and they are much more expensive to start with (remember, you need 4 at $12 each, every year). If they are not available, this can actually end the life of your housing, because they should be changed annually. When Olympus stops their spare parts support, you have a real problem. Ikelite has a much longer support life for their housings; you can do the O-ring service yourself, or just send the housing in and they will check everything for a fair charge. Again, you get what you pay for.
Both housings allow you to take great photos. Your have to make a value judgment on whether the benefits of the Ikelite outweigh it's higher cost. It's not a bad idea to start with an inexpensive setup, improve your diving and photography skills, and then decide if you need a better setup. On the other hand, if you are sure you want something really solid and dependable, or feel very uncomfortable with some of the weaknesses of the Olympus, definitely spend the money for the Ikelite.
