lenses for PT-010

[Agape]

Was just wondering if you need lenses that are designed for underwater use or can use any brand of lense? If there are ones designed only for underwater use is there any disadvantages to using it out of water as well? Just wondering if I would need two sets of lenses one for underwater and one for out of water.

 

[Travisc]

Hello Paula you do need two different types of lenses for in water and out of water use. I purchased the Olympus Wide Angle and Macro lense for my PT-15 housing, I have been looking at the land based lenses but have not come to any conclusions on what to use. Send me a note if you would like to see some of my photos with the underwater lenses.

Travis.

 

[Dee]

There is a difference in wet and dry lenses and neither can be used for the other. The add-on lenses used with u/w cameras and housings are actually designed to use the small amount of water between the lens and the camera/housing as part of the focusing. If you add the lens topside and forget to 'burp' the lens to get rid of that air, all your photos will be blurry.

Unfortunately yes....you will need 2 sets pf lenses. But I have found that a wide angle lens topside is all I needed to add...the macro is great just by itself.

 

[Agape]

WAL is all you have for underwater too isn't it?

 

[Agape]

I just found this:

The INON UWL-100 type 2 achromat wide angle lens is optimized for Underwater Photography and it will give you 100 degrees of viewing angle underwater and 150 degrees topside. The new redesigned INON UWL-100 [type 2] will fit directly to the Olympus PT-005s, 007, PT- 010, PT-014, PT-015 as well as the new Fix 4040 Housing without modification of the lens port ring.

It makes it sound like you can use it topside and underwater cuz it tells you it has 150 degree viewing topside and 100 degrees under water. Do you know why you wouldn't be able to use a underwater lens out of the water? I can see why you can't do it the other way but why not this way? I know you'd have to buy a big step up ring to get to 67 mm so why not?

 

[Dee]

Agape once bubbled...
I just found this:

The INON UWL-100 type 2 achromat wide angle lens is optimized for Underwater Photography and it will give you 100 degrees of viewing angle underwater and 150 degrees topside. The new redesigned INON UWL-100 [type 2] will fit directly to the Olympus PT-005s, 007, PT- 010, PT-014, PT-015 as well as the new Fix 4040 Housing without modification of the lens port ring.

It makes it sound like you can use it topside and underwater cuz it tells you it has 150 degree viewing topside and 100 degrees under water. Do you know why you wouldn't be able to use a underwater lens out of the water? I can see why you can't do it the other way but why not this way? I know you'd have to buy a big step up ring to get to 67 mm so why not?

I have the S&S WAL L lens. The main reason I chose it over the Inon was it had little to no vignetting in the corners whereas the example I saw of the Inon had significant vignetting. Check into that before you decide.

I must be mistaken but I didn't think any of the u/w lenses could be used topside. I'll look into that! All I can safely say then is try the u/w lenses topside, it can't hurt! I've never tried it. Only downfall I can think of is having to have a step down ring..if one is even available.

 

[TedJ]

Dee,
Any reason you didn't buy the Olympus PWC-01?

 

[Agape]

I was going to ask the same thing. So far all I've seen for PT-010 lenses are made by S&S, Olympus, and Inon. Are there any others out there to check into?

EDIT:
Found a few more but doesn't look like they're available in the US most of the websites are in a foreign language but here's a few:

-Epoque DCL-20
-UN (same as Olympus PWC-01)

Underwaterdigital.net also says this about the WAL (L)
The new Sea and Sea Digital wide angle lens[L] is designed to fit the Olympus Camedia PT-005, 007, PT-010 and PT-015 housing. It will also work with the new Fix 4040 as well as the redesigned Ikelite Olympus Housing. The Sea and Sea wide angle lens will give you approximately 90 degrees of viewing angle underwater and it can also be use topside.

oh and I have seen places that sell step up rings that go up to 67 mm.

 

[ReyeR]

UN is I guess the mfg of PT-010 and has a lens u can use with it but couldn't find much about it

The Olympus PWC-01 is actually the UN PWC-01.... they're the same lens. I've heard very good reports about it. That's my next purchase.

 

[ReyeR]

...90 degrees of viewing angle underwater and it can also be use topside

Depending on the lens and how wide you go 2 things can happen:
- barrel distortion. Out of the water, it's equal to about a 12mm
(fish-eye) lens. Any lens will do this.
- the optics are designed for underwater use. It can distort badly when out of the water. This is the same type of corner distortion/blurring you get with some lenses underwater but it's about 20 times worse.