Need help comparing Ikelite and Olympus underwater housings

[jeffdiver06]

I just bought an Olympus SP-350, 8 mega-pixel. Of two housings the Olympus brand is only rated for 130 ft. Ikelite is rated for 200. Not sure of other differences in quality or features especially regarding brackets and strobes. Any help is appreciated, hoping to buy one this week before going to Belize and Roatan. Jeff

 

[alcina]

You can't go wrong with Ikelite. Fantastic housings, superior service. Might support ttl, but you'll have to ask Ike if that model can or will.

I have the Olympus housings for my Olympus 5050 and love them to bits. No problems at all. Use them all the time. Small, easy to use (more or less) and inexpensive. Can't say the depth rating worries me too much as virtually all of my diving is well shallower than 40m!

You can use a wide range of base plates and arms and handles...I use the ULCS digital tray and handle with loc line arms on my Oly housing. Some base plates etc may need slight modifications to work with certain housings. I know several people who have Ike housings and use ULCS with no problem - just took a different screw or something.

 

[Warren_L]

I'll second Alcina's comments about Oly vs. Ike. I have an older Oly C5050 with thier housing, which I've used consistenly down to about 120ft or so without any problems. I also have an Ike housing for my nikon dSLR, which of course is bigger, and definitely feels more substantial in my hands. The housing thickness itself is greater and the tray is larger, though this may not necessarily be a fair comparison as a dSLR is generally going to be bigger. But for the cost/performance, the Oly housings can't be beat for what you get.

 

[jeffdiver06]

Warren, thanks for the reply, LOVED your photos! Sounds like a safe bet to go ahead and order the Olympus housing for now as I've seen them as low as $180 and as long as the quality is comparible it's a good start. I'm new to underwater photog. and hopefully will move up to a digital SLR in the near future. One thing I heard from a fellow diver was that I could get some decent pictures without a strobe since I'm not ready to spend the money yet. At least for shallow pics. Any advice? Thanks Jeff

 

[alcina]

Yup, get close, then closer. Learn the settings and how to control them underwater.

You can get great results with the Olys without an external flash - I think if you look in calypsonick's early gallery you'll find lots of examples!

 

[BurBunny]

A couple other things to consider when deciding here. *Some* of the Oly housings (I believe it was for the 5060) had some problems. The Oly housings generally have very limited warranty, so if something goes bad on it, housing is toast. Many photogs who have it consider them "throw away" housings and don't bother to insure them. Not that they're bad, but they're not as durable or well supported as the Ikes, and I like the feel of the Ike controls better as well. Ike in my mind is a definite step up.

That said, I've had both. When the $$$ difference is under $150 I'll go with Ike every time. Worth it for the support and more sturdy construction. And that should be the range with your camera. But do I regret having an Oly housing on my first camera? Nope!

And yes, you can use a combination of trays/arms with either housing.

 

[AUTiger]

Having had both for the Oly 5060, I highly recommend the Ike if you can swing the extra $. I bought the Oly to save money and because I wasn't buying a strobe at the time. When I bought a strobe (Ike DS-125), I wished that I had the Ike housing so that I could use TTL exposure. Unluckily (or luckily), I dropped my Oly housing and broke it. Insurance paid for it, so I did things right the second time and bought the Ike housing.

Go for the Ike.

The Oly housings are well made for the money. They are also very functional. True, the 5060 housing had a few issues, but none that couldn't have been avoided by a vigilant user.

The Ike housing feels heavier, more durable, and has a few extra features. Whereas the Oly housing seemed disposable, the Ike housing seems more serviceable over the long-term.

David

 

[Ishie]

I've also had both for the 5060, and though I've seen the Oly housings hold up quite well, particularly for the 5050, and I know some people have had no trouble with the PT-20, after flooding my camera on my FOURTH dive with it due to the same o-ring failure that everyone else had with the 5060, I'm going Ikelite for life.

I like the Ikes because they're sturdy, have a simpler and more reliable closing mechanism (1 normal shaped inexpensive o-ring rather than 2 oddly shaped expensive o rings), and if something goes wrong with one, the customer service cannot be beaten, unlike Oly's which is notoriously bad. YMMV

 

[Gdog]

Ok....now....u guys have me worried. I just got the PT20 Oly housing for my 5060, with a Sea and Sea YS 90 strobe. Took it to Cozumel, worked great, no leaks. Exactly what type problems have been had with this housing, and what do I look out for? I want the Light and Motion Tetra housing, but didnt have the $1700 bucks for one yet.

 

[Jim Ernst]

Ok....now....u guys have me worried. I just got the PT20 Oly housing for my 5060, with a Sea and Sea YS 90 strobe. Took it to Cozumel, worked great, no leaks. Exactly what type problems have been had with this housing, and what do I look out for? I want the Light and Motion Tetra housing, but didnt have the $1700 bucks for one yet.

ishie, is refering to the fact,(comsumers) have repoted a reocuring problem with the oly housing, it has had a repeated flooding due to the o-ring in the left cornor slipping out of place under pressure, i also started to buy the oly housing and after talking with her and seeing othere reports (many) i went ike-lite, so check carefully