Needing a little info please

[neilkendra]

Hello i am the new boy in these parts,and i am needing a little info because of being totally ignorant in underwater photography.
I own an Olympus c7070 digital slr for which i am searching for an underwater case.
The case i have located is the pt027 by Olympus but nobody seems to have any accesories such as grease,silica gel,tropical filters etc etc. This has led me to wonder if this camera and UW case is not a good option. Also ,being completely new to this stuff can anybody suggest a web location where i might become more closely aquainted with underwater photograpy?
Prior thanks to any inputee.

 

[Larry C]

The C7070 will take pretty good pictures with the Olympus housing. Olympus uses one special grease for their silicone O-rings, which is available at any Olympus outlet. If you can't find one locally, Reef Photo/Video in Florida can probably get you all the grease and silica packs you need. If you're going to use a filter (for tropical diving above 40'/13meters) you can get them from Magic Filters. UR Pro also makes threaded filters for underwater photography. As far as learning more about underwater photography, you are in the right place. Check this forum for the pink stickies on Alcina's posts. They are very helpful for finding information on your camera, its settings and other people's experience. Also look in Tips and Techniques. You'll find everything from camera settings to Photoshop editing for underwater pictures. Another forum is Wetpixel or Digital Diver. Good luck.

 

[ScubaSpicher]

Olympus 5060, 7070 Underwater Housing

Check out Ikelite's camera housing. I have no affiliation, but bought one for my camera and could not be happier. They are built well and Ikelite has a lot of add-ons you can buy later. The price might be a little more than what other companies are charging, but to me it was worth it! Good luck!

 

[WOODMAN]

Olympus 5060, 7070 Underwater Housing

Check out Ikelite's camera housing. I have no affiliation, but bought one for my camera and could not be happier. They are built well and Ikelite has a lot of add-ons you can buy later. The price might be a little more than what other companies are charging, but to me it was worth it! Good luck!

I heartily agree. I own an Ikelite housing for my C5050, and it is practically bulletproof. It is bigger and bulkier than the housings put out by the camera manufacturers, but by the time you start adding dual strobes and all the arms and such, the housing is small potatoes. The Ikelite housings have a reputation of being more resistant to floods than most of the others, but this, of course, is highly dependent on how well you take care of things. I have an Olympus housing for my backup 770 camera, and so I can compare the quality levels easily. The Ikelite wins hands down. Granted, it is more expensive, but you generally get what you pay for. Also, Ikelite's service department is outstanding, and they will stand behind all of their products. (No, I don't work for Ikelite) I wish you luck with your setup. Oh, a word of advice. If you have the ability to purchase the housing with the dual handle tray rather than the single handle tray (which usually comes with it), by all means do so. I guarantee that you will eventually want dual strobe capability, and having two handles allows you to mount them both without fuss. Or, you could just wait and eventually buy the two handle mount later--($$$) Good luck! Woody

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Hello i am the new boy in these parts,and i am needing a little info because of being totally ignorant in underwater photography.
I own an Olympus c7070 digital slr for which i am searching for an underwater case.
The case i have located is the pt027 by Olympus but nobody seems to have any accesories such as grease,silica gel,tropical filters etc etc. This has led me to wonder if this camera and UW case is not a good option. Also ,being completely new to this stuff can anybody suggest a web location where i might become more closely aquainted with underwater photograpy?
Prior thanks to any inputee.

For starters lets talk terminology; no offense intended, it may just be a second language thing.

Digital Single Len Reflex (DSLR's) cameras have detachable lenses, just like film SLR's. The Oly C7070Z is a Point & Shoot (P&S), the lens does not detach.

O-ring grease does not have to be Oly o-ring grease; most any silicon grease available in dive shops will do.

Silica packets absorb moisture; some divers have less condensation problems when they put one inside the housing during the dive. I have not had any condensation problems with my C5050Z so I don't use them anymore, but if I dove in colder water I might go back to using them.

The 7070 shoots in raw (as well as jpg) and raw files are easy to color correct in PhotoShop. I bought a tropical filter early in my 5050 career, but only used it a couple dives. If your eventual housing threads are the same I will let you have it for $20 + postage.

Don't worry about the strobe tray issue until you start looking for strobes; most housings don't come with trays/strobes. I am a big fan of Ikelite products (I own ~$4000 worth of Ike strobe gear), but a decent Ike housing/strobe package for the 7070 is overkill for most beginners. Not everybody will eventually feel the desire for a dual strobe rig; I have three dual strobe set-ups and rarely put more than one strobe in the water.

Other 7070 owners can be more specific; my favorite accessory is my INON WAL (wide angel lens). The photos above were taken with Oly stock housing and Inon WAL. It spins off for flash pictures with the camera's flash, samples below. Strobes can be purchased later.

All of those shots were taken in full auto (P) with the wide shots color corrected and sharpened in PS and the close shots just sharpened in PS.

 

[Larry C]

O-ring grease does not have to be Oly o-ring grease; most any silicon grease available in dive shops will do.

Actually, this isn't true. Olympus uses a silicon o-ring. If greased with silicon grease, It will soften and deteriorate and may cause a flood. I would strongly recommend using Olympus grease. It's pricey, something like $12.95 for a little tube, but preventing a flood is worth it. I've been using the same little tube for three years and it's not even half gone. There are times to substitute and times to not. This is a not.

 

[Gdog]

I also use the Oly oring grease. And your 7070 will do great for you. There are still plenty of places on the net to find everything you need, including o rings for your oly housing. The Ikelite is a great next step for housing though....good investment!
You will appreciate the RAW ability. Have fun!!!

 

[WOODMAN]

Don't worry about the strobe tray issue until you start looking for strobes; most housings don't come with trays/strobes.

I have never seen an Ikelite housing (for these cameras, anyway) which did not come with a handled tray as part of the package, and it is usually a single handled tray. Granted, this will do for awhile, but eventually you will (in all probability) want a two handled tray, as this is where the strobes mount, and you will probably be wanting two eventually. I am not saying that you will want this right away, but eventually you will, and then you have to buy another tray. All I was trying to say was that if you got the two handled tray at first, maybe you could save some money by not getting the single handled tray, which you would eventually put aside. Or maybe it doesn't work out like this? Are you able to substitute the two handled tray with your first housing purchase? Or are you stuck with a single handle tray no matter what you do? (like I am) Hmmm. Once you get this tray mounted, you will not(!) want to move it around, as it screws directly into threads in the polycarbonate housing.

 

[scope]

The olympus pt 027 is discontinued (the housing for 7070) but my understanding is that the pt 020 (housing for 5050 and 5060) can be easily adjusted to work for the 7070. I can't swear to this but I read it somewhere online. The pt 020 is still available, I think scuba.com carries it if you go that route.

 

[sylpha]

[I own an Olympus c7070 digital slr for which i am searching for an underwater case.
The case i have located is the pt027 by Olympus but nobody seems to have any accesories such as grease,silica gel,tropical filters etc etc.

i see you live in Portugul, that is where Olympus have their European service facility. check their website and local Olympus dealers, you might be able to pick the things up from Oly direct.

The size of the PT 027 is one which you might be able to get filters of a different make from a good camera shop (i certainly bought a plain filter for mine at a normal camera shop.

you could also have a look at this website, they do export to Europe.

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