new housing for old camera/ lifespan of oly cams

[CLA]

Hi!

I have an Oly5060 that's almost 2 years old and a PT-020 that's amost a year and a half. Recently, I attempted to uscrew the metal base plate and in doing so shattered some of the plastic attachments for the screws. I glued the plate back on with cyanoacrylate and epoxy and so far (after 4 dives) the plate has not come off. However, Im worried that this remedy might eventually give way especially when using my strobe tray.

Do you think it is worthwhile to buy a new housing for an old discontinued camera? I'm happy with the camera's perfomance and it's still working well but I'm not sure how long digital cameras last? One of my friends told me that digital cameras only last a couple of years. Is this true? I was thinking that if I buy a new housing for it I might be able to prolong it's lifespan for another year or so. I can still use the old one for the beach or snorkelling.

Do most people buy spare housings for their cameras (or spare cameras for their housing)?

Cathy

 

[DA Aquamaster]

How long adigital camera lasts depends in large part on the quality of the camera. Inexpensive digtital cameras do, I suspect, last a fairly short time. I think the shutter tends to be the limiting factor as those parts are the most likely to wear out.

I would not however put an Oly 5060 in the cheap category. I have had my Oly C4000 for about 4 years, have used it heavily, and it is still going strong.

How long a camera lasts is also relative as well. I know my Nikon D50 digital SLR has a shutter rated for something like 10,000 pictures, but it's not uncommon for me to take 500 pictures a month, so the shutter could be reaching 10,000 pictures in about 2 years which would be consistent with only lasting a "couple years".

So if it were my Oly 5060 and housing, I'd use it until it breaks or I lost it as long as it is doing the job I wanted it to do.

I would probably not however invest in a new housing for it as you cannot get one from Olympus and the third party housing options are very good but also very expensive. If I were going to spend that kind of money on a housing, I'd spend it on a housing for a new camera.

 

[AndyT]

Hi Cathy

The PT-027 housing apparently also takes the 5060 - BUT - I have tried to get my 5060 into the PT- 027 , the camera fits fine but the mode dial cup on the housing is too small to properly fit onto the 5060s mode dial . I have been meaning to post this as a question on the board for a while now , I guess this is the oportunity .

Anyone have the answer ?

 

[CLA]

Aquamaster-
it's good to hear that your C4000 is still going strong. One of the reasons why I don't want to buy a new camera yet is because I believe the newer Canon and Oly models aren't that much better for UW conditions than say the 5050-7070 series. I'm not ready to get a dslr system yet so I plan to hang on to my 5060 till the they invent a compact cam which would be ideal for UW photography.

Andy -
I'm glad you asked that question becuase I was planning to order the PT-027 instead of another PT-020 since the latches to the port are supposed to be sturdier. Is the 5060 mode dial bigger than that of the 7070? Do you think it's possible to just exchange the mode dials of the 2 housings?

Cathy

 

[AndyT]

Cathy

The mode dial is EXACTLY what the problem is !! Fortunately I still have 2 PT-020's .

Try following this thread as well , let's see if someone has an answer .

http://www.digitaldiver.net/yabbse/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=18083

Exchanging mode dial cups on the housings may be the answer.

 

[CLA]

Andrew - I did a search in the digital diver website and one user, "batray" posted some lovely pics taken with his 5060 in PT-027. I wonder why the 5060 can fit in some PT-27s but not in others? But you are right, I was able to download a PDF manual for the PT27 and it does state that it's for both the 7070 and 5060.

Maybe you should post your question in this forum too but under a different title- so it would get the attention of other 5060/ PT27 users. I'd really want to know if it really fits or if its only a defect of some units they made.

Cathy

 

[AndyT]

I'll send Batray a PM over DDN and let you know what his response is .

OK , PM sent - hopefully he will respond soon .

 

[Footslogger]

Just my $ .02 ...but if was me I'd search for an Ikelite housing on E-bay.

I've got a C5050Z in an Ikelite housing w/DS 125 strobe. The camera is second hand and shows some signs of wear but still captures great shots. If my housing started to fall apart tomorrow I'd be in the market for a replacement, regardess of the camera's age.

Maybe it's just me. I don't dive enough to justify a new u/w camera set-up whenever something new hits the market. I started off with a Nikonos set-up in 1988 and dove with that until just last year, when I made the jump to digital. If there was a feature or a level of performance I thought I was missing I might be dreaming of an upgrade at some point in time. But getting familiar with a camera/housing/strobe combination takes time. Last thing I'd want to do would be to start all over again, unless of course the camera failed and became unuseable. Even then, my first thought would be to try and replace the camera with a used one instead going to a totally new system.

'Slogger

 

[AndyT]

Just another thought on the issue of lifespan of the Oly 5050/5060/7070.

The BLM-1 battery must also have a limited lifespan - I have 4 and am going to get some more soon as I don't expect to make the jump to DSLR anytime soon .

Also the issue of availability of O - rings for the Oly housings - how much longer will they be available , given that they are consumables and the housungs will be discontinued soon I'm sure if not already ?

Makes footsloggers suggestion of going the Ikelite route a viable one .Unfortunately I have gone too far down the Oly route to turn back , but it may be an option for others .

 

[Footslogger]

I'm probably a bit jaded, since the 5050 uses AA sized batteries. As far as the O-rings go ...if you're concerned you could always contact the manufacturer and get a nice supply for the future. Housings change but the basic contols, knobs, buttons, springs, levers and O-rings are generally reused.

'Slogger