I have an Olympus E-500, and wanted to know if I could get a case to take it underwater? I am taking a trip to the Philippines this year and will be certified by then to go scuba diving. I was hoping to be able to get some nice shots with my Olympus. If not I might buy a cheap setup (possibly disposable cameras) for the trip. Any advice welcome.
Newbie question about my Olympus E-500
- Thread starter sammyman
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Monkey Knife-fight
Guest
Ikelite makes a housing.
http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/e500olympus.html
But it will be expensive to go down the UW DSLR route. It will also be a big camera to try to dive with right after getting certified. Overall you could get a small point and shoot camera + housing + strobe for around the price of the E-500 housing alone.
Chris
http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/e500olympus.html
But it will be expensive to go down the UW DSLR route. It will also be a big camera to try to dive with right after getting certified. Overall you could get a small point and shoot camera + housing + strobe for around the price of the E-500 housing alone.
Chris
pterantula
Contributor
Monkey Knife-fight:
Playing with a big, awkward camera while learning to dive (every dive is a new experience, in that regard) is tricky, and can be dangerous. If you're a quick study and in good health, I would recommend at least 6-7 open water dives before you drag a camera down; one of my dive leaders in Maui, noticing my own awkwardness, mentioned diving in the hundreds before tackling photography....
I have a little Canon (S410 Powershot) that I usually bring with me, but the Nikon D100 DSLR w/strobe didn't come with me until dive #14, and was nearly useless that day anyway (strobe malfunctions, gears for aperture stuck, focus ring slipped, focus point shifted and wouldn't reorient, etc.). If you're in a current or strong surge with that thing, forget it, it may ruin your dive.
My 2 psi.
I'd recommend 100+ dives before even thinking about dealing with more than your own buoyancy and safety. dealing with cameras; P&S or otherwise requires excellent buoyancy and diving skills. Task loading yourself before being comfortable in the water can be very hazardous.
Jack
Jack
pterantula
Contributor
jackconnick:
What he said. It's multitasking to the nth power, and can make diving unfun, if not downright dangerous.
(Don't mean to be a buzzkill!)....
Welcome to the board.
Guess I will chime in with the rest, you have no idea just how much task loading a camera adds. You really must have your buoyancy and control dead on before it's a good idea to grab a camera. In addition, both you AND your buddy need better than average buddy skills. If you are counting on insta-buddies (someone you are not use to diving with) your skills become a lot more critical. I will not dive with a camera and a new buddy. This is not something you learn in class or in a few dives, it takes a lot hours of practice underwater to get to the level you really need to be at. If you want pictures, look around the dive boat, find someone what has a digital camera and offer to buy them dinner for a CD of theirs. Throw in a beer or two and maybe they will get a few shots of you. The pictures will be alot better, you will enjoy the dive more and everyone will be safer. I send CD's to people I meet on dive trips all the time.
Guess I will chime in with the rest, you have no idea just how much task loading a camera adds. You really must have your buoyancy and control dead on before it's a good idea to grab a camera. In addition, both you AND your buddy need better than average buddy skills. If you are counting on insta-buddies (someone you are not use to diving with) your skills become a lot more critical. I will not dive with a camera and a new buddy. This is not something you learn in class or in a few dives, it takes a lot hours of practice underwater to get to the level you really need to be at. If you want pictures, look around the dive boat, find someone what has a digital camera and offer to buy them dinner for a CD of theirs. Throw in a beer or two and maybe they will get a few shots of you. The pictures will be alot better, you will enjoy the dive more and everyone will be safer. I send CD's to people I meet on dive trips all the time.
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