I'm wanting to use my old Oly 3040 as a dive camera, but since my camera is so old, is it worth dropping $500 on an Ikelite housing? I can't find the old Oly PT-010 housing, they just don't exist anymore. Should I consider a newer camera and housing, or house this 3040 up and start taking pictures? Thanks
Olympus 3040 housing?
- Thread starter FFJones12
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hornetplt
Guest
My advice would be to purchase a C-7070 with IKELITE housing. I have used the C-3040, C-4040 and now the C-7070, all with Ikelite housings. It is a no-brainer for me to spend the extra few hundred dollars and not have to worry about the frequent problems/floodings with the Olympus housings. In my opinion, the Ikelites are much better built and worth every penny. B&H sells the Ikelite housings for $499, not sure what the Olympus are going for.
MagnaRyder2
Guest
The 3040 is a decent camera for learning the ins and outs of underwater photography.
With additional external lenses and strobes, it will hold its own.
Two things are working against you, though. First is resolution. A 3 MB camera is
on the lower end of what most people want to shoot. It will hold up to a full frame
8-1/2 x 11 photo or some cropping to smaller photos. It's very workable as long as you
recognize its limits and work within them.
The second item is probably the worst. You'll have to consider the 3040 and its
housing a disposable commodity. The camera is long in the tooth. Replacements
are getting harder and harder to find. Repair will cost more than buying a newer
camera. The housing is a custom fit glove for a specific camera family. If you
lose your 3040, you'll probably have to scrap the housing. If you buy a newer
camera and housing, the chances of replacing the camera will be greater, lessening
the loss to just camera and not camera and housing.
I've used my 3020/PT-010 for three seasons now and just this year bought a
housing for my newer camera. Not that the 3020 was bad, I just started longing
for some other features that the 3020 lacked.
So, it's up to you and your comfort level with the 3040.
With additional external lenses and strobes, it will hold its own.
Two things are working against you, though. First is resolution. A 3 MB camera is
on the lower end of what most people want to shoot. It will hold up to a full frame
8-1/2 x 11 photo or some cropping to smaller photos. It's very workable as long as you
recognize its limits and work within them.
The second item is probably the worst. You'll have to consider the 3040 and its
housing a disposable commodity. The camera is long in the tooth. Replacements
are getting harder and harder to find. Repair will cost more than buying a newer
camera. The housing is a custom fit glove for a specific camera family. If you
lose your 3040, you'll probably have to scrap the housing. If you buy a newer
camera and housing, the chances of replacing the camera will be greater, lessening
the loss to just camera and not camera and housing.
I've used my 3020/PT-010 for three seasons now and just this year bought a
housing for my newer camera. Not that the 3020 was bad, I just started longing
for some other features that the 3020 lacked.
So, it's up to you and your comfort level with the 3040.
FFJones12:
I have PM-ed you. Let me know if you would like to make an offer for a housing.
You'll enjoy the 3040, if you go down that road. I certainly started with a similar camera (3020) and it took some of my best shots. (BTW - I have moved up to a 5050, which many SB subscribers use - Olympus rules!)
f3nikon
Guest
FFJones12:
I still think this is the best value for anyone starting off.
http://cgi.ebay.com/OLYMPUS-PT-019-...600085479QQcategoryZ50506QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/Olympus-CAMEDIA...599279557QQcategoryZ48542QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I know they are still bidding but I have seen the Olympus housing go for $50.00 and the C-5000 for $150.00.
I can't find my last post on this subject. But I have tried this camera on land, the C-5000 is like a strip down version of the C-5050. A non metal body compared to the 5050 (the underwater housing will protect anyway) full manual mode, super macro and a hotshoe on both cameras. I believe both cameras use the same chip at 5mp.
The Olympus housing has all the controls and the housing lens port is made of real optic glass on both, not plastic (I think why the C-5050 takes some great pictures)
hornetplt:
Pit - have you owned an Olympus housing - or are you just dissing them on spec?
I have owned two - no floods - no problems. I also note that they are far and away the most popular amongst Oly users on this Board, who don't seem to report frequent problems.
Any housing can and will flood if mistreated - but I doubt your evidence for 'frequent problems / floodings' with the Olympus housings.
Gilligan
Contributor
IMHO you should purchase a new camera and a new housing.
The 3040 is an excellent camera however I would not spend the money on the Ikelite housing. The camera is too far behind the curve and if the camera dies or you flood the housing you will be left with a basically useless housing unless you can find another 3040, 4000, or 4040.
I am using the C4000 which uses the same housing as the 3040. I have two housings and two cameras and use them constantly.
I must warn you on a used PT-010. The part that usually wears out first is the "horseshoe" looking piece of sprung steel on top of the housing that returns the zoom lever to the center position. The shutter control is part of that assembly and the zoom lever must be centered in order for the shutter to work. It's not if it breaks, but when. Of course I use my camera about three times a week and got about two years plus out of that piece of steel. Nevertheless, there is no replacement part for it, or any other parts, other than the main O-ring. Both of my housings have broken zoom lever springs. It does not render the housing inoperable but you have to do some creative inventing to fill the gap that is left between the base of the lever control and the housing or you will have a wobbly lever/shutter control assembly which may cause a leak at that O-ring. I configured shims from the plastic tops off Costco (Kirkland) yogurt cups. I had to use three shims on one housing and two on the other as the gaps varied slightly. The housings work fine but you have to manually move the zoom lever back to center before taking a photo. Not a big deal or enough reason for me to buy a new camera and housing.
The Oly 7070 as well as the 8080 are discontinued cameras and housings. Take a good look at Canon and Fuji as well as Olympus before making your decision.
Some things to look for:
Don't buy a camera that does not have manual (custom) white balance capability.
Battery type is another factor. Many of the manufacturers have gone back to or stayed with AA bats. They are easy to get and are cheap. The re-chargeables work best.
Be sure the built in strobe functions in the housing if you don't have an external one.
Check the macro mode distances of the different brands and models and if the flash works in those modes.
Will you want to shoot in the RAW mode?
Good luck.
The 3040 is an excellent camera however I would not spend the money on the Ikelite housing. The camera is too far behind the curve and if the camera dies or you flood the housing you will be left with a basically useless housing unless you can find another 3040, 4000, or 4040.
I am using the C4000 which uses the same housing as the 3040. I have two housings and two cameras and use them constantly.
I must warn you on a used PT-010. The part that usually wears out first is the "horseshoe" looking piece of sprung steel on top of the housing that returns the zoom lever to the center position. The shutter control is part of that assembly and the zoom lever must be centered in order for the shutter to work. It's not if it breaks, but when. Of course I use my camera about three times a week and got about two years plus out of that piece of steel. Nevertheless, there is no replacement part for it, or any other parts, other than the main O-ring. Both of my housings have broken zoom lever springs. It does not render the housing inoperable but you have to do some creative inventing to fill the gap that is left between the base of the lever control and the housing or you will have a wobbly lever/shutter control assembly which may cause a leak at that O-ring. I configured shims from the plastic tops off Costco (Kirkland) yogurt cups. I had to use three shims on one housing and two on the other as the gaps varied slightly. The housings work fine but you have to manually move the zoom lever back to center before taking a photo. Not a big deal or enough reason for me to buy a new camera and housing.
The Oly 7070 as well as the 8080 are discontinued cameras and housings. Take a good look at Canon and Fuji as well as Olympus before making your decision.
Some things to look for:
Don't buy a camera that does not have manual (custom) white balance capability.
Battery type is another factor. Many of the manufacturers have gone back to or stayed with AA bats. They are easy to get and are cheap. The re-chargeables work best.
Be sure the built in strobe functions in the housing if you don't have an external one.
Check the macro mode distances of the different brands and models and if the flash works in those modes.
Will you want to shoot in the RAW mode?
Good luck.
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