Tricks and tips for using the Oly and PT-10

[Bomber]

I've noticed several people are using this set up. Here's some tricks we figured out with the help of Allan at UWdigital and Mark at Xtend-a-view.

Using the PT-10 and Oly in shallow water and high glare can effectively reduce the LCD to useless.

Cut a gasket out of foam, neo, whatever's handy to fit on the inside of the case between the LCD and the clear window. Completely around the LCD, you want it thick enough that closing the housing will hold it but not put any pressure on the LCD. That will block out the mirror effect of light inside the clear housing.

Attach a Xtend-aView with the rubber eye cup on the outside of the housing with velcro. That stops all the light around the LCD, like a hood, only better it magnifies. Now you have a big LCD to look at.

HTH
Bomber

Allan > www.underwaterdigital.net

Mark - Xtend-a-View > http://www.photosolve.com/xtendaview.asp

 

[Dee]

How close to the Ext-tendaview do you have to be to see through it? I hold my camera mostly at about 1/2 an arms length away. The whole things looks kind of bulky...

 

[Bomber]

Hey Dee

It's not bulky to us at all. With the rubber eye cup you can put it right up to your mask. When you look through it at the LCD, the LCD is magnified. You could almost count pixels.

Another problem I had was needing reading glasses under water to see the LCD too. Forget seeing the menu. It not only blocked the glare but magnified it just like reading glass for me.

Bomber

 

[Dee]

One of the things I really like about digital cameras is you don't have to look through a viewfinder. And I need more than reading glasses so I don't know how the magnification would work with my RX mask.

I am going to try the foam gasket thing, though. Thanks for the tips.

 

[cmdasia]

Bomber,

I can see another possible use for this - one of the major problems I have using the PT10/4040 is "getting low shooting high" attempting it with the PT10 means I cannot see the screen without getting involved with coral.

If you put a 90 degree bend on the eye optic (and a mirror at 45 degrees in the bend) then I would be able to see the LCD from above the camera. I would definitely buy one!!!!!!

Chris


Note (The 5050 obviates this requirment as it has a moveable LCD screen)

 

[Dee]

cmdasia once bubbled...

Note (The 5050 obviates this requirment as it has a moveable LCD screen)

cmdasia....can you describe how this LCD screen moves?

 

[cmdasia]

Dee,

the LCD can be tilted 20 degrees down or 90 degrees up - presumably just set it to 45 degrees before closing the housing (hoping that the eventual housing/s will support this of course)


http://www.dpreview.com/news/0208/olyc5050z-big.jpg


PS An interesting aside - whilst looking up the link I noticed that the 5050 maximum Fstop is f8 whereas the 4040 is f10 (a very little differance whilst actually taking photos but I had thought with the new cam they would have tried to increase the max fstop

 

[Dee]

cmdasia once bubbled...
Dee,

the LCD can be tilted 20 degrees down or 90 degrees up - presumably just set it to 45 degrees before closing the housing (hoping that the eventual housing/s will support this of course)

I'm trying to find a picture showing this tilt. It's something that would have to be preset before placed in the housing, which sounds sort of restricting to me. Would be a neat feature on land, though.

PS An interesting aside - whilst looking up the link I noticed that the 5050 maximum Fstop is f8 whereas the 4040 is f10 (a very little differance whilst actually taking photos but I had thought with the new cam they would have tried to increase the max fstop

Look at the Olympus site. It states a f/10 maximum. I do like the ability to use different memory cards. But over all, for u/w photography, there nothing that makes me want to upgrade to it. I think I'll just wear out my 4040!

 

[cmdasia]

Just decided to have a trawl around the net to see if I could find an image of the back of the upcoming OLYPT15 hosuing, to see if there is enough space to tilt the screen - there seems to be a pic of the back at this site:

http://www.nautilus-equipment.de/indexolympus.html

Although the pic will not open on my computer.

Also checked underwater digital and they seem to say that a shade will be included - guess more pics and links will be out in this month sometime

http://www.underwaterdigital.net/what's_new.htm

Chris

 

[Dee]

But that shade shown on the PT-09 looks pretty good! I can't read German/Dutch so I have no idea if they were selling it alone.

Wonder if Allan can get us just the shade?

Oh Allan.......????