WTB: Olympus PT-030/Ikelite for SP-350 Camera

[scubamgb]

Hi fellow SB members:

I am based out of Toronto, Canada. I own an Oly SP-350 camera and would like to buy an underwaterhousing for it - either the Oly PT-030 or the Ikelite equivalent for an SP3-50.

If anyone is interesting in selling/parting with an underwater housing, let me know.

Thanks.

 

[CheddarChick]

Olympus has a Auction site on ebay. Right now they have a buy it now on the PT 30 housing at $159 plus shipping. This is the cheapest I have seen it..
I have gotten things from here and been very happy

OLYMPUS PT-030 Underwater Housing Digital SP-310/350 - eBay (item 250412114192 end time May-22-09 19:37:18 PDT)

 

[scubamgb]

CheddarChick - thanks for the reply and the recommendation to check eBay. Like the fact that the housing would come from Olympus and that there is a 30 day money back guarantee from them. Nice little extra if you ask me!

 

[CheddarChick]

I agree

 

[CheddarChick]

So did you buy it??

 

[merxlin]

I did. Had to replace one that flooded, (ahem) all by itself . Honest!

 

[CheddarChick]

Merlin!!!!! Oh No!!!!!! What happened?? Don't worry girlfriend, they will have another one soon....Just keep checking

 

[merxlin]

Merlin!!!!! Oh No!!!!!! What happened?? Don't worry girlfriend, they will have another one soon....Just keep checking

I was done for the day, had the camera all set up for the next day (was on a multiday trip), when this pelican landed on our mooring buoy. It was a great sunset shot so I pulled the camera out and took a few pix. Then I made the cardinal sin and just re-inserted the camera in the housing without doing my normal reassembly routine since I had just done it. It appears that something may have been caught in the o-ring. Whats funny is that this is the second flood for that housing. The first I know for sure there was no problem ( a very slow leak from a bad O-ring is what it looked like leaving about 1/4" of water in the housing), but the service report came back with no reports of any bad parts (operator error). The second time, when I am almost sure it was my fault, the report came back that the housing was unsalvageable, so they offered to replace it (non-operator error). So now I'm thinking it wasn't my fault.

I found a new camera at an outlet store by me for a good price, and now will have a new housing. I hope to get it all wet next Wednesday.

BTW - I think they have several at the outlet. They sell all the discontinued stock there.


Moral of the story- never get complacent about your maintenance and assembly/disassembly routine.

 

[scubamgb]

CheddarChick - I did buy the undewater housing off e-bay. I'm excited yet a little worried...this whole flooding the housing/camera things! I will have to be extra, extra careful with loading and unload the camera.

Merxlin - I will take your advice to heart, check, double check, triple check before you close the housing and get wet. Glad to see you got a new camera and housing.

 

[merxlin]

CheddarChick - I did buy the undewater housing off e-bay. I'm excited yet a little worried...this whole flooding the housing/camera things! I will have to be extra, extra careful with loading and unload the camera.

Merxlin - I will take your advice to heart, check, double check, triple check before you close the housing and get wet. Glad to see you got a new camera and housing.

I had over a hundred dives on my original housing with no issues. I wouldn't worry about it. Good regular maintenance should provide you with years of good service. That said, I would buy flood insurance just in case.

Pay close attention to the strings that hold the lens cap and the LCD hood. Tie them tightly and trim off all excess. They can catch between the housing and O-ring when closing it up.