DSLR designed by divers?

Based on my struggles to combine diving and photography, I found the video about Olympus's presentation of their new UW offerings--especially the E410 housing and accessories--- very insightful. Please scroll down the following site and see and hear for yourself.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/EVENTS/PMA...MAS07VIDEO.HTML

It almost seems that the Olympus rep has actually done some diving with one of the huge rigs he mentions, under less than ideal circumstances. It is certainly a camera/housing/flash option that I'll considering seriously, both for its compactness and also the great help of Live View. (It does seems that this Olympus innovation is now available on Canon's latest flagship, too. but I neither want to pay for nor have to carry, let alone dive with such a huge camera!).

Unfortunately this cameras Live Preview only works in B Mode which is only really of any use on a tripod. The E330 is still the only affordable u/w camera with live preview. I'm not including the new Canon because who can actually afford one?

Rowec, if by "only works in B mode" you mean the camera can only be focused manually, that is wrong. The camera only has one live view setting but it works in both AF and manual. It also is a 100 % view of the entire image as it will be captured. The new Canon camera does not AF in the live view mode and is more for studio use with a tripod. Since the Olympus E-410 now takes "live view" from the Live MOS sensor it has a very bright viewfinder, (brighter than the E-330). It will also have some shutter lag like a digicam. I would take the brighter viewfinder over the shutter lag anyday.

Phil Rudin

As an eye doc I have to question how well a live preview will work for photogs over 45. Even the best LCD displays are of poor resolution compared to an optical image through a viewfinder. A weakness in my opinion of all cameras that rely on an LCD.

Nice video's on that link from imaging resources. I was intrigued by the Sigma 14 mp rangefinder. A dedicated housing and a dome port that extends the wide angle of the lens could be nice. F4 is a drawback though.

I was impressed by Olympus rep. He did seem to know UW photography. I particularly noted the small slave flash they have developed for their point and shoot housings. Could it be a repackaged Sea & Sea YS 30? A nice idea.

As an eye doc I have to question how well a live preview will work for photogs over 45. Even the best LCD displays are of poor resolution compared to an optical image through a viewfinder. A weakness in my opinion of all cameras that rely on an LCD.

I'm 58 and have produced reasonable pics with the smaller and lower res LCD on the Oly 5050Z. While I I greatly prefer optical viewfinders for land photography, I think that they have real problems --which the Olympus rep does a good job of outlining--for UW photography. And, judging by my Olympus E500, Olympus's "hypercrystal" LCD has impressive resolution, colour and viewing angles. Also, according to several divers using the Olympus E330 in a couple of different housings, Live View works really well underwater. Finally, based on my own experiences trying to dive and take pictures in challenging situations, the compactness of the new camera/housing/flash outfit will also be a huge help.

Your remark on the SIMGA rangefinder is interesting. The Foveon sensor, with its lack of Bayer arifacts, is an attractive technology which I've looked at a number of times. Unfortunately, Sigma's implementations to date don't seem to have been all that successful in producing an effective *general purpose* camera.

Depending on cost and availability, I'll be taking a close look at an Olympus E-410 dive camera outfit.

Could it be a repackaged Sea & Sea YS 30? A nice idea.

The new Olympus strobe does appear to be a rebranded Sea & Sea slave that is controled by fiber optics.

Also take note that the new PT-E03 housing for the new E-410 allows the pop-up strobe on the camera to be raised inside the housing. This would allow for use of any strobe which can be slaved using fiber optic cable.

Phil Rudin

Hi!

The LiveView implemented in the new cameras has been changed. Both modes implemented in the E-330 have been sort of merged. If this really leads to a significant shutter lag isn't clear yet. Let's wait for the final product to judge.

I'm using an E-330 for a while now and I found the LiveView sometimes quite distracting. You're more focused on the image and its composition with a true optical finder. The LiveView is great for street photography style pictures. My next housing will therefore again have an optical finder. Maybe an optional LiveView too.

The LiveView is definitely great for those taking the step from compact to DSLR. The small housing is a good idea too. The housed E-410 seems to be a nice little tool for UW-photography. The only thing missing is still a proper stobe connector but there are 3rd party products to fill the gap (Matthias Heinrich's TTL adaptor for those who like to use TTL, and converter cables to connect N5 strobe connectors).

Helge ;-)=)

Hi all!

I would agree with Helge that LiveView is at times useful with my Olympus PT-E02 housing for the E-330, but I find myself still relying on the optical view finder most of the time. The jury is still out on the E-410/E-510 but the images I have seen so far look promising. The 12 to 60 F 2.8/4 mm zoom and 2 X teleconverter coming this year are also very exciting news for the few Olympus faithful here at Wetpixel.

At around $1500 U.S. the E-410/PT-E03 camera/housing combo should be a great entry level package for those wanting to get into a DSLR.

Phil Rudin