Nikon Coolpix 5000 or Olympus C5050Z

I m allready using a C3040Z in a olympus PT10 housing with the DS50 and the TTL Sensor from Ikelite. i also have the PCU-01 macro lense and Inon UWL-100 Type 2 addon lenses.

i want to upgrade my system now. i want to save my DS50 and the addon lenses.

Now the Question:

I prefer the Ikelite housing for any of the 2 cameras. i also want to buy the ds 125 as primary flash.

1) should i buy the manuel controller for the ds125 or should i use a sync cord?

2) can i use the addon lenses also on the new housings for olympus or nikon

3) which camera is better for macro or wideangle shots with the lenses.

4) which delay is shorter between the time you push the shutter release and when the picture is taken

5) i cant see well underwater and the lcd is most time to small to figure out if the picture is good or not. is there a system (a lense or something)on the market to make this lcdview bigger?

6) are there strobearms where i can mount on the lenses which i dont use? they should hold the lense safe and should let me change the lenses easly underwater?

txs for your mind.

nice greetings

charon

With the Ikelite housing:

should i buy the manuel controller for the ds125 or should i use a sync cord?

If you use a sync cord only then you'll only get 4 manual settings on the DS-125. With the manual controller it'll give you 10. You can also hook up the manual controller with a sync cord instead of using the sensor.

can i use the addon lenses also on the new housings for olympus or nikon

Ikelite says that you can fit the Inon UWL-100 wide angle lens on both housings, so any lens with a 67mm thread should fit.

which camera is better for macro or wideangle shots with the lenses.

The CP5000 has a 28-85mm lens(wider) and normal and macro focus range of 50cm-infinity and 2cm-infinity. The C5050 has a 'brighter' (f1.8) 35-105mm lens and normal and macro focus range of 80cm-infinity and 20-80cm. It also has a 'supermacro' range of 3cm-20cm with the focal length fixed at about 1/3 zoom.

which delay is shorter between the time you push the shutter release and when the picture is taken

roughly the same with the C5050 maybe just a fraction faster

i cant see well underwater and the lcd is most time to small to figure out if the picture is good or not. is there a system (a lense or something)on the market to make this lcdview bigger?

I'm not sure but I think most people use bifocals.

are there strobearms where i can mount on the lenses which i dont use? they should hold the lense safe and should let me change the lenses easly underwater?

There are 2 products that I know of:

The Inon M67 single or dual lens caddy which can be mounted on Ultralight and Inon arms and a product from gbundersea.com called Digital Lens Dock. But it can only mount 1 lens at a time so you'll need 2 - unless you will keep one screwed on the port all the time.

HTH

woot, txs for your help.

so i think for macro shoots and wide angle i prefer the cooplix 5000

however i m happy that i can use most of my old stuff also on the new system

You should be able to get a great deal on the Nikon now that it's been discontinued and dealers are trying to get rid of them to make way for whatever comes next.

I have used the Olympus C-4040 for over a year diving every week in Hawaii. I think that the most important feature of the Oly's is the f1.8 bright lens, low light focus abilty is superb. You already use a C-3040 so upgrade to the C-5050 and you won't be sorry. Look at the results I get with the C-4040 at http://homepage.mac.com/dicklundholm I love that simple little camera! I think sometimes we race on to a new camera before we squeeze all the results we can get out of the old one but moving from a C3040 to a C5050 would be a nice upgrade. (I have no connection with Olympus).

Dick, some excellent shots there and a nice rig too. Some exif would be nice. I love the scarlet shrimp(1) and exposure and comp of the Green turtle(2) is perfect.

Looks to me in some of the photos that dual strobes make a big difference (when used correctly). Both are hardwired so I take it you set the output levels of both the strobes manually?

And where were the mantas at? That's my mission in life these days .

the f1.8 bright lens, low light focus abilty is superb

Agree with you. I don't know about user experiences but the low light focusing ability of the CP5000 got knocked at dpreview.com. Also the exposure sensor on the body and not TTL just isn't quite right in an otherwise superb camera.

Also agree that the C5050 would be a natural progression for Charon. Was there anything in particular you didn't like about the C3040?

Dick,

Your shots are SUPERB - thanks for posting them.

I like the photo of your Tetra rig too.

I noticed that you use a focusing light. Whether you have an f2.8 lens or a 1/2 stop brighter f1.8 lens - it still seems that you need a focusing light - that's just the way it is I guess.

My personal rec. for upgrading would be - it depends on your strobes. If you upgrade to the CP5000, you can use literally any strobe. I'd recommend the Ikelite housing if you are cost conscious - it has ALL of the features of the more expensive housings. If you go w/ the 5050/PT-015 you are stuck with 2 or 3 strobe choices. Otherwise the cameras are pretty much equal.

Cheers

James

Thanks for your comments about my web site. You asked about my strobe settings, I set them manually. My strobes are Sea & Sea DX90 digital. I don't change them a lot, mostly when I change lens underwater. I keep it simple, I set my shutter speed at 1/200 and never change it, the only thing I change to affect exposure is my f stop (and strobe power ocassionally). Your second question regarding the Mantas, commercial dive boats here in Kona go on night Manta dives most days. The night I took the photos in my website was unusual, we had 11 (yes 11) Mantas swirling around in our lights. Jamesw you noticed the focusing light, I really only need it with the C-4040 when I am in dark places or at night. We have lots of overhangs, lava tubes and other caves here in Kona, I use it in thoses, out in the open our water is bright enough that I don't use an assist light with the C-4040 it tends to scare the fish.

Dick,

Very nice shots with great exposures...........you said you almost exclusively use 1/200 sec shutter speed.........what aperture? and strobe settings?

My wife is using the c4040 and we're always interested in settings that work for other people.........I've recently added the manual controller to both of our rigs and look forward to using them this month in the Flower Gardens

Karl

First I use ISO 100 exclusively to prevent noise, and fulltime autofocus turned ON. For Macro I start with F8, strobes set at 1/5th power and go up or down on the f stop to adjust (again I leave shutter speed always at 1/200 to freeze motion). Rarely do I need to adjust strobe pwr in macro. For normal fish photography (no lens attached to housing) I start with f4.5 and strobes set at 1/3 power, again I adjust f stop up or down to nail the exposure. With my wide angle lens attached I start with f4.5 and strobe pwr at 1/2. I find 4.5 roughly balances exposure and the background water here in Kona. I always try to shoot up and work with an f stop that underexposes the surface water by 1/3rd stop, then I move in or away from the subject (like a turtle) to keep the strobe exposure right on the subject so I don't have to adjust strobe pwr, I then compose with the zoom. It takes some practice!

Another huge strength of this type camera that DSLR's don't have is the ability to compose with the LCD screen.

Karl,

When are you going to the Flower Gardens? I'd like to go too.

Cheers

James

We are going on the Sea Searcher II on the weekend of May 31-June 1..........going with our local shop........full last time I checked, but it would be great if you could get on........we are open to another trip if you are going later this summer

Let me know

Karl