5060 housing help

I have the new Olympus PT-20 housing for the Olympus 5060 digital camera. The problem is that to use an external strobe you have to connect using a fiber optic cable, (or use their housing for the fl20) otherwise no TTL. I want to bypass that idea and put in my own bulkhead connector, so I can use TTL with a Sea & Sea strobe, In theory turning it into a cheaper version of the Tetra 5050 housing. So I want to know can where I buy the connector and anything else that I may need, like wires and cables, so if anyone has some useful advice or no of a good camera shop I could try would be grateful.

Thanks

Doesn't exist...although I understand that Ikelite MAY be developing a hard connection from their housings to YS90 products Although it won't be TTL....Olympus has a kind of proprietary TTL format that only their (and Promaster) strobes will work with. You're stuck with manual and fiber unless you use the FL-20 and the Olympus housing...but my bet is that the light level from the FL-20 won't be signifigant enough for water use...just my opinion mind you

Boy, this thread is FULL of confusing information already and I'm hoping to bring it back to earth. (hope that didn't sound snooty, I didn't mean it to)

Kriptap: Did you actually get a PT-020 housing already? If so cool! It already HAS a bulkhead installed for connection of a cord - so I'm confused why you would want to install another...

When you say:

The problem is that to use an external strobe you have to connect using a fiber optic cable,

There is one company that actually installs bulkheads in PG-015 housings:

http://www.oceanbrite.com/moreinfo.php?id=345

Check it out. That allows you to connect the camera directly to the strobe w/ an electronic sync cord - but it's not a Sea and Sea strobe...

Cheers

James

Some good replys here, thanks. Anyway no I don't have the PT-20 yet but will on the 22nd of November. So what you're saying is that I can install my own cord/strobe to the bulk head and not have to use the fiber optic cable?

Thanks

If you are feeling brave, you can probably drill the housing and install your own strobe bulkhead. You will probably have to cut some of the wires so that it fires the strobe manually only.

If you feel like giving it a shot (and I have wondered why no one else has tried this) then you can buy the bulkheads here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...sku=1731&is=REG

Or something similar. Aquatica also makes them with a Nikonos bulkhead.

Cheers

James

Hi,

Does anyone know yet what kind of bulkhead connector is fitted to the PT20 housing? I doubt it will be an Nikonos type! Also will it be able to provide TTL with existing strobes, again I guess not, just manual triggering?

This is like swimming in Jello

First, in talking with a major strobe manufacturer, the Olympus TTL format (electronically) is proprietary (I was looking for an alternative top side unit).....meaning that the logic used from camera to strobe to auto-quench has not been released to 3rd parties. Another strobe manufacturerthinks they have deciphered this and has produced a logic chip which seems to work properly....but this is land based. As far as I know, none of the BIG name marine strobe manufacturers have wanted to takle this slippery slope

Any water tight elctrical bulk head connector could be used on any housing, I suppose. You need the pin-outs for the particular strobe you are using and the pin-outs for the hot shoe on the camrea. Then you need a mating connector for the hot shoe. If you've pinned out correctly, AND there is nothing internal to the strobe electronics which would casue a problem, the strobe should, in theory, be able to be used as a "slave"....If anything electronically/electrically is amiss (ie bad pin-out, bad connection, strobe anomoly) you fry the camera

Seems like a lot of risk for a user to assume in re-inventing the wheel

I'd call S&S or Ikelite, and see what they think....I'm sure Olympus is going to be no help