After the Oly5050/PT-015 - What's Next?

Hi Folks,

Now that the Olympus 5050 and the corresponding PT-015 housing are discontinued, I thought it would be a good time to talk about the future. This camera and housing combination was THE recommended setup for beginners for much of 2003-2004 as the setup is affordable, works well with a variety of strobes, and the camera has excellent functionality for underwater use. Of course, the cost was VERY attractive for divers wanting to jump into underwater digital photography. When used with the Ikelite housing, this camera even provides TTL external strobe control.

Of course, even though the system has been discontinued, units will still be available to purchase new, but that won't last for long. Unfortunately for us underwater shooters, Olympus seems to be running with the pack (Nikon, Canon, etc) when it comes to camera design. Their new flagship model has a long zoom lens which isn't much good underwater. Their wide zoom camera the 5060 is great for mid-sized subjects and macro, but because of the way the lens zooms, it doesn't work well with add-on lenses and the Olympus WA lens solution is not a solution at all...

So what does the future hold for compact camera shooters? What to do in 3 or 4 or 6 months when the PT-015/5050 isn't available and someone asks "What's a good starter setup?"

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Sincerely,

James

My take is that the 5060 in an Ikelite housing with the optional dome for wide angle is the next best thing to a 5050 in an Ikelite housing, both with TTL.

As for me, I'm sticking with my 5050 in an Ikelite housing with TTL until I can see a clear path to the Nikon D70 in an iTTL supported Ikelite housing, if such a thing ever becomes available.

Even then, I think it's going to be hard to beat the 5050 and clearly the D70 is not an entry level solution.

That seems like a good answer for you Peter.

But what about the "beginner question" which is usually "which camera and housing to get - for under $1,000" They generally aren't willing to pay for the upgrade to the Ikelite housing, and especially not for an extra dome port, etc.

Cheers

James

I haven't personally researched them, but doesn't Cannon have some decent offerings with low cost housings available?

Also, if the 5050 + PT is actually discountinued (which I've heard it's just backordered), would the 5060 + PT really be that bad of a starter kit?

I think it'd be pretty decent. I think it'd certainly fall into the "next best thing" category, which is where your question seems to be aimed at.

I haven't seen any consumer camera + housing better suited for underwater use at anywhere close to the price. The features that are most important in rough prioritized order are:

manual control

good wide angle options

good macro performance

image quality

small size

raw output

Compact flash media so you can store all those raw outputs

histogram with the playback

.

.

.

.

ttl

It's hard to beat for the current price of ~ $600 for the whole setup. Get them while you can. I've talked a number of people at my local diveclub and NCUPS who's been sitting on the fence about digital into getting this. Throw in another $500 or so for a strobe and another $100 for tray and arms, and you can go a long ways. The thing I missed most in going to the Canon is the small size and the LCD framing.

But what about the "beginner question" which is usually "which camera and housing to get - for under $1,000"  They generally aren't willing to pay for the upgrade to the Ikelite housing, and especially not for an extra dome port, etc.

If you can't get hold of a C5050 in a PT-015 housing the C5060 in a PT-020 would be my recommendation as a starter. If you want to add a WAL the Athena dome looks promising and the Oly land WAL is a sweet piece of glass. Ok, it's not going to be as wide as a C5050 with a Inon WAL + dome, but it's still a workable solution for the average amateur and intermediate uw photographer. Hard wire it to an Inon Z220s using Mike's(?) sync cord and you've got a nice piece of gear.

If you want a small setup the Canon A80 in the OEM housing looks promising too.

> It's hard to beat for the current price of ~ $600 for the whole setup.

Do any of the wetpixel sponsors have this setup available (and maybe

with the INON fisheye lens)?

Probably. A good start would be UWCP, Backscatter, or MCD for the housing. You can also order the Inon + Dome from them, or perhaps directly from Inon.

Back to the subject - great posts so far. I hate to think that we are over the hill though - and systems will never match the Oly5050/PT-015 again... C'mon, there MUST be a next big thing on the horizon.

Cheers

James

Back to the subject - great posts so far. I hate to think that we are over the hill though - and systems will never match the Oly5050/PT-015 again... C'mon, there MUST be a next big thing on the horizon.

Happenstance may bring another "next" thing. The Oly 5060 wasn't designed to be the UW photographer's dream machine. It just turned out that way.

In the meantime, people will just use the 5060 or 8080, and then the 5070, 6060 or 9090. They will be purchased by people who never heard of the 5050. They will be the choice as long as there is a PTxxx for it for $200. (of course they will then lust after $1000's of accessories including a WA lens).

With product life cylcles getting a little longer, you will see more innovative accessories appear (e.g. dome ports, new lens attachments). Someone will make a nice WA attachment that works well, but not through the entire zoom range. People won't care what the 5050 did. They will be happy with the shots they get compared to their MX10 or Nikonos V.

Happenstance may bring another "next" thing.  The Oly 5060 wasn't designed to be the UW photographer's dream machine.  It just turned out that way.

Probably not entirely. The slave flash mode was probably put in to accomdate underwater use.

The thumbwheel sure wasn't.

They will be happy with the shots they get compared to their MX10 or Nikonos V.

Ehh.............. I have to question this one. The Nikonos V with a framer kit did and does produce some of the best quality macro images ever taken underwater. Fully automatic in TTL mode. Anybody could use one and they would be amazed and delighted with the results achieved. Far easier then any digital camera currently on the market. OK you are restricted on what subject you can take but that's a different matter. Expanding on the topic being discussed, was the Oly 5050/PT15 combo a big step backward compared to a Nikonos V?

The Nikonos V with a framer kit did and does produce some of the best quality macro images ever taken underwater. Fully automatic in TTL mode. Anybody could use one and they would be amazed and delighted with the results achieved. Far easier then any digital camera currently on the market. OK you are restricted on what subject you can take but that's a different matter. Expanding on the topic being discussed, was the Oly 5050/PT15 combo a big step backward compared to a Nikonos V?

Interesting question. Sharpdiver (Jeff) who is busy with life away from the boards(s) would went from the Nik V to the Digi-Oly series and would tell you that it was NOT a step backwards.

Photography, like everything else except golf, gets better with practice. The see the results-shoot again ability of digital really helps people get keepers on their very first trip. I agree that a Nik V and framer can and does produce excellent results, and the 15mm will produce results unmatched by any digital. Using a Nik V for macro is a relatively uncomplicated task, but the reality is that every time I hand one to somebody here's what happens: They chase fish trying to get them in the framer. They carefully slide the camera up to the subject and push the shutter release with the framer 3 inches from the subject. They tilt the camera at an odd angle to allow the framer more room, resulting in a poor angle of view. With other lenses, they struggle with parallax and framing. The go home and with high expectations, they get their film back and are disappointed. They may or may not figure out what they did wrong. By the time they go on their next trip, they've forgotten what they've learned and repeat the same mistakes.

Digital, with its generally greater DOF and immediate feedback, is a bit more forgiving. The odds of coming home with at least a few shots you like on your occassional trip is far greater. Printing these on 4 x 6 paper negates the resolution advantage of film.

The Nikonos V with a framer kit did and does produce some of the best quality macro images ever taken underwater. Fully automatic in TTL mode. Anybody could use one and they would be amazed and delighted with the results achieved. Far easier then any digital camera currently on the market. OK you are restricted on what subject you can take but that's a different matter. Expanding on the topic being discussed, was the Oly 5050/PT15 combo a big step backward compared to a Nikonos V?

 

Interesting question. Sharpdiver (Jeff) who is busy with life away from the boards(s) would went from the Nik V to the Digi-Oly series and would tell you that it was NOT a step backwards.

 

Photography, like everything else except golf, gets better with practice. The see the results-shoot again ability of digital really helps people get keepers on their very first trip. I agree that a Nik V and framer can and does produce excellent results, and the 15mm will produce results unmatched by any digital. Using a Nik V for macro is a relatively uncomplicated task, but the reality is that every time I hand one to somebody here's what happens: They chase fish trying to get them in the framer. They carefully slide the camera up to the subject and push the shutter release with the framer 3 inches from the subject. They tilt the camera at an odd angle to allow the framer more room, resulting in a poor angle of view. With other lenses, they struggle with parallax and framing. The go home and with high expectations, they get their film back and are disappointed. They may or may not figure out what they did wrong. By the time they go on their next trip, they've forgotten what they've learned and repeat the same mistakes.

 

Digital, with its generally greater DOF and immediate feedback, is a bit more forgiving. The odds of coming home with at least a few shots you like on your occassional trip is far greater. Printing these on 4 x 6 paper negates the resolution advantage of film.

Scorpio, totally agree, being able to see the results immediately helps but I've seen plenty poor shots from digital cameras too. I would contend that any new underwater photographer would 'chase the fish' as you mention and the results from either a digital or a Nikonos V would be the same crap result! In fact taking pictures of fish with a consumer range digital camera is just about as difficult as using a framer! But yes, being able to see the results certainly speeds up the learning process no question! And yes...... totally agree about the golf too! Thing is, my first underwater camera was a Nikonos V (yes I'm being sentimental), and I first used it on a dive trip to Lembeh, Indonesia. OK, I read up on how to use it and understood the basics. The results of that very first trip still rate as some of the best slides I have in my collection. Ah well ..... (for the record I'm all digital now but still look back with affection!)

Keep swinging!

P.S. - Sorry this thread is heading of track........ again!

cant you use the Inon WAL with the c5060 and just zoom in to prevent vignetting?

the inon site seems to suggest that youll get the same angle of coverage as you would with the c5050.

has anyone done this?

If you have to zoom in, then what's the point of using the wideangle lens?

Cheers

James

If you have to zoom in, then what's the point of using the wideangle lens?

 

Cheers

James

The question is if it's zoomed to 35mm equiv. would you get the same results as the 5050 and if that's the case the 5060 is not at a disavantage. I think that was the way to use the coolpix 5000 with the Inon lens, and the results are good. However for the 5060's moving front element, the lens may be set further back from the port, and it may not do as well.

Zooming the 5060 in to the same 35mm starting point as the 5050 yields similar coverage.

Zooming the 5060 in to the same 35mm starting point as the 5050 yields similar coverage.

That's good news Ike. Can you post a few test shots?