The Olympus Tough camera and housing are definitely enhanced by a tray. The tray allows one to use the left hand for stability and to add lights and strobes.
Available trays with just one handle for the left hand provide support for only one light, while trays with two handles provide more stability and allow more lights to be used, but get in the way of the right hand, as FaceOnEgg has commented (1).
To solve this problem, I have designed a one handle tray that allows my right hand to freely access the housing's controls, while at the same time solidly supporting the housing and lights. The tray has four sides for stability, with one or several ball mounts for lights or strobes.
The tray top and bottom each is a strip of 6 mm thick ABS plastic, 220 x 35 mm.
The sides are two 6mm aluminum rods 170 mm long, threaded at each end for 1/4 x 20 nuts. (6 mm ~ 1/4 inch).
The left side of the tray also has a 130 mm long aluminum or plastic pipe (1/2") 12 mm nominal diameter, notched at each end to keep it from turning; the pipe fits in a bicycle handlebar grip. The pipe fits over one of the aluminum rods, and is secured in place with ABS glue, or, if aluminum, each end is heated so it melts into the ABS strips.
Two 6 mm stainless steel regular nuts and five friction lock nuts secure the assembly.
The right hand side of the Olympus PT-056 or PT-058 housing has two plastic tabs, each with hole. I enlarged these holes with a 6 mm drill bit to accept the right hand aluminum rod. This right side rod completes the fourth side of the tray and does not interfere with access to the housing controls by one's right hand.
The bottom ABS strip is drilled for the two 1/4-20 screws that secure the housing. The top ABS strip is a base for the ball mounts of one's choice.
The Olympus housing's lens cover is necessary to protect the lens, but in the water it is a nuisance as it flops about, as FaceOnEgg says (1). A rubber band looped through a hole drilled in the top ABS strip secures the lens cover while one is shooting.
List of materials:
ABS plastic sheet, 6 mm thick, about 250 x 100 mm
ABS glue or ABS-PVC glue
Aluminum rod, 6 mm dia. by 350 mm
Two regular stainless 6 mm nuts, and five 6 mm ss lock nuts
Two 1/4-20 x 1/2" (12 mm) screws to secure the housing
12 mm nominal id aluminum or PVC pipe, 130 mm long
one bicycle handlebar grip
one thick rubber band
one, 2 or 3 ULCS ball mounts or similar
References:
