Which housing for Oly 3030?

I've been diving for years and just about to invest in a housing for my Olympus C3030Z. Which one is the problem! Has anyone used the Ikelite #6130.1? Is it better than the more expensive #6130?

How about the PT 010? Reviews sound very good, but depth limit not so good.

I believe the housing is basically identical except for the lens port. I think they made the lens port a bit bigger for the Oly C4040.... I'm not sure why the 6130.1 is cheaper than the original.

Anyone else know if there are any more differences?

~Todd

The 6130 is definitely different. I think that the 6130 has two handles, vice one, and they are the non-quick-disconnect ones. It also is bigger and I think it comes with the plastic weight on the bottom. The 6130.1 is smaller, has one quick disconnect handle and is a bit lighter, I think. And most importantly, the 6130.1 comes with a threaded port that will accept any accessory lens that the Oly housings will. Remember that the Olympus PT-010 is cheaper still ($250) and is a bit more user-friendly if you are comfortable with the 30m depth limit (which is a bit conservative).

Mike

Hi Mike.

You said the oly is more user friendly.

I'm using the ike/G2 setup, and I can't imagine anything more simple, clean, and user friendly.

What do you find superior, in the olys, in this regard?

Thanks!

Don

Plus the Ikelite housing doesn't feel like a toy...

First off, I never thought the Olympus housing felt like a toy at all despite the combination shutter release/zoom lever, which didn't exactly feel robust out of the water. That being said, once I was in the water with it, the lever worked fine every time. If Oly had charged $200 more and made all their housings black rather than all kinds of funky colors, I bet no one would be complaining about them .

As to the user-friendliness of the Oly housing, I find it much easier to hand hold than the Ikelite housing due to the hand grip on the right hand side of the housing. If you have dual strobes with handles attached, I guess this one might be moot. Also, having just complained about the shutter/zoom lever, I like the fact that the one on the Oly housing is self-centering. On the Ike housing you have to start zooming and stop zooming rather than just pushing the lever and letting it spring back to the center position. The oly housing is also a bit smaller and the internal flash on the camera works a bit better with the Oly housing because the port is a bit smaller -- the Ike manual says to use full zoom with the internal flash or you might get shadows. Never had that problem with the oly housing and its built in diffuser.

Well, that's my list!

Mike

[Edited on 2-26-2002 by MikeO]

[Edited on 2-26-2002 by MikeO]

Hi Mike.

Thanks for the update.

Yeah, I do have the dual handles, and can't actually imagine using any camera system without dual handles.

I do agree that centering on the zoom control would be nice. I've gotten used to it, on the ike housing. But I did notice it, for awhile.

Thanks!

Don