Oly E-300 Underwater

I just completed my first four dives with an E300 in an Ikelite housing. Initial photos can be found at: http://photos.divebums.com/view_album.php?...BritishColumbia.

Water clarity was poor and this impacts the images, but I am generally pleased with both picture quality and performance compared to my C-5060. However, it is a BIG package to take into the water and this takes some getting used to.

Incidentally, the first thing I did was upgrage the lense from the stock 14-45 kit lense to the 14-54 zoom. This was important because the f/3.5 kit lense was too dim compared to the 2.8, and the 14-54 focuses to 8" instead of the 12+" of the kit lense.

Is anyone out there shooting underwater behind a dome port? I still do not quite have the hang of how focusing works?

Rick Colman

Check in the feature section on the side bar at right and do a search for Dome & optic,

Basically a subject at infinity has its image projected (virtual image) at four time the radius of the dome, so figure about 12" distance for a 8" dome an 9" distance for a 6" dome, so your lens focus to 8" and you should be able to use both the 6" & 8" dome, but I do recommend a larger dome if you plan on doing split shots, the distance underwater of 12" for the virtual image and the top side distance of infinity is easier to cover with the proper depht of field.

Made my first two dives over the weekend with the E-300 and Olympus PT-E01 housing using the 50 mm macro. The F-2 macro lens focused well in AF to 1:2 (life size in 35mm) and the image quality is outstanding. The accesories for the newly released housing are slow in coming like most new housings. The Dome and extension tube for my 7 to 14 mm zoom and tube for my 1.4 tele converter are still on backorder. The housing has the Oly socket for Oly TTL with the FL-36 in a new housing which is also on backorder. Having Mike Finger send a cord which will allow my Inon Z220's to shot in manual, the best option for me.

The Oly housing is smaller than your Ikelite, but not by much. The Oly pro glass is superb and will make a fine U/W system when all the parts are released.

Phil Rudin http://www.sfups.com/dsp_gallery.cfm?featu...20&member_id=69

The Olympus evolt 300 is turning out well in the Oly housing so far, but I was very interested in what was mentioned by Tropical 1 / Phil Rudy. The cord you mentioned that was being made for you- who is the guy? Mike Finger? Can you send me his email or forward mine? Reason being that Olympus is not, it seems, ever going to make a Nik V plug ever appear on their housings.

Having to be stuck with a housed FL36 is not an ideal choice, even though the flash is a perfectly good unit, the housing is distorting the beam, and the squarish beam of light it throws is awful. Even my Subal housed SB800 isn't that bad, as Subal has put the flash behind a dome.

Compared to a Sea+sea 90DX or Inon head or Subtronic for example, which all throw a perfect round beam, the lack of dispersion optics (not diffusers) is what is needed in the FL-36 housing,

as the included diffuser sucks away two stops - and I don't feel the user should HAVE to use a diffuser if they want/need a harder light.

SO = I would be ordering a LOT of them cords! Viva Mike Finger!?

PS wide angle ports due in any day, will do quick dive with 7-14 and get back 2 U Phil.

greetings from Grand Cayman

Eddy

Hi Eddy,

The web address is mike-dive.de. I read about his business in the consumer digicam forum and he is also making a Nikonos socket to replace the Oly socket which comes with the housing. This will be ready in a few weeks. No way to do TTL with the Inon strobes at this time, because they are to slow.

Regards Phil http://www.sfups.com/dsp_gallery.cfm?featu...20&member_id=69

On of the really nice things about the Ikelite setup is that they provide for important essentials like: TWO strobes (where is the second strobe connector on the Oly housing??), affordable dome ports, etc.

I used an fl-20 in a pfl-01 housing for a long time with my c-5060 and it was never a very good solution.

Rick.

I have used a dual sync cord on my Nikonos RS for thirteen years, so I don't care about a second socket on the housing. As for the ports, I am sure that the Ike ports work well but I prefer the alum. and glass ports and the mounting ring of the Oly housing even though the cost is greater.

Phil

Thanks for sharing all the info guys. Any chance of posting some pics of your rigs so we can see them.

Alex

Hi Alex,

The Oly PT-E01 housing for the E-300 is small conpaired to most SLR housings and as you can see the small camera is a snug fit in the housing. The macro port is also very small and ideal for a ring flash, (will be looking into the new ATHENA ring flash) which is being adapted for this housing. The metal ring on the front of the housing allows the ports to screw in and has a very firm feel. Five mounting holes on the bottom of the housing have allowed me to mount ULCS arms to the bottom tray with four screws. The wrist support strap comes with the housing and has been mounted to the right arm for added support. Each port comes with front and rear caps as well as a focus or zoom gear. The gears are hinged and install in seconds on the lens. You will see that both halfs of the housing have o-rings, allowing for added security from flood. The optical viewer on the rear of the housing allows a full view of the image and viewfinder info. although I prefer to view camera settings on the LCD when needed. AF to manual is handled by depressing the shutter half way when set in the AF/manual setting. I can't comment on how well this works as the bright F2 macro lens has not failed me in AF yet. All controls are accessible and intuitive. At around $1000.00 (street) for the housing and $375.00 for the macro and 14 to 54/ 11 to 22 optical glass and aluminum ports, this rig is a bargain compaired to many.

http://www.sfups.com/dsp_gallery.cfm?featu...20&member_id=69

Regards Phil Rudin

Did you see this:

http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/198_D-SL...ter%20Cases.htm

Looks like OLympus is serious about this.

I am just starting to use this housing and the dome port is still not available in the US. Attached is a 50 mm (100 in 35) shot of blue bell tunicates and the 11 to 22 mm zoom (22 to 44 in 35) behind the flat port at the 22 mm end.

Phil

22 mm shot.

I just completed 30 dives in Indonesia with the E-300 in an Ikelite housing with Ikelite strobes. I guess that makes me somewhat of an expert on this setup.

Images available shortly.

Rick Colman

Well... are you happy?

I'm interested in size comparisons with other SLR housings. Does anyone have have side by side photos of the PT-E01 and some other well known housing?

Yes, I am generally very happy with the performance of the IKE housing and strobes with the E-300. Everything worked flawlessly and I now have the daunting task of weeding through about 1500 raw images.

I wish that the IKE housing was a little smaller in size.

I wish that OLY would wake up and understand that provisions are required for DUAL strobes. What is wrong with them?

I would also be a little nervous about the OLY dual O-ring arrangement. It looks similar to the pt_020 housing setup, and I have had o-rings pop out of the groove and almost flood my 5060 camera several times.

The IKE o-ring arrangements are simpler and effective by comparison.

Rick Colman.

Hi Rick,

Don't understand your point about dual strobes. I am shooting dual Inon strobes in manual with a dual sync cord in my Oly PT-E01 housing. If I want to shoot in TTL, dual cords can be used with Oly land strobes or other U/W strobes now on the market.

Regarding the dual rear o-rings, this housing has four locking clamps and the o-rings are well contained. The ports also thread to a metal ring on the front of the housing making them much more secure than the Oly PT and Ike design. Ports are also optical glass and as such cost more.

Regarding the size question, the PT-E01 housing is smaller than the Ike housing and more contoured to the E-300 body than the Ike housing which used the same front for several diffrent cameras including the E-1.

Iklite makes a great product for the price, but I am glad they are not the only game in town.

Phil

But at least with the Ike you can get a dome port for the wideangle lens...:-) Sorry I couldn't help myself.

Cheers

James

But at least with the Ike you can get a dome port for the wideangle lens...:-)  Sorry I couldn't help myself.

 

Cheers

James

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Looks like Olympus has learned their lessons and a dome port will soon be available. See the link posted above

http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/198_D-SL...ter%20Cases.htm

or more specifically

http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/E-1_dslr_PPO-E04.htm

I think the Olympus housing has the advantage of being smaller and have a port system that uses extension rings.

Indonesia images available at:

http://photos.divebums.com/view_album.php?...bumName=album43

setup: E-300 with 14-54mm lense, dome port on Ikelite housing with IKE DS-125 and DS-50 strobes on TTL, mostly,

Hi James,

I had an Aquatica eight inch dome port on a Nikon F-3 housing in the 80's and think I would rather wait for the Olympus release. Only one dome to travel with for both wide angle zoom and fisheye. By the way I will also have to wait for the fisheye which is not out until the first quarter of next year. I appreciate your concern for my lack of W/A capability but I still own my Nikonos RS and 18 mm lens. I haven't seen any system film or digital that beats this combination for over all quality.

Phil