Olympus C-7070 questions

Hello Everyone,

After asking a couple of questions and spending more hours here than I should admit, I think I'm a bit closer to deciding on a camera. I have almost no underwater camera experience, and mostly the point and shoot type above water (a bit more). I'm leaning towards an Olympus C-7070, but there are a couple of things I'm unsure of.

- There appears to be no underwater changeable lenses. Is this true?

I am leaning towards the Olympus housing, I don't know about the strobe and arm (suggestions?), but I'm going to stick with something reasonably easy to travel with, and not too expensive (I'd like the arm and strobe to run under $500-700 if possible).

- What camera would people compare against this one, in say a Fuji, Nikon and Canon?

- Is there anyone out there using the C7070 for underwater photography, who can run through what they like dislike after using it for a while?

I realize my questions are broad. What I'd like to know is if I'm going down the wrong path here. Basically, I've decided that I'd like to spend ~$1500 to $2000 and have a camera, housing, strobe and arm. I'm considering this particular combo, because I can go cheap on the housing, and put the money elsewhere.

It would be great to have something like DPReview for housing and camera combos, as well as strobes.

Perhaps this is a better question. For the experienced photographers out there, if you were told you get $2K only, and have to go with a Point and Shoot, and that was the only camera you'd get to carry underwater for the next year, what would you lean towards? Remember, you have to buy the camera, housing, strobe(s) and arm(s) with that. I suspect you couldn't get lenses, but perhaps that is another thing to consider.

I know I won't know enough to make a good decision on this until I've owned and used a camera for at least a year or two, so perhaps a prod towards 3 to 5 options. I figure I'd rather get a camera that an expert would use, and learn to use it, than to get a camera for a novice [i'm an engineer, I'm willing to bang my head against the coral until I learn to use it 'well").

Thank-you for the advice,

Greg

Greg,

Welcome to Wetpixel..

I have been using the C5060 for about 2 years. I recently sold it and purchased a DSLR. Autofocus time and reduced shutter lag are the main reasons for making this switch. Lens flexibility is also a major plus. The 7070 and 5060 are very similar cameras. The 7070 is supposed to have better autofocus capabilities, but I have never used it.

Some folks here like the Fuji or Nikon over the Olympus. The main complaint about the Olympus seems to be autofocus. Personally, I enjoyed the Olympus and got some good shots with it. The Olympus has some user programmable 'my modes' settings that were helpful for me underwater. I got used to the camera and how it responded and never really had any complaints.

I would not recommend the Olympus housing. There have been numerous issues about this housing that people dislike. You can search the forum here to locate some of these.

A quick search on B & H shows you can get the 7070, Ikelite housing and DS125 strobe and arm for around $1700.00\

One option I would recommend is the Inon macro screw-on wet lens. This can be taken off and screwed back on underwater. Runs about $150.00

You can also add the Ikelite dome port and the Olympus wide angle conversion lens which was probably the best add-on I did for my outfit. Around $400 for these.

These can't be removed underwater.

The total looks to be around $2250. You could save some money by getting the DS50 strobe instead of the DS125, but the 125 us a far superior strobe. Also, shop around, you may find better prices.

Hope this helps.

Pictured with the Inon macro lens...yeah, I know the scorpion fish is soft around the edges.

Hi David,

Thank-you for all the information. I've seen several people mention problems with Olympus housings. I suppose it is inevitable that there is a cost/performance tradeoff.

Nice pics too. You mention the scorpion fish is blurry around the edges, was this a result of the F-stop, or is it a result of the lense?

I was thrilled to see that there was an option for a macro wet lens. I wasn't aware of that option.

I appreciate your comments on the strobe too.

Thank-you,

Greg

Greg,

My experience with the Inon lens is that it tends to make the edges a little soft. This is easily handled by cropping the picture. On this particular shot, I had the exposure messed up and needed more DOF (obviously). The face is pretty well exposed, but I could have done a better job on the overall shot. Attribute it to operator error.

The TTL circuitry on the Ikelite housing is a real bonus for macro work. It is very difficult to blow out a picture with too much lite using the strobes and camera in TTL.

Greg:

I to had the 5060 for about a year and was very happy with the camera.

I used it with the add on macro lens. The Olympus housing on the other had is another matter, mine flooded after 8 months thru the sync port on top of the housing, so I decided to jump to a DSRL .

I really enjoyed this camera and worked around its limitations.

Here are a few samples

http://photos.imageevent.com/ensenadadiver...ed-Seahorse.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/ensenadadiver...Sharkqus-10.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/ensenadadiver...-Sharkqus-9.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/ensenadadiver.../Reef-Squid.jpg

Saludos

Antonio Frias

That is two strikes against the Olympus housing. It is much better to find out before buying though!

Antonio,

I really like the picture of the Reef squid. For some reason I've always found them extremely interesting. Nothing else seems to be as responsive and intelligent.

I find it interesting that no one has come out stongly in favor of a different brand. Perhaps for the price range I'm looking at I've at least hit upon one that most people wouldn't be "unhappy" with.

Thank-you again for the information.

-Greg

Hi Greg,

After a few years with the Oly 3040, a couple of months ago I upgraded to a 7070. Because of the reported problems with the Oly housing, I decided to get the one from Ikelite. The TTL exposure control is an added bonus, it works like a charm for (super)macro.

I'm re-using the Inon UWL100 wide angle lens on this configuration. It vignettes at the widest angle but slightly zooming in or cropping the picture works fine (at the cost of a few degrees of coverage or Kpixels).

The 7070 does struggle with its autofocus, especially in low light and on subjects with little contrast. I found that after zooming out more (which increases depth of field) the AF is doing much better. For small or skittish subjects this may mean cropping and losing pixels again. However 7MP is a lot to work with, especially if one is coming from 3MP.

Sample results are in http://www.pbase.com/fpeeters/elquseir2005

Hi Frank,

Thank you for the link to the pictures. They are awesome. I know I'd need to learn more than a little, but knowing that pictures like that can be taken with the C-7070 is very encouraging.

Thank-you!

Greg

The popular none DSLR cameras over time have been the Oly 5050/5060 and the Nikon Coolpix 5000. More recently the Fuji 810 has been popular with some folks although no hot shoe is a real turn off for me.

As for the Oly 7070, I don't think it is a good choice based on the problems I have read about focusing.

That said, I don't know what camera to recommend other than the DSLR cameras. Specifically the Nikon D70/D70s or the Canon 350D or 20D. While these camera are more expensive than non DSLR cameras, they have a significant advantage in that you can seriously pursue topside photography with them and thus get a lot more use out of them. And while cameras will change over time, your lens collection will work from one camera to the next.

That said, my bottom line is that I would not get a 7070. Instead I'd get an SLR, even if it was just for topside to begin with. There is so much beauty around us.

http://www.peterpeterpeter.com/top-side-2/galleries/2005-08/

Change your thinking ... change your life.

I agree with Peter. If you can swing it, get a DSLR. Your portfolio will grow exponentially. I have shot with the 5060 in an Ike housing and found it very hard to shoot the critters I normally shoot with my DSLR. You will be limited in your capabilities, but the 7070 does produce beautiful results. One of the big photo competitions, I think the Antibes competition, was won a few years back with a 5050. It's just that the moment has to be right to capture an incredible image with the slow focus of the Olympus point and shoot.

Joe

This may come out a little jumbled, but I'll try to talk about what I've been thinking. Originally I was set on a DSLR, but then I found out I needed to consider spending $5,000 or so... So I thought I'd go to a P&S, and I find that I'm still looking at $2,000. That is enough money that I find I REALLY have to give it a lot of thought. And then I begin to think that maybe I shouldn't "settle", but go for it and get the SLR again. And along come the last two posts... So, off I go.

I see a couple of problems with a DSLR:

1. Changing lenses

2. Cost

3. Learning to use one effectively as I'm just an amateur (am I wrong aout this?)

4. No Video capability (ok, I know I should get a REAL video camera if I want this, but I think I'd take a few generic short movies to give non-diving friends a quick peak at the underwater world).

I was set on the C-7070, and have seen some great pictures from them, but I do read about "problems" too. So I thought I'd look and read about the P&S's to see what others looked good. I came up with the following list:

- Canon Pro1

- Fujifilm S9000Z (but seems not to have a housing)

- Nikon CoolPix 8700

- Nikon CoolPix 8800

- Olympus C-7070

- Olumpus C-8080

After reading lots of posts, I decided to stick to only those makers of cameras, and then tried to arrive at one or two from each that looked "best" to me. Now I find that I don't really know enough to choose between them.

I'd like to get a camera, housing, and strobe at the minimum. I'd prefer an extra wide angle lense that can be put on underwater too, if it was available for the camera I chose. I also want to be able to carry this while traveling and diving, so I'd like it all to fit in one carry-on. So, can I:

1. Get a DSLR (like the D70) with a housing and an acceptable strobe for <$2,000, which I could add to slowly?

2. Could I get that all in a single carry-on?

I think I'd have to be able to both 1 & 2 to go with a DSLR now (note it could be a camera other than the D70). If not, then I'm either forced to go to a P&S that I've listed above, or possibly for a much cheaper, basic P&S to just "get me started" with underwater photography, with the expectation that in a year I'd be spending more on something "better".

I'm very torn. I'm also heading to Bonaire on the 16th, and i wanted something to play with while there. I may very well be out of time, but then again, I might be able to get something in a week, IFF I could decide.

So, where do I go now then? Any suggestions when I throw out the couple of items above?

Thank-you all, in advance, for any other insite.

Greg

I think you are out of time unless you want to drive yourself crazy.

That said, the only option I would consider would be a Fuji 810 and an Ikelite housing. This combination produces good pictures, focuses fast and is reliable and affordable. However, the Fuji 810s were always hard to find in the US and may be impossible to get in time for your trip.

Nikon Coolpix 8400 and Ikelite housing is another highly regarded combo.

Another to consider is the Sea and Sea DX8000

Cheers

James

Greg,

I was in the same position 3 years ago trying to decide whether to house my current film SLR or buy a digital compact. In the end I went with a Olympus 4040 in a Olympus PT-10 housing without a strobe as I didn't feel that I could justify the expense involved for the SLR route.

I'm very glad I did and I suspect if I hadn't taken the cheaper route I'd still be wavering now as to whether I wanted to make such a large investment in camera equipment when I didn't even know whether I'd enjoy it or not.

For the first year I used the camera without a strobe and whilst this obviously limited what the camera could do, I still thoroughly enjoyed myself and got some good photos as well.

Since then I've added a strobe and wet lenses and have been very happy with the results I've got. For sure the camera has limitations but I've learnt what they are and can plan my photos accordingly especially since I know I can crop, rotate and enhance them in photoshop.

I'm afraid I can't comment on the 7070 but I definitely reckon it's better to get started albeit with a camera with limitations than to never get to enjoy underwater photography because the initial cost is too high.

Anyway whatever you settle on I hope you get as much enjoyment from it as I have.

Richard

Hello Everyone,

I want to thank everyone for their advice. It was a tough decision, but I finally decided to go with the Olympus C-7070, Ikelite housing, a DS-125, and an Inon UWL100 (yes, I'm aware of the vignetting below 31-35mm, but...), plus a host of miscellaneous smaller items.

Everything should arrive here by Monday, which will be just enough time (I hope) to make sure everything works before heading to Bonaire on Friday. I'll post a couple of pictures when I get back.

Again, Thank-you all!

Greg