oly sp350 housing question

[greekbird]

h y'all! (sorry it's a bit of a long post)

right, i've got the sp350 as a pressie from my dad (nice dad, we like him!) and want to get a housing for it. I've had a looksy on the housings on cameras underwater and can't make up my mind wether to go for the 40m pt30 or the 60m ikelite one.

in terms of depth, i don't think that i'll be wanting to do any photography between 45 and 60, i think i'll have enough to deal with during a dive like that. However, my usual local shore dive is at 45m at the bottom at the start of the dive, then turns to a 32m max reef dive with lots to see and photograph. (saying that, i don't have to choose that route, i could just go straight to the reef and ignore the deep section... though i have seen some lovely stuff down there worth photographing).

the thing that puts me off the ikelite housing is it's size. though i haven't found what it's exact dimentions are, it looks like there is a lot of space around the camera -nevermind the handle thing- compared with the more compact pt30. So sticking it in a pouch on my harness as i used to do with the old aquapix i used to have, looks like it's not an option.... which means pushing a rig through a dive that's known for currents running against you....

so, are there any other housings available that are rated for deeper than 40m but not as big as the ikelite?

if not (obviously i 'll have to consider what dives i'll be doing in terms of depth) what is the quality of the available lenses for the pt30 (epoque) compared with the ones that are available for the ikelite (inon and m67)....

i have to admit that at the moment i am leaning towards the ikelite housing inspite of its size... but then again do i really need to spend that much more on the housing if the pt30 and its available options are just as good?

your help is greatly appreciated.

[TimIngmire]

The Oly / Fuji housings have been taken deeper than there rated max depth with no problems. I'm not sure if they were up to 60m tho.

TBH, if the bulk of the Ike housing means that you might not take the camera then I'd go for the Fuji. OK, you might not take it on the deeper dives but then, I'm not sure that there's anything you can or want to take photos of that you can't get shallower.

Hope this helps.

Tim

[greekbird]

Originally Posted by TimIngmire

The Oly / Fuji housings have been taken deeper than there rated max depth with no problems. I'm not sure if they were up to 60m tho.

TBH, if the bulk of the Ike housing means that you might not take the camera then I'd go for the Fuji. OK, you might not take it on the deeper dives but then, I'm not sure that there's anything you can or want to take photos of that you can't get shallower.

Hope this helps.

Tim

You've hit the nail on the head... am concerned that the bulk of the Ikelite housing might make me not take it in as often. The depth thing is almost irrelevant for the depths i plan to photograph stuff.

If the quality of the housing/accessories is better for the ikelite as opposed to the pt30 then may be worth that little extra hassle in the water.... which is the thing i don't know... is it a better housing, are the available lenses better (inon and M67 vs epoque) or are they all much of a muchness?

[TimIngmire]

OK, the Oly housings for the 5060 onwards have their weaknesses - not sure if the housings for the 350 have the same kind of issues - I don't think so as they tend not to be so complex (ie no bulkheads or extra ports). One advantage of Ike is that he seems to support cameras after the main manufacturer has stopped.

As for lenses, they all tend to be the same except the mount that is used to connect them to the housing. I don't think there is much difference between Inon and other brands but I've tended towards Inon as with my strobes.

[greekbird]

Thanks Tim...
I think I am possibly overthinking the issue and in the end it 'll be down to money ... :sigh:

[triplefin]

I've got a 5050 in an Ike housing and yes it is bulky. On the other hand it is incredibly robust.
When I think the punishment it takes....and no matter how careful you are, cameras get knocked about a bit. They get handled by other people who you pass them too. You try and put them in safe places on boats....thats a bit more difficult on a rib! etc etc suffice to say i have taken mine on over a hundred dives now and its doing well.............hmmm maybe thats wasnt a good idea to say that !

Also once you you get a strobe you wont be able to get it in your pocket anyway and at 30-40m you'll need one.

[Mark]

Ikelite, big, bulky, 60m, buttons harder to operate due to its rating, but worth it for its ruggedness.

You could always let your other half borrow it on his deeper stuff too.

[triplefin]

Originally Posted by Mark

Ikelite, big, bulky, 60m, buttons harder to operate

I think you'll find that will improve after a while. Mine push in much more smoothly and easily now but it did take some time.

[Mike W]

Hi there,

I used a C5000 in a PT-019 for two years and 150 dives with no problems, incuding a fair few to 'around' 40m and maxing out a couple of times at 47m with no problems, and the buttons on the housing are as easy to operate now as they were when the housing was new. This combo is effectively the 2006 equivalent of your SP350 and PT-030.

I used the Epoque wide angle adapter and it works very, very well, taking good sharp pictures. The only limitation vs the Inon 67mm route is that you can't add a dome to the wide converter and will be stuck with a maximum wideangle underwater of around 28mm effective focal length (On 35mm). I also used the Epoque macro and got good results from that as well.

I also used, and liked, the much-maligned Epoque 150 strobe, and got some excellent results with the outfit before progressing to twin Ikelite 100/Ai strobes using 2 Heinrichs Weikamp adapters.

I now have a Canon SLR in an Ike housing and love that just as much. To be honest I notice the extra weight and bulk of the SLR outfit out of the water but not in it, even if there is a run.

Personally, I'd be happy go with the PT-030 and Epoque converters and save myself some cash.