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Diving Bonaire: Photography/Camera Update
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2002-11-26 to 2003-04-30: Photography/Camera Update
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peggy Wages (BonaireTalker - Post #30) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well, I didn't get a digital camera before my trip last November. But I'll be going to Bonaire again the end of May.

Any updates on the latest/greatest digital camera for underwater photography? After my research last fall I had decided on the Nikon Coolpix 5000, with a Light and Motion housing.

I just know that things change rapidly and wondered if anyone knew about any new models coming out soon. If so, maybe I'd better wait...???

Thanks!

Peggy

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil Berry (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2336) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Things have changed since then, as before your budget and requirements are the big factors. Presently the most popular is the Olympus 5050 and Olympus housing (free membership is the Olympus cult).

Try to write down what your looking for and your budget and ask the question over at www.digitaldiver.net for the answer. Let us know what you decide.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Farris (BonaireTalker - Post #35) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Peggy, the CP-5000 has been discontinued (amazing, isn't it?) It is still readily available, and there are lots of housings out there for it, but I have not seen as many impressive shots coming from that system as I have from the Olympus C-5050 and its predecessors.

Check out <http://www.digitaldiver.net> for the latest news and information on digital underwater photography. We have a forum there, too. You can check out some of the latest and greatest from folks who have recently gone through the same process you're in the middle of.

I happen to by slightly biased. I won the Macro competition at the Bonaire Digital Shootout with an Olympus C-4040 in an Olympus PT-010 housing.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil Berry (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2337) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jeff, GMTA.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Farris (BonaireTalker - Post #36) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cecil, it appears great minds think alike...and at the same time. ;^)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Farris (BonaireTalker - Post #37) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Oh that is just too funny.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peggy Wages (BonaireTalker - Post #31) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The Nikon CP 5000 has already been discontinued? Geez, I wonder why? I really liked it when I saw it at DEMA last year. Are they replacing it with another model?

Guess I need to look at the Olympus. But I'm still not going to totally rule out the other one (yet).

Thanks everyone!

Peggy

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gail Currie (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #434) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 1:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Those of you who own Olympus housings - where did you buy them from? Stateside or Japan? I cannot seem to find a source to buy them locally and I'm not sure I want to buy from Japan not knowing if the instructions will be in English, and what about a warranty? I'm in search of a PT-010 for my Olympus 3040

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randy P (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #134) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 1:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Peggy,

I shoot the nearly "ancient" 2 yr old Sony DSC-P3 in their very handy MPK-P5 housing. Fits my style of diving and relatively lower interest in the photo end of things. Takes great pics too in my opinion.

The Digicams market is running excatly the same as home computers. No matter what you buy today, before you can get it unpacked, charged up and ready to go, the manufacturer has already made it obsolete, ugly and calls you a fool for buying it. LOL

On a semi-serious note the current "fav" seems to be that Oly 5050 - and it DOES let the capable hand take some unbelievaby beautiful pics - but like everything else - level of quality is directly proportional to the level of your charge card limits. If you are really serious about the UW photography end of things then any of the 4+megapixel units in a great housing with a set of strobes will fit the bill (and create the bill). For us casual camera mopes, very acceptable stuff can be shot for under $600US, camera and housing including, and just using the internal flash.

There are also all the little accessory items that seem to be mandated like extra memory cards and batteries, a laptop PC or one of those great little Digital Wallets to store your pics and free up camera memory, and then the whole notion of digital photo printers and viewers, CD burners and slide show software, Photo Editing programs etc.etc.etc.


OH WHY OH WHY WASN'T I BORN RICH INSTEAD OF GOOD LOOKIN??? It ain't fair I tells ya'!

Happy Shopping and welcome to the film free dark side of digital photography

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Farris (BonaireTalker - Post #38) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 1:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gail, check out eBay and Quinlanf (user name) His name is Quinlan Faris (no relation) and he sells the housings from Japan. The instructions are now in two languages in the package, and anything you don't find there, you can find at http://www.digitaldiver.net. His price on the PT-010 a couple of weeks ago was 205.00. I bought a spare at that price! Delivery was an incredible 4 days from order to arrival.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randy P (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #135) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 1:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Oh. and yes I can TOO spell words like "exactly" and "unbelievably" and a whole mess of other ones as well. I just can't type worth a diddle nor proof read worth squat!

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

Dive Safely

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Martin Beckman (BonaireTalker - Post #36) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 1:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I just bought a barely used Olympus c4040 with the PT-010 housing from a guy on the Rodale board. The instructions I got for the housing are in Japanese.

I was able to find online instructions on this site: http://www.marscuba.com/instructions.html

As far as availabillity ... you can check out som eof the online camera sites ... or maybe Ebay.

Some Ebay examples:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2916896532&category=15215

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2916315985&category=30010

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2915525356&category=4703

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Farris (BonaireTalker - Post #39) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 1:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Peggy, I am sure that Nikon will come out with a "bigger - better" but how long it will be and how much longer after that the housing manufacturers commit is anybody's guess.

I seem to remember your thread about this issue last Fall, and one reason you were leaning to the CP-5000 was the Light and Motion Tetra 5000 housing. Light and Motion has now announced the Tetra 5050 for the Oly 5050 which promises true hard wired TTL strobe control. If you go that way, be sure that they can deliver in time. I have heard that they are planning May delivery, which is pretty tight for you.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peggy Wages (BonaireTalker - Post #32) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 2:01 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jeff: The problem last November was the delivery time. Light and Motion promised delivery of the housing by mid-December, and my trip was in late November. So it didn't work. Geez.

OK, one other question. Since I had decided on the Nikon CP 5000 (and I can't help it, I still like it), does anybody know of any negatives about this camera and setup? Even though it is now "old and discontinued"? Anybody use it and love it?

Thanks!

Peggy

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Freddie Hughes (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3764) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 2:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Peggy you might try this site..dpreview surf around a bit and you will come to the comparisons and reviews..

I have a Oly Z4040 and a Oly PT-101 housing and I love it!! really user friendly. I need a strobe now,,anyone know where I can get a good one??

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Anthony Cooper (BonaireTalker - Post #24) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 6:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Peggy - Still draggin' around a 3040 and wishing, perhaps, I had waited for the 5050...but not at all unhappy. If you end up wanting a PT-010 (with english instructions AND phone tech support available, go to underwaterdigital.net. Owner is Alan and he's here in Philadelphia...very accessable (if you live in Phila)and more than willing to help/advise. Phone no is on the web site...he may be able to give you a line on the CP-5000, too (doesn't deal cameras as far as I know, but...)

Enjoy your indecision and savor the anticipation...

Tony

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bob neer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #860) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 7:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

no sony? the f707 is nice (expensive to house and strobe)...the f717 can only be better;)

http://65.24.34.74 (some good ones in there somewhere)

the link is bonaire pics from a f707 my a first time photographer (me)...i think the pics are totally different than what's been posted for the oly's - i don't know enough to comment on the diff?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peggy Wages (BonaireTalker - Post #33) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 7:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

What an odd coincidence. I go check my mail today, and what do I find? The April 2003 issue of Popular Photography. With an article on the Olympus C-5050. Saying how wonderful it is. Comparing it to the Nikon CP 5000.

I have to say, I'm going to have to go and take an up-close-and-personal look at this one.

Now, if I can only get a darned housing by the end of May (for whichever one I end up with).

Thanks for all of the help and suggestions, I do appreciate it.

Peggy
(alias Captain Whirlwind)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb schulherr (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #497) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 8:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Peggy, I got mine from http://www.oceanbrite.com/, they were very helpful and knowledgeable, and let me exchange an earlier housing for the PT010 which I like a lot, and they are a California company.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ernie Bauer (BonaireTalker - Post #32) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 11:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Seb,
Tell me more.
I have a PT-005s that I would kind of like to exchange for a PT-010. Never flooded the 005 but I like the o-ring in the 010 better. Also the original o-ring for the 005s is no longer available and I have no backup. I bought my housing from Oceanbrite so I'd be curious what kind of deal he made. (If it's confidential I understand.) If nothing else, Jeff's deal on the PT-010 of $205 sounds like a great deal considering I've already bought about forty dollars of o-rings that don't fit!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb schulherr (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #498) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 2:40 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ernie I had never used my previous housing, it was factory perfect in a mint box with everything it came with. He only charged me the shipping as I recall, and I was very happy with that and will probably continue to order stuff from him ( I too am thinking about a strobe Freddie.)
The one thing I screwed up is I scratched the back of my housing, so I need to try to buff it out, I think i would put a clear cover of some kind on it if I did it over again, and will probably cover it with something if I can buff out the scratches. I clipped it to my bc and I think it swung back and forth and got creamed, though it is a great place to carry the unit otherwise.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ernie Bauer (BonaireTalker - Post #33) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 12:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

OK, thanks for the info. We've used acrylic polish from Tap Plastics to buff out small scratches in plastic. You might give them a try.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil Berry (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2341) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 1:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I've been told that if you go to a motorcycle shop, they sell stuff to remove scratches from visors. This stuff will work on your housing. I need to do this also, the back of my housing is pretty beat up.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb schulherr (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #500) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 5:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

So glad I brought it up guys! I was wondering exactly what the housing is made of.
Ernie, I would go for the new housing and try a plastic cover. I bought a thick one for the back of the camera itself, and was considering applying it to the back of the housing if I can get teh scratches out.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ernie Bauer (BonaireTalker - Post #34) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 1:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I think it's just Lexan (polycarbonate). I'll be interested in your scheme for a protective cover. It may be difficult to attach something replaceable without distorting the display.

BTW does anyone have any idea how often you should replace or service the o-rings in all the control buttons?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb schulherr (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #503) on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 12:29 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Oh my gosh what a concept, the o rings in the buttons! I am kinda new at this UW photo stuff, can you tell?

 


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