$2000.00 Doorstop?

[scubabear]

Hey all, Here's my dilema. Some years ago I purchased a Light and Motion Tetra housing kit for wifes Oly. 5050. Housing has been bulletproof and regular servicing (last in 2009) has kept it so. We picked up two more 5050s as people upgraded.
Going to Cobalt Coast end of May, so she calls for housing service estimate.

Now L&M tells wife all they can do is service o-rings, and water test, for around $350. No other parts are available,as their farmed out parts are no longer in production.
Why make a housing that could last a lifetime and include parts that become obsolete?
My wife has taken excellent photos using this combo and is comfortable with its compact size.

Options are to send in for o-ring service and just use till it starts malfunctioning.
Try to sell housing, wetmate lens and cameras.
Start renting systems at locations and dealng with a new learning curve each trip.
Use as artwork.

Basicly I'm asking ,is there a camera/housing system that could still be serivced ten years from now? I retired after our 2009 liveaboard in Belize, and don't want to make another $$$$$$$ mistake. Thanks for Your imput.

 

[Gilligan]

1. Does it really need servicing? Paying $350. for O rings is a tad much. If it ain't broke why fix it?

2. Ten years down the road EVERY camera will be a dinosaur, especially at the rate of technology's progression.

You are probably in the small minority of people that still use the 5050 and there is nothing wrong with that. I used a C4000Z until it finally wore out but I had an Oly housing for it so I got my moneys worth out of it.

IMO just use it till it dies.

 

[bvanant]

You can easily service all the o-rings yourself with a bit of care. What other parts are there to wear out? I suppose buttons could wear out and eventually leak, but you could have one made for you buy your local friendly machinist for a few 10s of dollars.
On your other question, I think that for the most part the companies that have made housings for more than 10 years (Subal, Ikelite, S&S, Aquatica, Nexus) are likely to be around in 10 years and they can probably service old stuff. The problem with the Tetra is that you bought a still housing from a company that is/was predominantly a company that made video gear.

Bill

 

[Larry C]

The biggest issue with the L & M housing is the circuit board, which is no longer made. You might try to find someone who no longer uses theirs and has a spare they will sell you. I know that my buddy who just stopped diving his 5050 in favor of a new Canon T1i had a couple of spares boards. Others may as well. (The L&M uses a proprietary printed circuit board to control camera functions and lighting, making the controls much more convenient.) You might also pick up an Oly housing, which people still have hanging around-I have one in my closet with a 5050 that has a bad sensor. Then if your L & M dies, you can switch to the other housing.

 

[slowhands]

... I purchased a Light and Motion Tetra housing kit for wifes Oly. 5050. Housing has been bulletproof and regular servicing (last in 2009) has kept it so. We picked up two more 5050s as people upgraded.
Going to Cobalt Coast end of May, so she calls for housing service estimate.

Now L&M tells wife all they can do is service o-rings, and water test, for around $350. No other parts are available,as their farmed out parts are no longer in production.
Why make a housing that could last a lifetime and include parts that become obsolete?
My wife has taken excellent photos using this combo and is comfortable with its compact size.

Options are to send in for o-ring service and just use till it starts malfunctioning.
Try to sell housing, wetmate lens and cameras.
Start renting systems at locations and dealng with a new learning curve each trip.
Use as artwork.

Basicly I'm asking ,is there a camera/housing system that could still be serivced ten years from now? I retired after our 2009 liveaboard in Belize, and don't want to make another $$$$$$$ mistake. Thanks for Your imput.

No housing will have a support life much over 4-5 years, except perhaps Ikelite. Most of Ikelite's spare parts are used in all the housings, so they stay around for years. Other makers move on, and can't store the spare parts for a dwindling population of housings forever. Be glad they still have O-rings.

Frankly, if it works and you still like it, why worry. Use it til it dies. It should not need annual anything other than O-rings.

Someday you might flood the electronics which will destroy them. This housing is occasionally sold on eBay for about $400-600, so if you want pick up a spare. The other alternative is the Olympus housing, which is available used for about $75. It does not have hardwired TTL, but you can easily add a Heinrichs Weikamp Digital adapter with identical function.