SP-350 buyer's remorse ...

[NWGratefulDiver]

Well, my PT-030 housing failed me again today ... once again on a dive I had paid a lot of money to be on. That's twice in two months. Basically, the shutter button sticks closed ... rendering the camera inoperable.

Last time I sent it back to Olympus and it was gone for a month. When it came back, it was obvious all they'd done was pack a bunch of grease in the shutter button housing and put it back together. It lasted all of seven dives before failing again.

Olympus Customer Service is terrible ... last time I called, they told me to fill out a bunch of forms ... complete with my credit card number (for a four-month old housing), and send it in with the housing. Four + weeks later I got my housing back ... with absolutely NO explanation of what they had done, what failures they had found or anything else ... just the housing in a box. Obviously, they didn't fix the damn problem.

I've got a trip to Bonaire in a couple of weeks ... clearly not enough time to have a housing for this camera. I'm really glad I kept my old Fuji ... frankly, in the time I've had this Olympus camera, I've had to use the Fuji almost as much as the Olympus.

The camera is OK, although I really don't like it all that much ... but the housing is an inferior product ... and I am suffering buyer's remorse from having purchased it.

If I had it to do over again I would not purchase this setup ... it's proven to be too unreliable.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[scubak]

Bob,
Sorry to hear about your camera failing again.
I'd put the thing on Ebay and get rid of it.
I have the C5060 in an Ikelite housing and I love it, even if it is a big beast.
It seems that Oly, Canon do not have great customer service and their housings are not that reliable. Tim has the A620 and his has flooded. He's on his 2nd camera.
You have always liked your Fuji and I am glad you kept it because I can't wait to see the photos from your trip to Bonaire.
Kirsten

[Penopolypants]

Not again!

I hope that mine continues to hold up.....I love it, and would hate to have to shop for a new one.

I was very disappointed to see Oly's obvious - and ridiculous - fix for your camera. Perhaps returning it with a nastygram and demanding another is in order....

[gert7to3]

You do have one option here, IKELITE. They make a case for the SP350.

What were the circumstances when the failure occurred? Sandy with surge and lots of stuff in the water? Was your housing getting totally dried out during surface intervals?

Letting camera housings dry out before washing them thoroughly can permit crystals of salt and minerals to form in delicate mechanisms.

[lifeisfullofgooddives]

Sorry to hear about that...

I have heard of plenty of folks who love their oly housing....but the reason I bought my ikelite besides the TTL is that I haven't heard anyone with a ikelite 350 housing flooding theirs yet....of course that's not to say it won't or can't happen.

I like the fact that the housing can easily go down to 200ft. Personally I do about half my dives in the 110 - 125 ft range a year...and I didn't want to worry about coming within 10-20 ft of the housing's depth rating while diving on the Speigel.

I haven't had my housing very long yet but so far it's been all good. I love the fact it looks bullit proof....yeah I know it's not...one can hope though!

[Larry C]

I've had the same issue with the shutter button sticking closed. Usually it happens on deeper dives-about 4 times so far, then it releases when I hit the surface. This happened on my last dive on Saturday, so I spent some time working the button while cleaning it, and it was sticking then as well. I took a wood skewer and put a dab of the o-ring lube on it, then stuck it in the slot under the button and wiped it off. After a few presses from the inside and out, it was working fine again. Hopefully, that system holds up. I think it's a combination of salt water contamination on the shaft and pressure differential at depths over 70 feet. My only other issue is that a couple of times in really cold water, the camera has frozen when I went to the mode menu. I had to pull the battery out topside to unlock it. This has happened to my 3 times, always in water 52 degrees or less, usually at the end of my second dive. Probably a brief battery voltage drop, I think.

[Larry C]

Just got back from the Channel Islands, and the button stuck again on the first few dives. I solved it by borrowing my wife's sea snips and simply pulling it up and continuing shooting. By the fourth or fifth dive, it stopped happening. I think it must have been salt on the shaft, and 12 dives in three days with time soaking in the tank between probably dissolved it. Regardless, I'm going to start bringing a little 3 inch curved stainless surgical clamp diving with me for things like that.

[NWGratefulDiver]

My only other issue is that a couple of times in really cold water, the camera has frozen when I went to the mode menu. I had to pull the battery out topside to unlock it. This has happened to my 3 times, always in water 52 degrees or less, usually at the end of my second dive. Probably a brief battery voltage drop, I think.
That happened to me once as well.

Not that I was expecting anything different ... but my housing has apparently fallen into the black hole known as the Olympus Repair Center in New York. I'll be leaving on Friday morning for Bonaire, and have not been able to find out the status of the housing. They've had it for about two weeks now ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[gert7to3]

Looking at the button shaft there is a lot of space in there for salt crystals to form or debris to enter. Are you worried that you might score the shaft and create an even worse situation with a hemostat? I'm thinking that a little "V" shaped pry bar, made of a reslient plastic, aluminum or stiff rubber might give you sufficient grip to free a jam. Also just pushing at the button shaft from various angles may crush a salt crystal and free things up.

[Larry C]

I scored the heck out of the button with the sea snips, but it is well above anything that requires a smooth fit. You can't just lift the plastic because it's not attached to the button. I think a hemostat will work fine. If I could find a rubber tip set for one, that would be even better, but I don't think that will happen. Maybe I'll dip it in that stuff they sell at the hardware store for coating tool handles. I'm going to keep greasing that shaft periodically, and make sure I soak the housing between dives, and I plan to carry a little hemostat as well. I think it will come in handy for many eqpt. emergencies.

[gert7to3]

A thought about the hemostat: heat shrink tubing applied over each jaw might pad them sufficiently and add some grip.

The notched pry bar idea, was not a suggestion to pry the trigger button. I have the housing and you are right, the button pad is not directly attached to the trigger shaft. I was thinking that the "V" shaped notch could be applied against the trigger shaft, with the edge of the housing acting as the fulcrum, to pry it up.

As to greasing the trigger shaft. It may be best to completely fill the cavity in the housing column around the trigger shaft with grease. Probably the same silicone grease used on the "O" ring. Getting a thin film of grease in there may simply trap debris around the trigger shaft.

[eho]

the reason I bought my ikelite besides the TTL is that I haven't heard anyone with a ikelite 350 housing flooding theirs yet....of course that's not to say it won't or can't happen.


I had two floods in a C-5050 Ikelite housing (2 dead cameras, so much for redundancy). O-ring was fully sealed, no apparent explanation. Floods were big (3/4 full each time). This was after a thorough inspection + TTL conversion from Ikelite. I haven't contacted them yet / shipped it back so I want to give them a big benefit of the doubt. I've got 9+ years experience in UW photography and have never flooded cameras or flashes before so I'm quite mystified. I'll post the full story after I get the housing back from Ikelite. So far, I've had wonderful customer service from them so I'm willing to give them a big benefit of the doubt. But you've now heard about flood problems with a $600+ Ikelite housing when the O-ring appeared to be perfectly sealed (and I carefully prepped the camera the night before both times, no rush install the night before the dive). :(

[lifeisfullofgooddives]

sorry to hear I can no longer say that!

seriously that is quite strange that it flooded twice? I have no idea how it could have happened. hopefully ikelite can figure it out for you and replace your stuff. I have heard from many people about the great customer service, so I definatly think they will work with you.

Just curious what depth you were at when the flooding happened? if it was real deep maybe there was a real small tear in the O-ring? Not sure that's just a guess. I look forward to your next post to see what they said.

[Torcatdog]

Flooding a camera is sure a drag - but - "SP-350 buyer's remorse"?

If the housing failed is the camera to be blamed? I recently found the SP-350 for $199 at COSTCO and recommended it to several friends as a great value. While they do not dive, it is a sweet camera! I read that professional underwater photographers considered all cameras disposable. That cracked me up! Sad - but - true I guess. I hope that you find a happy ground and best wishes on your future adventures!

[NWGratefulDiver]

Flooding a camera is sure a drag - but - "SP-350 buyer's remorse"?

If the housing failed is the camera to be blamed?

I blame neither the camera nor the housing. They're just products.

When I purchase a product, what matters to me is how well the people who make and sell that product support it. When I deal with a company who treats me like a problem with the product is MY problem, and not theirs, then that's a company who doesn't deserve my business.

The SP-350 is a reasonably good camera ... but it would be a good idea to consider it "disposable" if the time should come that you need to deal with the Olympus customer service folks.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[alcina]

Any word from them, Bob?

[NWGratefulDiver]

Yes ... they replaced the housing ... I received the new one on Wednesday. Time will tell now if the previous one was a lemon, or if this is simply a design "feature".

At this point ... given that the prices have dropped so dramatically ... I'm going to do as previously suggested and just think of it as a disposable camera. Took it for a spin the other night ... posted here a couple of pics I took on the new housing's first dive ...

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=157827

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Larry C]

Those came out really nice, Bob. I'm with you on the price. Costco has the things in a card pack now at $199 and I'm probably going to buy a spare for flood insurance and topside use when my other ones in the housing. (I'm sick of water spots on my shots taken from the boat!) Glad you got your housing taken care of.

[lifeisfullofgooddives]

wow....nice shots! glad to hear they replaced the housing!

[alcina]

I'm crossing my fingers that you have no troubles with this new housing coz I really want to see more photos :)

[Torcatdog]

Kudos on the new housing. Hope that your trip is eventful in the oh so positive way! I do use the SP-350 in an OLY housing, for 10 dives in Cozumel anyway. Ultra light tray with an INON strobe. For $130, the housing was chosen to offset the tray and strobe expense. I am kinda new at the picture posting and still working on my DVD production of the 500+ pictures and video clips captured with the 350.