HELP..Why do you need housing if p/s is waterproof to 33?

[gypsygal]

Hello, I do not uderstand why you need need undewater housing if you buy a p/s that is good to 33' ? Is this why they flood? I have 2 Olympus tough's and only used them for snorkelling. they have all flooded on me in inches of water, brand new. OLYMPUS IS now replacing them with the tough 8010. Does this mean I need to get a housing for snorkelling?

I really just wanted a simple UW CAMERA UNIT.
Any suggestions for me? Should I just sell them unopened and get a different camera. I really only use it on vacations a few times a year. I am not a serious UW photgrapher.

Thanks for all your suggetions.

 

[njedrn]

Interesting experience. I thought the waterproof ones from Olympus were ok to be submerged (for snorkeling purposes) up to 33 feet. I know I've had some experiences with equipment that were truly water resistant (ie can get splashed but that's about it) but the box said "water proof".

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Although I have no experience with the Olympus UW housings, I can't think of a better UW camera setup to guard against camera flooding. An outer waterproof housing would provide primary flood protection, and then the waterproof feature of the Tough 8010 would provide additional protection in the unlikely event that the outer housing floods.

Olympus makes the PT-048 housing, and Ikelite makes the #6230.81 housing. Both fit the Olympus Tough 8010. At $260 each, I think either would be a good choice. I have received excellent customer service from Ikelite in the past. I'm not sure what kind of customer service Olympus provides for its UW camera housings.

Technically speaking, if you're just going to be splashing around near the surface while snorkeling (not going deeper than 33 ft.), then you don't really need to purchase the separate UW housing. If you want to use the camera while diving, get the separate housing. This makes sense since inevitably, as a diver, you'll want to take the camera deeper than 33 ft.

Hope this helps...
Does Olympus provide some kind of waterproof guarantee just in case your camera floods? If the company didn't...then I'd probably be more inclined to purchase the extra protection of a separate UW housing.

 

[Gombessa]

Hello, I do not uderstand why you need need undewater housing if you buy a p/s that is good to 33' ? Is this why they flood? I have 2 Olympus tough's and only used them for snorkelling. they have all flooded on me in inches of water, brand new. OLYMPUS IS now replacing them with the tough 8010. Does this mean I need to get a housing for snorkelling?

I've never used, but have seen many of these Oly units brought by divers underwater. They seemed pretty nifty to me, although I've had multiple divemasters tell me that they've seen many, many of these flood and die on dives; I imagine part of it is because 33 feet is pretty shallow as far as OW goes, and some people will push it close to or even exceed the camera's depth rating. Furthermore, even the waterproof cameras are fairly fragile, as far as dive equipment goes, and with tanks, weights regs, and all manner of things bouncing around boats, a little extra protection from a housing sure doesn't hurt.

For snorkeling, a 33ft depth limit should be just fine. One thing I'd wonder is whether the camera is significantly negatively buoyant in the water? If so, it might be easy to drop and lose, even if you typically use a lanyard. Most underwater housing have enough of an air space to make them positively, or at least neutrally buoyant, which gives you a much better chance of recovering it if you drop it while snorkeling over a deeper reef.

 

[bleeb]

Some underwater camera and housing manufacturers supposedly spec their depths more optimistically than others, by specifying static pressure depth i.e. without any movement of the camera through the water. The problem is that when you go to actually move the camera around, even a gentle movement can double the pressure on the leading side and significantly drop it on the other. (Of course, jumping into the water with a camera can cause even more strain.) This less rigorous definition of operating depth might be more common with equipment design for use above the surface adapted to shallow depths than stuff produced by designers specializing in deeper waters.

I've wondered about the new Olympus cameras, and how realistic the one atm depth rating really is. From the other comments in this thread, it sounds like 10-15' might be better for a camera that you actually move through the water, although the OP's experience with inches of water isn't very reassuring about the overall quality of the product line.

 

[fallingspeaker]

I have a 1030sw that I used without a housing for over a year. I've taken a few pictures while snorkeling with the manometer reading 28-29 feet. Never had a problem with it. In fact, the first time I used it underwater was in a pool, where I video'd myself front flipping into the pool.

Maybe the OP was just unlucky?

I bought the housing for it eventually as it was a year old and I worried the seals would get bad. I take it scubadiving and freediving now and feel comfortable against any leaks.

 

[Puffer Fish]

Hello, I do not uderstand why you need need undewater housing if you buy a p/s that is good to 33' ? Is this why they flood? I have 2 Olympus tough's and only used them for snorkelling. they have all flooded on me in inches of water, brand new. OLYMPUS IS now replacing them with the tough 8010. Does this mean I need to get a housing for snorkelling?

I really just wanted a simple UW CAMERA UNIT.
Any suggestions for me? Should I just sell them unopened and get a different camera. I really only use it on vacations a few times a year. I am not a serious UW photgrapher.

Thanks for all your suggetions.

Besides taking care of the seals on any housing, one also has to be careful about temperature extremes... particularly going from hot to cold ....never a good idea with anything you want to keep water out of.

 

[gypsygal]

WOW..thanks for all your expertise & quick responses, i think I will get a marine case for it. Hope it takes decent pictures underwater. I really am excited to give it a try this summer. Any one know where I can get a cheap case for it. I'm from Ontario. cheers

 

[gypsygal]

Hello Bubbletrubble, Were did you see the marine case for $260.00 ??? I need to get one of these. cheers

 

[pjones]

I have the Tough 8000 series Olympus. I've had it down to about 40 feet (would not go ANY further than that) and down to 30 feet about 3 other times. Used it in the pool as well on multiple occasions, in the shower, in the hot tub, tossed around in the lake like a football (thank god for the flotation device that keeps it afloat until around 6 feet of depth) and took pictures of fish swimming in a pond too (although shallow). I've never had any problems with water leaking into the housing though. I've been quite diligent about being sure there are no bits of dust, lint or hair on the seals when I close them and I always wait for the camera to dry before opening up any of the access doors. Your the first I've heard of having these problems like this with the camera. I can't quite understand where this string of bad luck is coming from for you. It really sucks that you've had two in a row. I would be concerned that your getting debris in the seals while you open or close the doors. If this is the case than its probably not going to change if you get a housing. I'm going strictly on speculation here but would imagine that you would save some money and be just as well off if you double and triple check those seals before you go under.