Olympus 5050 vs 5060 vs 8080

[MiniMe]

Hello All!

I’m planning to replace my camera in the near future and would like to get some opinions.

Given what I’ve seen from other divers, Olympus looks like the way to go. Picture quality is very high and cameras seem to be more cost effective. Hence my question:

I would like to choose between 5050, 5060, and 8080. For the time being, I would take the money factor out of the equation. Bottom line is I would be willing to fork out some extra cash for 8080, should the difference be warranted.

I realize 5050 has the best aperture range – has anyone had any experience with comparing these three models in the low light environment?

Would anyone choose Ikelite housing over the Olympus housing? One thing I have to consider is an Ikelite Video like which I already have. It would be my preference to continue using it with the new setup, and I may have to buy additional accessories to get it to work. Again – for the time being, please ignore the fact that Ikelite housing is more expensive than Olympus. If the difference is justifiable I don’t mind spending the money.

Any general comments as far as these 3 cameras go? Ability to focus underwater? Picture Quality? Battery Life? Performance in low light situations?

Your opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Gilligan]

I have an Oly C400Z in an Oly Pt-010 housing. I am happy with the quality of the products. Having said that and in your position I would choose the 5050 over the 5060 and get the Oly housing over the Ikelite housing.
I would not consider the 8080 at all. Before buying an Oly 8080 I would buy a DSLR camera.
If money is not the determining factor DSLR is the way to go. I would choose the Ikelite housing for the DSLR camera as I prefer the transparent type housings. There is no comapring prosumer digital camera quality to DSLR.
If I was to ever upgrade (no plans to) from my Oly C4000Z it would only be to go to DSLR.

 

[Jason B]

I'm with gilligan, you can get a Nikon D70 6 megapixel DSLR and it will blow away the 8 megapixel C 8080.

 

[ReyeR]

I'm with gilligan, you can get a Nikon D70 6 megapixel DSLR and it will blow away the 8 megapixel C 8080.

And your credit card too! :laughing: :laughing:

Seriously, the C5050 is still your best option when it comes to adding wide angle options - wider and can be removed underwater. The C5060 is a nice package if you don't mind the slightly reduced angle of coverage and that you can't change underwater. The C8080 is a not a bad camera but I would probably be inclined towards an Ikelite housing. Shooting in RAW with the C8080 was not practical with my Transcend 30x CF card due to the large file size and slow write times.

I've tried all three in low-light conditions. They will all still 'hunt' for a focus.

 

[MiniMe]

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I forgot to mention that I have a Sea & Sea wide conversion lens, which works very well with Ikelite housings. Are they mountable on the Olympus housings? (with or without an adapter).

I think in reality I will be choosing between 5050 + Olympus housing and 8080 + Ikelite housing. I'm leaning towards 8080 unless I hear a lot of alarming reviews from people who have used them.

ReyeR – how bad is ‘hunting’ for focus? Is there a noticeable difference in performance between 5050 and 8080?

Thanks

 

[fpoole]

Hmmm... it's a tough one, but I would choose in this order:
5050 then 5060 and probably not the 8080 as I'd switch to DSLR.. D70 or Cannon Rebel??
The 8080 is big, the reports I've seen haven't been raving about it... and for the cost, what? $900us... for "A Few Dollars More...."(a la Clint Eastwood) $1200? I would jump up to DSLR and check them out...

5050 over the 5060, for the same reasons noted above, but wouldn't complain if I could only find the 5060... still basically the same with minor differences...

Just haven't hear a lot of positives about the 8080 including it's size..

Still trying to figure out the thoughts here with Nikon...
The D70 was created to compete with Canon's Rebel under $1000, but all I see are pricings of $1200... so what's up wid dat?? and they claim they are continuing with the D100 for only a few dollars more... and the D70 is?/might be? better than the D100 hehehe... so color me "Confused in Seattle..." geesh, does it never end??? ;-))

Not much help, but something eh??

 

[Waterbase]

While the price of the 8080 is indeed not too much different (still US 300-400 lower?) from a DSLR, the cost for the housing is. Ikelite for the 8080 is about US 600 (Oly about US 350), Ikelite for DSLR is US 1100-1200. Maybe that difference is peanuts after buying strobes, arms and whatnot, but to me it matters! I need to get into UW photography for a more or less affordable amount of money. Buying upgrades later is OK, but the housing needs to be bought in one go... or so I'm told
So I'm all for the 8080.

 

[Jason B]

Here's the Nikon D70 body for $769.00
http://royalcamera.com/d70digslrcam.html

Here it is for $867.18
http://www.infinitycameras.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=4823

Here it is for $729.00 (no lens) or $869 with a 18-70mm lens.
http://www.amphotoworld.com/product.asp?id=nkd70&l=Pricehead

 

[fpoole]

Yeah, I hear ya Waterbase,

In that case, and it certainly makes sense, I'd go with the 5050/5060 combo, save the $$ for the extras- strobes, arms etc..., good ones, and then work up to the DSLR... if you get the good extras, then you can probably move them up to the DSLR too...
IMNSHO that is... ;-)

 

[ReyeR]

Here's the Nikon D70 body for $769.00
http://royalcamera.com/d70digslrcam.html

Here it is for $867.18
http://www.infinitycameras.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=4823

Here it is for $729.00 (no lens) or $869 with a 18-70mm lens.
http://www.amphotoworld.com/product.asp?id=nkd70&l=Pricehead

You can't compare a DSLR setup with a C8080 setup by just the price of the DSLR with/without a kit lens. Not only is the housing in a different price bracket but when you start adding lenses and ports for the lenses it's a totally different ball game.