Well the E-520 is out and after all the speculation as to whether or not Olympus is continuing to make housings for SLRs, they came to the party with this:

http://www.dcresource.com/news/newsitem.php?id=3741
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/olympus/...iew/index.shtml

And they answered another concern about a more affordable super wide zoom too!!

But I'm happy with my setup for the mean time,
Greg

I'm looking fwd to getting my hands on the 9-18mm wide angle lens. It's much more affordable than the current pro lens being offered. Unfortunately, it won't be released until September.

I'm seriously stoked, too. (Do people still say 'stoked'? Never mind, doesn't matter, I'm too old and bald to be cool, regardless... )

Didn't see dimensions on the lens width, but to an eyeball of the pic it didn't look much fatter than the 11-22. Of course it's also not much 'wider' in zoom either (4 mm in 35-mm film equivalent). So the questions is, 9-18 or 11-22? Seem to be around the same price ($100 difference or so). Or just upgrade a 14-54 to a 12-60 and call it a day?

I'm just playing devil's advocate. I for one will be very interested in the 9-18, provided they haven't sacrificed too much to make it an entry-level offering...

The Olympus E-520, 9 to 18 mm zoom and new Olympus housing are once again worthy of front page news. Cost V. image quality it will be hard to beat this combination with any other system. With more than twenty different ports from six manufacturers and an assortment of superb lenses, ideal for U/W photography this system should be a winner.

Set for release summer of 2008 is the new Olympus PT-E05 polycarbonate, dual o-ring sealed E-520 housing.
The housing will be equipped with dual fiber optic ports and port mount for all existing lens ports.

A new UFL-2 strobe with fiber optic TTL control will also be released with the housing.

Phil Rudin

For those knowledgeable as to Olympus release history, does summer of 2008 mean June or does it likely mean September. I leave for Indonesia on July 31. My plan had been to upgrade from my 5050 to a 410 and E03, but I delayed too long. This looks even better but the timing is tight.

You would be very lucky to get it in time. The camera is set to go on sale in June and housings have been a month or two behind in the past.

Phil

Phil, have you been able to pick up any news of a port for the 9-18?

Still undecided when it comes to housing the E-3 and this might well turn out a very interesting alternative route...

An email to Olympus USA received the following response:

"We appreciate you interest in the PTE-05 Underwater Housing for the E-520 that was announced today. The preliminary word from Tokyo is that Olympus America will having the housings available for sale late July to early August. I will make a note to update you should the delivery time change."

I guess I'll wait and see how this plays out. Perhaps they'll be available from Japan a bit earlier.

Seems UN Company have updated their E-510 housing to work with the 520 as well.

Anyone with experience of these housings? Looks like it could be a nice alternative to the Oly original housing given the 60m / 200ft rating.

Would also like to know more about the new strobe and info on port availability for the 9-18 but guess that will have to wait until they're actually released.

UN is making both housings, their aluminum housing is priced at about $2600.00 and the Olympus PT-E05 housing should sell in the US around $900.00. Both should work with both E-520 and E-510 with little modification. I dived my PT-E03 housing below 150 ft. (45 meters) several times and I would expect to do the same with the PT-E05. Other than the cost difference trying to find a dealer for the UN branded housing is going to be a problem in the US.

Regarding the 9-18 zoom I am sure it will work well with the current 170 mm and 220 mm Olympus and Athena ports, but with a new extension port and zoom gear. Olympus entry level lenses have been excellent v. cost and this lens should be no exception. One of the thing I like about this lens is the ability to add a Magic Filter or other threaded type filters which can't be done with the 7 to 14 mm zoom.

A new more powerful strobe (Olympus UFL-2) is also being offered which will fire in TTL using fiber optics. It appears to be a new Sea & Sea design like the current Olympus UFL-1 which was later released in the Sea & Sea lineup of strobes.

Phil Rudin

I sent my PT-E03 housing in this week. Not sure what they'll decide to do. My hope is a paid upgrade to the E520 with a one for one housing swap.

As always you provide excellent and helpful answers, Phil!

After much thought and deliberation I decided to sell my E-3 and replace it with a double kit zoom E-520. I absolutely love the size, and the sensor should be almost the same (about a third of a stop less DR, though, but mostly the highlights - typically not a problem in Swedish water...).

If the Oly housing will go to 45m I think I will be better served by that one, cost to performance wise. I looked a little bit at the original Oly port for the 11-22... Is an 18 mm FF equiv too wide for a flat port? Just thinking about what port Olympus will recommend with the 9-18 lens?

I like the short single arm setup and might just end up with that as a starting point to just finally get a DSLR under water without having to give up on travel etc due to financial concerns. However, would like your input on the best double strobe setup. I'm thinking Athena, Inon or ULCS tray and handles with ULCS arms. I'm also thinking of starting out with the new UFL-2 rather than going for the far more expensive Inon strobes (although I would prefer them!).

Regarding using the Olympus port (PPO-E02) for the 14 to 54/ 11 to 22 zooms for the 9 to 18 zoom lens.

The 11 to 22 is 20 mm longer than the 9 to 18 which would move the wider lens further back in the housing and cause it to vignette, its is also 4.5 mm fatter so the gear would not fit.

A new gear and extension port will need to be released for the existing Olympus 170 mm port to make this lens work well.

Phil

Athena Japan, has just released new photos of the PT-E05 housing with the Athena 50 mm macro port and the Athena tray and grips. To dispel any rumors you can see that the housing is hinged on the shutter release side just like the PT-E03 but has an all new locking system on the other side. Fiber optic ports are also built-in at the top of the housing. For those who have had problems with the PT-E03 housing and are getting a PT-E05 replacement, I talked to someone who used the housing for a week in the Florida Keys and they said the locking system is a vast improvement over the small latches on the E-410 housing. I was also told that the E-510 does not fit the housing, out of the box. I expect some modifications could be made for the E-510 to fit.

A new version of Lightroom (2) and camera raw has been announced today which has raw conversion for E-420 and E-520.

Phil Rudin

Phil,
Any idea on the release date?

They say it will be in the US. in September along with the new strobe. The release date for the Athena tray and grips in Japan is August so Sept. sounds about right.

Phil

Do you know what type of strobe bulkhead(s) the PT-e05 will have other than fiber optics?

Reis

The PT-E05 housing still appears to use the single Olympus style bulkhead as the past housings, for best TTL with nikonos type cord strobes Athena makes this conversion circuitry, http://reefphoto.com/index.php?main_page=p...ee636cc9f61a269 I have used this item and it works quite well. However, I went to fiber optics with the new Inon Z-240 strobes which lowers cost if you don't already own strobes that won't fire with fiber optics.

Phil Rudin

I just recently bought the last E410 PT-03 housing, but I bought it before I knew about the leak problems and the new 520 housing. So I am wondering should I try to get an exchange on to housing for the 520 housing.

Hi Manta,
I think Olympus has silently acknowledged the problem. So far I've read of 4 people, myself included, that have received reasonable offers of an upgrade. However, I think most had some kind of evidence of a flood inside the PT-E03. I simply recorded an mpeg video of the housing leaking in the bath tub. It is my belief that at the surface, if tilted with the oring at the highest point, they will all leak at the surface. In any case, Olympus has offered a free exchange of the housing and a reasonable fee to upgrade the camera body. If it were me, this is a no-brainer. I had no peace of mind with the old housing and had 3 floods on a recent trip.

I purchased my housing this past spring but havn't had a chance to get in the water yet. I have a trip to Bonaire planned at the end on Nov. I'll try to go to a pool this weekend to test it. But with all the problems I would hate to have a flood in Bonaire as I don't get to dive as often as I use to. What was your process to replace the housing. Did fill out a repair request first or did you call customer service first?

Certainly test it in the pool. The leak is very slow so if you aim the port down, you'll have no issues with destroying the camera if a leak occurs. BTW, my leak also occurred with no camera in the housing so that's the first thing I would do before inserting the camera. Go onto www.digitaldiver.net and read about it there. There's a 4 page thread over there with the proper documentation links. I followed RogerC's lead in filling out the form and I included all the information I had including the mpeg.

Thanks for the info. I finally got into the pool with the housing today. First test no camera. No leaks. Second test. Leaks!. I did as Olympus suggest and removed the the eye piece and strap rings. The leak happened around the pop flash hump. So now it happen time start the long process of replacement. I've included a picture. I also will include a short video with the repair report.
Thanks again.

Phil,
Thanks for your reply. I have been using the older Athena dual cord set with 2 PFL-E01's and they have performed well. I just noticed the price of the PT-E05 on the Olympic site and they are asking $1,199 and it is not yet available.

Reis Kayser

Just a quick note to say that the housing and strobe are now listed on a Swedish retailer site. It's priced at €1000 for the housing alone and €1300 for housing + 14-42 port. The strobe sells for €570.

I've sent them a question regarding availability and hope to be able to get all of it late August for pool testing and then some real dives in September.

I received the housing and they have made a few changes from the PTE-03

the latches have gone it now has one twist lock to close housing door , that the likes of Fuji use

the flash bulge problem seems to be sorted out with a different shaped housing

the control buttons are plastic not metal and are labelled
the tray has a lock and a couple of nifty storage areas for eyecup and hotshoe cover

the handstrap is improved
same TTL connections and accesory mount

i haven't tried it out yet but it feels better made and i think easier to use buttons ( will not corrode either)

i don't know if they are going to sell the optical connection plugs or we will have to put a hole in the blanking plugs that came with housing
to use the optical cable ( an easy job )

at least it is easy to use a focusing light with the optical cable lugs , the accesory mount is free

Thanks for the report, vinny!

Look forward to getting it, although as of yet it's not available here...

A question directed to Phil, who seems to have experience of both: would you recommend the Athena port for the 14-42 over the Olympus version?

I will most likely use this lens exclusively to begin with, and either go for the 9-18 or simply house the 12-60 later on.

I would also like some thoughts on how well a setup with the 14-42, one strobe and the recently announced short arm would work in murky water. I can't afford two strobes straight away without selling some lenses and I just can't bring myself to get rid of the 50-200 SWD...

edit: By the way, should add that I just returned from a three week trip to the US where I used the E-520 with the 12-60. I am very, very happy with this combo, and don't regret switching from the E-3 at all. The 12-60 is probably my all time favourite lens - versatile, tack sharp and lightning fast. Here are some (non UW) shots from the trip for anyone curious about how the E-520 handles: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktwse/sets/72157606743643221/

Regarding the Athena dome port you retain the full 78 degree angle of view at the wide end of the lens and the corners will be sharper because the port glass is curved. Both ports can be used with the 14 to 42 zoom the 50 mm macro and the 35 mm macro which at close focus will be to close to both ports. Cost wise, the Athena is higher and does not come with the zoom gear for the 14 to 42 lens. One strobe will cover this lens without a problem, the 9-18 mm zoom coming in late September will be more flexible with two strobes.

I agree that the 12 to 60 zoom is a superb lens, in fact it has become my main travel lens above water. I am also using it with the E-3 in a SeaTool housing with the 170 mm Athena dome port and extension ports with great results.

Phil Rudin

http://reefphoto.com/index.php?main_page=p...d2525341ff71b43

http://reefphoto.com/index.php?main_page=p...d2525341ff71b43

Hi Phil can you please explain 'Both ports can be used with the 14 to 42 zoom the 50 mm macro and the 35 mm macro which at close focus will be to close to both ports.'

Are you saying that the dome port can be used with 14-42, 50mm and 35mm macro?

regards

YES, both ports can be used with all three lenses (14 to 42 zoom 35 & 50 macro) however the 35 macro will focus inside the port at the closest focus distance or just outside the port which makes it very hard to use. The 50 macro allows a little more distance between subject and the glass at the closest focus distance. Remember that at the closest focus distance the 35 macro is twice life size in 35 mm terms (18 mm on the long side). From about three inches (76 mm) from the dome glass all three lenses work very well. The Athena macro port for the 35 macro allows the lens to be used at twice life size and still leaves enough space for lighting the subject.

Phil Rudin

Anybody actually put a 510 in the E05 yet? You can get the 2 lens kit for £410 as opposed to £565 for the newer model (amazon). Also has anybody seen a PT-E05 in the UK yet? Can't find a GBP price on this.

This looks like the set up that'll get me into DSLR, above as well as underwater.

Simon

I own both cameras. The E510 seems to fit in the housing just fine. The mode dial switch on the E520 is slightly larger so you have to use some downward pressure on the housing dial to rotate the dial on the E510 camera. The other rotary works just fine. Although, I won't, and haven't, dived with the setup, I'll probably use the 510 as a backup in a pinch. With all that said, I'm not sure its worth the money you're saving. I'd just buy the E520 and have a houisng made for each other avoiding any issues at all.

I bought the E-510 twin lens kit when it came out... Oh I love it.
However I need to get back into my watersports as I have moved to the Isle of Lewis.
It's cold and very wet and wild here.
Do you reckon the housing for the e520 is the best thing I can get for my e510?

does anybody know about this japanese housing?
http://www.un-ltd.co.jp/en/index.html

what about the gibson model sold by BS Kinetics?

How long would I last with one of those bag things like the ... Ewa-Marine U-AX?

Until tonight I thought I couldn't get a system to fit an e-510. oh the choices.

Thank you in advance for any feedback.
rod

Interesting to hear that the E510 fits the PT-EO5 housing. But just to note that you will run into significant warranty issues, like no warranty, if you use a camera the housing is not designed for. Olympus does not support it for the E510 as far as I've heard, I will ask my rep the next time I talk to him.

Jack

Jack,
No need to ask. Olympus has already stated that the warranty is voided if you use the 510 inside the PT-E05 housing. But, that should be expected. The difference price between the camera bodies on Ebay is about $150. IE you sell the E510 you should expect around $300 and some change. You can purchase the E520 with two lenses for a little over $600. You can get roughly $220 dollars for two lenses. So its really not worth voiding your warranty to stay with the E510.

Here's a group I have purchased from twice. Had an issue with a camera before 30days and they replaced it with no cost to me.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Olympus-Evolt-E-520-Di...A1%7C240%3A1318

There are cheaper deals on Ebay, however none I've done business with before.

I just sold my E510 body last week for $310. The lens sells alone for around $120.

What is the consensus of the 4/3 format? The sensor is physically smaller than other cameras, but there seems to be a logic around the technology. BUt I have to admit I like the aspect ratio of 35mm format/HD widescreen aspect ratio more than the 4/3 formats aspect ratio.

I'm trying to determine a setup to freedive with - looking at the E520 or similar with a housing/domeport and as wide a lens as I can get for shooting freedivers, pelagics, etc while freediving. A friend/client has suggested the new Sea & Sea housing coming out for the Canon Xsi - I've been out of the loop on the stills end of things for quite some time and it seems as though these cameras change every 9 months and feel confused as to why when anything above 8MP is 35mm resolution - this info coming from a commercial shooter I know here locally.

What's the difference? Any thoughts?

Hi Friend,
I talked to someone who used the housing for a week in the Florida Keys and they said the locking system is a vast improvement over the small latches on the E-410 housing. I was also told that the E-510 does not fit the housing, out of the box. I expect some modifications could be made for the E-510 to fit.

Uhh, I'm a dealer. Good luck with support from EBay...

Jack

No modification needed. The one I physically tested fits just fine. The mode dial on the camera is too small for the control on the housing so it doesn't quite grip the mode dial well enough. You have to exert pressure down while turning if you have the 510 in the housing. Again, it makes no financial sense to void your housing warranty by using the housing with the E510. Just upgrade.

Jack,
I was referring to the camera bodies...not the housing. I wouldn't buy a housing from Ebay. I was trying to articulate that with how cheap the upgrade is to the E520 it makes no sense to put an E510 into the new housing.

Well the 4/3 standard has been out quite awhile. You can go here for more information www.fourthirdsphoto.com I could rave about the camera but it would just be an op-ed piece. Canon and Nikon make very competitive entry level cameras. As a freediver I think size would be your main concern. I could be wrong but I've only seen compact housings for Canon and Olympus. Olympus's OEM housing is rather compact and light. I've seen the xti in a small metal housing that got raves from those with small hands because the housing was very compact. Unfortunately I can't remember the manufacturer of that housing.

Gary - Looking at buying the 14-42 port, the Olympus PPO-E05 v the Athena OPD-SZ 14-42 to go with my new E-520 and housing.

The Athena blurb claims a much improved edge definition and I assume this is over the PPO-E05 is this true? I won't be doing a lot of wider stuff and mainly I will be using the 50mm macro but for the extra it might be worthwhile to get a sharper edge to my pictures?

regards

Ardy

Did you end up getting this and testing it (here) in Sweden? Vendor did you buy it from?

Cheers
Oskar