Olympus C 5060

[tjediver 0]

can anyone help with a custom my mode set up for C5060 in PT 020 housing with slave flash, right now it takes 2 seconds for shutter to click and subject moves away. Thanks tjediver

[dmoss 0]

Hello, and Welcome to Wetpixel

You might try the settings that Peter from Splashdown Divers has listed...they helped me when I had my 5060. His settings are for the C5050, but they also apply to the C5060.

 

http://splashdowndivers.com/photo_gallery/...up_settings.htm

 

Shutter lag is an issue with most digicams. It's something you learn to live with and make adjustments for. I got some pretty good pictures with the Oly, but was frustrated with the shortcomings. Shutter lag is the main reason I switched to a DSLR.

 

Hope the link helps.

[slowhands 0]

can anyone help with a custom my mode set up for C5060 in PT 020 housing with slave flash, right now it takes 2 seconds for shutter to click and subject moves away. Thanks tjediver

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There are several things that cause that delay. The camera must determine exposure, white balance and focus. And being in a housing and in dim light underwater causes some problems too, as you will see.

 

There are some ways to work around the delay. But you will NEVER achieve the speed of even the slowest DSLR (typically a tenth of a second). Frankly, you may be better off to move to a DSLR, if you can afford it. Otherwise, reset your expectations and try some of these workarounds.

 

SPEEDING UP AUTO MODES: To speed up the camera in automatic exposure modes (every mode but Manual), first try presetting exposure in advance by depressing the shutter halfway, then waiting for the shot. The camera then will take the picture much faster when you fully depress the shutter. It takes planning, and there is still delay (say 0.3 seconds). In dim light, increase the ISO to avoid too slow shutter settings and camera shake. A little noise is better than a blurred image.

 

SPEED UP BY USING MANUAL EXPOSURE: A better technique is to use Manual exposure mode. Forget Program, Shutter, Aperture, and all the scene modes. You won't have to wait for the camera's pokey computer to figure exposure out. This is harder, because you need to know what settings to start with, then make adjustments based on the results. But it speeds up the camera, and often your choices are better because the camera gets fooled by unusual conditions underwater.

 

In Manual exposure mode, try 1/100, f4 for starters, check the shot afterward, and make adjustments. The Splashdown Divers website has all this and more in a table, so check it out. Here is the link again for reference:

http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gall...up_settings.htm

 

You can easily make a table of your own preferred MyMode settings, using the spreadsheet posted in the Yahoo Group MyOlympus Files, here:

http://f2.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/gJntQ11QzWN4i...60_my_modes.xls

 

THE REST OF THE STORY, SLOW AUTOFOCUS: Unfortunately, the 5060 and 7070 are very slow to autofocus in dim light underwater, and this may be part of your problem too. I think there are two reasons for this. First, they have a slower lens than the 5050 (by almost 1-1/2 F stops!), which makes focusing much more difficult. Second, the AF assist LED, beneath to the optical viewfinder, is mostly blocked by the PT-020 housing! On the 5050 in a PT-015, the AF assist LED is not blocked due to its different location. These differences have a lot to do with the poor autofocus performance in dim underwater conditions.

 

In dim light you may not be able to autofocus at all -- the camera just hunts and gives up. In fact, your two second delay sounds just like the camera is hunting for focus due to low light. (Again, one workaround is simply to manually focus, by setting distance.)

 

If you want this camera to autofocus more quickly in dim light, try using an external modeling light. It's a good idea to buy a strobe that has a modeling light, but I tiewrap a small flashlight to my setup because mine does not. I am willing to bet you will see a real speedup in focusing if you try this.

 

FLASH PROBLEMS: You mention you are using slave flash. I imagine you're optically slaving your strobe. If that works, fine. But there is a delay of .13 seconds between the pre-flash and mainflash that you can bypass (hey, it all adds up!), if you use an external slave in Slave mode. To do that you need either the the PT-020 and Olympus strobe in a housing, an Ikelite housing with their DS strobes, or the PT-020 with a Heinrichs converter driving a suitable strobe. That's a whole other topic, but it is a good idea to consider for many reasons I won't go into here.

 

There is a problem using flash in dim light with the C-7070 (and I suspect also the 5060) that you should be aware of too. The camera firmware limits the flash to a very short duration when the exposure value is low, even if it should be a long flash. This is probably a design decision, to protect the internal flash from overheating, but should not apply if there is an external flash with lots of power. Unfortunately, it does apply. In dim light, the camera gives a brief flash, internal or external, sorry. You get a black picture. The only way I know to work around this is to use manual external slave flash control triggered by the brief flash, and adjust the external flash manually for conditions (not all flashes allow this).

 

So, try using manual exposure and a modeling light. Learn what settings work for you and put them in the MyMode setups. It should improve shooting speed, but it will never be as fast as any DSLR.

[dmoss 0]

There is a problem using flash in dim light with the C-7070 (and I suspect also the 5060) that you should be aware of too.  The camera firmware limits the flash to a very short duration when the exposure value is low, even if it should be a long flash.  This is probably a design decision,  to protect the internal flash from overheating, but should not apply if there is an external flash with lots of power.  Unfortunately, it does apply.  In dim light, the camera gives a brief flash, internal or external, sorry.  You get a black picture. 

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The 7070 has a problem in this regard....fortunately, the 5060 does not. Firmware was changed on the 7070.

[slowhands 0]

The 7070 has a problem in this regard....fortunately, the 5060 does not.  Firmware was changed on the 7070.

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Yes, I found after I posted that there is an update for the 7070 firmware to version 1.1 that corrects the issue of poor flash operation with low EV (dim light). (Olympus does not mention this as being corrected in this update, but it is.)

 

To check the version of firmware, you run Olympus Master software, plug the camera into the USB and turn it on. Olympus Master queries the camera what firmware version it has, and prompts for an update if needed. If you have 1.1, you have the latest and should not have the flash problem.