I recently bought the PT-018 for use with my C-750UZ, and have now had a chance to try it out in the ocean. It works great!
The pluses are - you can take your camera underwater at the lake or the reef (obviously), or take it out in really bad weather; every function of the C-750 is available for use (including POWER ON/OFF, contrary to another review); the weight that comes with the housing nicely counter-balances the camera, so it doesn't seem to want to float or sink; land-based shots are still possible with the housing on.
The minuses - the manual is warning after warning after warning, followed by test procedures (probably a good idea, but it's BORING); one of the warnings says to not toss the housing & camera or jump into the water with it, which might sometimes be impossible to avoid; the o-ring seal seems sensitive (per the directions) and sand, grit or hair (!) may cause the seal to fail.
Overall the product performs just as you would want it to. I had the camera in it for 8 hours, and 3 of those it was submerged, with no fogging, and the camera stayed completely dry. It comes with a spare o-ring, grease, and silica gel packets, but you'll want to order more if you're going on multiple dives. (I bought my extras at Adorama.com)
Some of the actual pictures I have taken may be seen at http://community.webshots.com/album/53326052xgZpId - they are the fish photos, and have been minimally adjusted with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, which is also available on Amazon.com.
I highly recommend this housing if it's in your budget, and you wish you could take your C-740 or C-750 underwater.
Olympus - PT-018 Underwater housing
| :: photo | :: cameras supported by the Olympus PT-018 |
|
| specs | dealers | forum posts | sample pictures | reviews | more... |
| purchase information | |
| name | PT-018 [Olympus] |
| list price (USA) | 259 US$ [support this site and buy from affiliate] |
| list price (Europe) | 259 EUR |
| announced on | 12/03/2003 |
| available since | 12/04/2003 |
| discontinued since | n/a |
| warranty | 24 months |
| shipping time | 1 - 3 days |
| technical specifications | |
| type | n/a |
| dimensions | 182 x 205 x 162 mm / 7 x 8 x 6 inch |
| weight (exc. camera) | 1.339 g / 3 lbs |
| buoyancy (exc. camera) | n/a |
| max. depth | 40 m / 131 ft. |
| body material | n/a |
| color | n/a |
| flexibility, interoperability | |
| diffuser | yes |
| ext. strobe connector | no |
| support of TTL-sensor | no |
| LCD viewfinder | yes |
| optical viewfinder | yes |
| portsystem / dry lenses | no |
| external filters / wet lenses | yes |
| integrated handles | no |
| accessory attachment | n/a |
| controls | all camera controls supported |
| possible to popup internal flash inside | n/a |
| window for internal flash | n/a |
| drill for optical cable | n/a |
| special features | |
| man. white balancing | yes |
| double o-rings | yes |
| moisture alarm | no |
| other... | n/a |
| If you would like to submit updated information about this product or if you have additional questions, please post a message into the dedicated forum. |





















