help from the experts badly needed.

I have the Olympus 8080 digital cam and the Olympus PT-023 housing, and i’m looking to get the Ikelite DS-125. However Ikelite as wise as they are do not make a sink cable to conect the strobe to the housing, therefore i will not be able to use the TTL functions of the strobe. Any adaptors out there? or does any1 make the cable?

Please, appreciate your input.

Gary

There is a IR sync hotshoe. however the website says it might not be suitable for the C8080. Maybe you can somehow modify it and let us know the result.

HI
@fongwee

No problem the PT23 to a Ike DS125 with full TTL flashing ->
Use my Oly-TTL-C Konverter with the Oly/ Ikelite synccable this is a solution which is a special item I produce only if wanted and it takes a little time ....... use the link down and have a look under produkte / olympus / 8080 at my side ( it is a German site with a translation link ).
It is also posible to send you a changeing socket into Nikonos for your PT23
so you are able to use the original Ike / Nikonos TTL synccable. The changeing is no problem just put the oly socket out and the new one in.
The sealing design is better then the original one and the set incl. the TTL Konverter just plug and play .... :D

Hi Mike

Can you confirm that the standard IKE / nikonos sync cable #4104.6 and the dual cable #4104.62 will work with the nikonos replacement bulkhead that I purchased for my pt023?

Many thanks

Gary, I have that exact setup. Oly c-8080 with dual DS-125 and the mike-dive converter kit. It works pretty well, except full ttl does not always give the best lighting. it tends to over expose on anything within 2 feet. but it still is better than using most anything else out there.

Tucsan Diver

Thanks for the info, just ordered teh sync cord and looking forward to testing it out. You mentioned that the TTL overexposes within 2 feet does that include when you use for supermacro? If so have you tried using the diffuser?

Gary,
Yes, even with both diffusers in place. And by the way, secure your diffuser with some type of cord, they dont fit very secure and lost both of mine the first couple of dives. Contacted Ikelite and they sent new ones out, no charge. You can adjust the power leave of the flash with the camera flash settings. With dual DS-125s and close up to supermacro, I reduce by -1.5 to -2.  I’m also looking to replace that huge lense with the Athena Dome port. Hoping someone else out there has used this setup and has some input. :idea:

Actually I have an Athena dome port for the PT023; OPD100FZ. I have used it several times and I am pretty happy with it. It is definitely a big improvement over the PPO-05.I had to get it on special order from Austria
url] http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.unterwasserkamera.at/shop/catalog/product_info.php/manufacturers_id/66/products_id/1454&prev=/search?q=athena+dome+port+c8080&hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-13,GGLD:en [/url] because Athena are discontinuing it.

The dome port only works with the Raynox DCR FE180Pro lens NOT the Oly wide converter. Also make sure you can source the connection ring RT6267CW before purchasing the other two more expensive pieces. (This was the part that was apparently being discontinued that led to Athena stopping production?) I contacted Raynox and there didn’t seem to be any problem getting the lens or adapter ring?? you can get the whole package from the website above or I believe mike-dive was selling it for a while. I bought just teh dome port and then sourced the FE180 and adapter seperately as it was considerably cheaper from the US.

It is worth noting that you get some pretty heavy vignetting on the widest part of the zoom range [url=http://www.raynox.co.jp/comparison/digital/comp_c8080wz.htm#dcr-fe180pro]http://www.raynox.co.jp/comparison/digital/comp_c8080wz.htm#dcr-fe180pro [/url] however it is easy enough to zoom to the optimum point ie wide coverage and no vignetting. In terms of performance the dome is far from smalll! OK it’s diameter is a little smaller than that of the standard pt023 port BUT it is heavy (aluminium and glass) and the tube from the housing to the dome is pretty long. Hence it all requires some careful handling to make sure those polycarbonate lugs on the housing don’t get damaged. I would also recommend purchasing a cheap belt oil filter wrench to aid unscrewing the glass dome as it tends to get pretty tight after a dive.

The actual dome is not huge; hence under/over is possible but tricky as ever! Happy to send a couple of pics of the set up and output if you want?

Oh yeah meant to say I kind of hijacked this thread the other day hence I am not actually Gary! 

Thanks for the DS125 tips especially re: the diffuser… :D

My questions about the Athena are; how much longer of a port is it over the standard pt-23 port. Can you use the dome port without the raynox lense, just the cameras standard lense.. will it allow the same focal range.. ie macro to wide angle. Or, can you use the macro mode with the raynox lense in place.. if not, how close up will it allow you to focus.. Thanks for all you info on this. i don’t want to send the 800 plus dollars if just to get a bit wider and lose the marco or close ups :?:

Tucson Diver -

My questions about the Athena are; how much longer of a port is it over the standard pt-23 port. Can you use the dome port without the raynox lense, just the cameras standard lense.. will it allow the same focal range.. ie macro to wide angle. Or, can you use the macro mode with the raynox lense in place.. if not, how close up will it allow you to focus.. Thanks for all you info on this. i don’t want to send the 800 plus dollars if just to get a bit wider and lose the marco or close ups :?:

1) Standard pt023 port = 7cm from PT023 housing body to flat glass.
Athena dome OPD100FZ = 11cm from PT023 body to dome glass.

2) The dome can be used without the Raynox lens from about 1/3 way through the zoom range out to 140mm (35mm equivalent). Hence I am guessing around 50mm to 140mm. Anywider and you get vignetting from the port. The supermacro mode works without any vignetting, as does the macro mode within the limits I described above.

3) Supermacro mode does not work with the Raynox lens in place.I n fact you MUST NOT switch it on or else you will get a zoom error and the camera will shut down. NB [Actually it is worth having the system reset rather than remember settings on so this error can be fixed by turning the camera off.]
So that’s the bad news… The good news is that you don’t need Supermacro as the camera will focus on an object that is touching the dome. Hence within the non-vignetting zoom range you have a very wide field of view and extremely close focus which let’s face it is the whole point of the set up.

In summary the set up is a little qwerky BUT don’t forget even with the Oly WCON in an Ike dome port you can’t use Supermacro. The Athena is well made and offers the widest possible field of view for the c8080 underwater. I know the pt-023 is not everyone’s cup of tea but I am happy with it for now. My current setup probably cost a similar amount to the IKE with all the bits BUT as someone else mentioned on the forum this is the “lighter wallets club”  

Happy to send some test photos if you want? Just let me know where you want them sent.