if you use a OLYMPUS DSLR underwater, speak English, and use it in an underwater housing please show up here and let us know the details about your rig. The idea is to gather something like a digital underwater photography usergroup that can share user experience and advice that is typical for this brand of camera and lenses. Of course third party lenses are welcome into the discussion, too!
I must admit, that I have only occasional experience with OLYMPUS DSLR systems.
I have shot the E-330 in an original Olympus housing underwater during a testival.
I personally own a compact OLYMPUS m:ju 725 camera and housing, but that does
qualify me as a long run poster in this thread. I hope more experience users will
show up here.
You are invited to introduce your rig in this space and bomb everyone with questions…
I want to take my E-330 under water and I need to take big decision - which housing should I buy.
I can choose baetween Ikelite, Olympus and Fantasea/10bar.
Can I count for any opinions or reviews about using these housings?
I have used all three Olympus DSLR housings and have done a review of the latest PT-E03 housing for the E-410 camera for wetpixel.com Additional housing images can be found at the second address.
I have been using an E-330 Olympus DSLR for around 2 1/2 years. Its housed in a 10Bar Housing and I use 2x Z220 Inon strobes.
Underwater I use the Zuiko 50mm macro, 35mm macro, (both also with Inon and SubSee close-up wet lenses, also the Zuiko 14-45mm zoom and the 8mm fish eye.
I have been an underwater photographer for over 35 years and this has been the best system I have owned.
I like the live view function best of all, but I’m also happy with the size of the housing, the quality of the images and the ease of using the menu’s on the camera.
I am new to this site so i am not sure if this is a good place to ask this question or not.
I have just upgraded from an Olympus point n shoot in underwater housing to an Olympus DSLR E330 in underwater housing PT-E02. Problem is now i am stuck for the strobe part as i don’t want the silly sit on top flash Olympus offer.
I am seeking advise, i see there is a connector on the inside of the PT-E02 which i assume can connect to the camera some how, then i guess i need another cable outside from housing to a strobe.
Does anyone have any advice from using the PT-E02 with the E330?????? I have a little SeaNSea strobe that works off a camera’s flash (no good at the moment) this should make a good second slave strobe if i can get a 1st stage one connected to the camera.
Olympus have been little help, sad to say as i do love their camera’s.
welcome to our forum. You have basically two options:
1. Optical Flash
Use slave strobes as your Sea & Sea, which are triggered by an optical signal from your internal flash. This would probably lead to a lot of backscatter due to the direct internal flash light. There are some solutions to prevent this by using optical cable to the external flash.
2. Sync Flash
Use the flash connector on your housing with a Ikelite or Sea & Sea strobe.
thanks for that, the bummer is that in E330 has a pop up flash that can’t pop up in the PT-E02 housing.
I did a bit of research this afternoon and found an Athena TTL converter which can connect to an Olympus housing and converts the talk? so another brand strobe can then be hooked up! I am still confused and a bit taken back, I spend heaps of money on kit and it still isn’t ready to get into the water.
The Athena TTL converter is on one site $389 i think thats US, and then i would have to get a flash to hook up to it and probably something on the inside between the camera and the hotshoe.
What i am really confused about now is that on the Athena site they have the converter going to the Hotshoe with the strobes attached to that and there is still a cable going to the sync attachment on the housing, can someone explain to me what the sync cable does that a TTL converter doesn’t?
Sorry i really am green round the gills with all this stuff!
Latest on my kit is 4 months later i got the Olympus parts for my strobe the TTL and Hotshoe and have hooked up a UFL-02 (Olympus’ new srtobe) but now the strobe wont fire with my camera?????
I have taken it on 3 dives now and not one flash with the camera, it will flash, charges etc if i press the test button but not when i take an image.
I have checked all the attachments a few times, played with the settings and even read the manual!
I had it flash once and that was it and this is all in auto mode!
Olympus cant help me they know nothing about their underwater gear, i am beginning to wonder if i have made a huge mistake in buying all this gear!
HELP :O( ?
Camera is E330
Housing is PT-e02
Strobe is UFL-02
Hot shoe and ttl are all Olympus, all is olympus!
If anyone can think of anything i am doing wrong please tell me!
I have just set up an Olympus system that uses the UFL-2 flash.
Have you set the strobe for TTL Auto?
Did you connect the hot shoe cable inside the housing?
Next set the camera for one of the underwater modes.
I am using a fiber optic cable in my set up and it is working fine, but I had to be sure the flash was set to use that input, I believe it comes set to manual out of the box.
i had tried the strobe in both Auto and Manual mode, the camera was in underwater macro mode as i am using a macro lens.
The latest to it all is that i took it all on a dive trip with me to South West Rock and the guys there played with it, we replaced the ‘bob’ component thinking it was a connection fault and it just miss fired, fired randomly and in succession. We assumed from this it was a connection fault on the strobe itself, the strobe went back to Olympus a month ago and i am still waiting to hear their verdict.
almost 7 months on from buying the gear and i can still not use it, it has been such a disappointed.
What housing and camera are you using? i was under the belief that i could not use fiber optic for my set up but maybe i need to investigate this further. Have you got any pics up on the web anywhere, i am keen to see what my camera could do once i get it working and in the water.
Thank you so much to everyone for trying to help me, i am willing to give it a few more months and see how it all goes.
I have only played around with the new system in a pool, and it was fine.
I have also practiced with the system in land around the house. I just left off the port and kept the strobes close to the camera. This is a good way to get used to the controlls.
I have the e-620 so I am using the PT-e06 housing. This housing has both electric ttl and fiber optic.
The fiber optic connections on the UFL-2 strobes do allow you to set it into TTL mode so this is a big plus. I do not use the underwater modes, preferring to shoot in either aperture priority or manual.
Were you sure that you had the strobe set to TTL auto not anything else, it is confusing, the manual is poorly written.
If you can not raise the cameras pop-up flash in the housing, then you are stuck with the electric TTL cable.
Hope this helps, I am sorry to hear that you are having so much trouble with Olympus.
Are you sure that the UFL-2 is compatible with your camera? I believe that the Olympus underwater strobe for the same era was the UFL-1, but I could be way off on that.
Hi,
i can not pop up the flash so only have the TTL option for my set up :O( the strobe was set to TTL with the TTL and hot shoe connected, i was sold all the parts by Olympus and told by their rep it should all work (in theory) i have to wait for them to send me back my strobe to play with it some more but either its something simple that i will work out eventually or Olympus have no idea and sold me parts that are not compatible. If its the latter they are going to have one very upset diver on their hands as i have always bought Olympus and always been happy until now.
i will recheck all the settings when i get the strobe back and see if it wasn’t me (which i really wish). I have had 3 other DSLR underwater photographers look at it and none of them could get it to work either, thats makes me feel better but does not solve the problem.
I am feeling more and more like i should have gone with another housing and may yet have to.
Oh the funny point, i sent my strobe back to the company i purchased it off and they sent it to Olympus to check. Christmas eve they rang me and said it works fine, i agreed and said yes it does work fine in slave mode but did olympus connect it to a housing with TTL and test it that way…...............silence…......No they didnt, even though i explained that was where the issue was, thus Olympus still have the strobe over a month later and i have not heard anything.
Thanks for your help and tips i really appreciate any help and will try all options,
I hope you get some great shots with your new set up,
I have just sent Olympus a 1 page email explaining the last 7 months of miss-fortune with their gear and asking/begging for them to help me. I have asked the difficult question, ‘Has anyone actually ever tried all the gear they sold me together with the TTL and new strobe as the strobe out dates the housing by 3 years or was i sold the gear on an ‘in theory’ idea that it SHOULD work’
I am guessing that it was never tested they just assumed it would work, if it wont talk then i kinda feel a stuffed and lost for options.
I will await a response for Olympus, give them the benefit of the doubt and hope for the best.
Thanks for all listening to me moan, if nothing else it makes me feel better to share the experience of it all!
Olympus have just called and asked me to send them all my gear back so they can test it all together in their syd office.
Camera Warehouse (who have been so supportive) are organising all my gear to get picked up tomorrow by AAE and they will then send it on to Olympus for testing! They still have my strobe as by accident it never got sent back to Olympus as was meant to happen (but hey we all make mistakes so no stress there).
Fingers crossed everyone.
For all its worth i would be blissfully happy if Olympus turned around and said i had the wrong setting or it was something simple i did! i just want to get the kit underwater and start getting some great macro shots.
I will keep keeping this thread updates as i hope i can fix it and this may be able to help anyone else in a similar situation :O)
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