>Last month, under pressure from an impending tax refund, I
>splurged on a used Ikelite housing for OM-1 and 1n. This seemed
>like the perfect way to combine two hideously expensive habits :-)
Been there, done that...am broke to prove it ;-)
>I've been told for years that I'm nuts not to buy a modern AF SLR
>system -- am I even more crazy to do underwater photography with
>manual focus and exposure?
You've been talking to amateurs.
>Any other people on the list using their precious Olympus gear
>underwater? Any advice for a new underwater photographer, other
>than obvious things like replacing all the O-rings on a used case
>so it doesn't flood the first time I use it?
I've dived quite a bit with an OM-4t in an Ikelite housing -- it's a great
system capable of pro results. I'd strongly recommend you acquire the OM-1n
for it's flash functions instead of the OM-10 toy. When you can afford it
(about $120, cha-ching), I'd also recommend you send you housing in to Ike
for an upgrade to the new knobs and back -- not essential but a nice
upgrade and they'll pressure test it (btw Ikelite offers the best customer
service in the entire photo industry!). Knocking on every wooden object in
the room, I've never had a leak (but did add leak detector).
Odds are, the port you got won't match the lens you want to use. You'll
need a dome for wide angle (I use 18, 21, and 28) and a flat focusing port
for macro (I use 90) and all the gear fittings-- cha-ching.
My housing/flash has TTL and exposure comp capability but I often shoot
manual and consider that the best way to learn. Two flashes are better than
one (cha-ching, cha-ching) and the more powerful (CHA-CHING), the better
(unless you only do macro). Cables are surprisingly expensive (cha-ching)
as are the flash brackets (cha-ching). Buy Ikelite everything. If your
housing didn't come with it, you'll want the eyepiece diopter too (ching).
An Igloo cooler is the best value for shipping cases but need reinforcement
(divers fly a lot) and padding or get a Tundra case if you can afford it
(cha-ching).
It may be daunting and pricey, but it's a worthwhile effort. A housed
manual camera is superior to almost any other option for the thinking
photographer. AF is more of a liability than an advantage underwater.
However if wide angle is your vision, almost nothing can beat a Nikonos
(III or V) with the Nikonos 18mm lens (the only reason to own Nikon ;-).
The minor drawback for a housed Olympus is that lack of an action finder
and shutter adjustment (1/60 is fine for most dives but it'd be nice to
have 130 and even 1/15 as options).
E-mail me off list for specific questions so we don't bore everyone. Join
the U/W Photo mailing list to get a lot more useful advice. Being
land-locked now, I can only dream about my next dive trip. For the
non-divers in the crowd...it's a wonderful excuse to relax on a beach or be
pampered on a yacht! Of course, the scenary is nothing short of awesome :-)
Clydeorama Photo Gallery
http://home.rmi.net/~csoles/index.htm
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