Introduction
I remember growing up seeing fancy dive cases for digital cameras and just being in awe of the functionality and sheer possibilities of such a system. But they were hundreds of dollars just for the case, besides the camera itself. So, I put it aside as something I couldn’t afford. Fast-forward to now 2022 and the landscape of underwater capable cameras has totally changed. Dedicated diving cases are reserved for high-end camera systems, and casual diving photography has been replaced by GoPros and smartphones. This led to underwater cases for consumer digital cameras tanking in price, meaning they are readily available and very affordable. I picked one up with two Olympus 740UZ’s for under $30. Time to live out my childhood dream.
The Cheap Olympus C-740UZ Digicam
The Olympus C-740UZ is a consumer super zoom compact released in 2003. Despite being a consumer camera, it is packed with advanced features like manual modes and advanced metering. Already after only a week with it I can tell you it’s a cheap digicam to beat. The photographs straight out of the camera look beautiful, and despite being a little slow the camera handles wonderfully.
Olympus PT-018 Waterproof Case
But the draw for me wasn’t just the cheap price, it was the cheap availability of the Olympus PT-018 waterproof diving housing made for the camera. Like I mentioned, I got my bundled with two Olympus C-740’s, but even standalone they can be purchased on eBay for ~$20.
The PT-018 is a beauty of a case. There’s physical buttons and switches for every function on the camera (and that’s a lot). There’s even a special switch for putting the flash back down after you pop it up. The pure engineering behind the case is a joy in and of itself to look at.
With this case you can take the camera to a depth of 40 meters, which is well beyond what I would ever take it on. I am talking my neighborhood pool or the river with my kids. I wish I had it on my snorkeling trips in Hawaii a few months ago, but maybe next time.
In any case I wouldn’t take it that deep now because you do need to be careful of these old cases leaking. Not only could there be unnoticed cracks in the case, but the case itself has an extensive maintenance routine prescribed by the instruction manual. The O-ring should be replaced every year, for example. And while you might be able to find an O-ring from another manufacturer at a similar spec, you may just be stuck with the one you get. In addition to replacing it, the O-ring should be regularly cleaned and lubricated. As-if I needed yet another piece of machinery to remember to maintain in my life!
Tips for Using an Old Digital Camera Waterproof Case
There are a few tips I found in the instruction manual to get mine watertight that should work for you. Whether it is the PT-018 or another similar type case you get. Here’s what I did:
- Take the O-ring out, and clean it with water. Let dry.
- Lubricate the O-ring with a silicone lubricant and reinstall.
- Check latches of the case for a tight fit. In my case, one of the latches had broken and was not giving a tight fit. I used a small zip try to cinch it tight.
- Place silica packets beneath the camera. This was recommended in the manual to detect early leaks and prevent damage. Also to prevent camera case lens from fogging.
- After you have done all this, and installed the camera, test in a sink or bathtub. The manual suggests testing first for a few seconds, then examining. Then for 30 seconds, then for a few minutes. Once you’ve passed the few minutes of testing you are good to go.
Conclusion
And that worked for me! I just had my maiden voyage underwater with my C-740UZ and it was a blast! The camera functions well with the case buttons and is easy to use and handle in the water. The only two major limitations I faced were difficulty seeing my composition even with the screen hood in bright daylight, and the slow autofocusing of the camera. There’s a good 2-3 second delay sometimes in taking a picture because of the slow autofocus. Other than that it was a lot of fun, and I felt awesome living my childhood dream! No matter the pictures would be “technically” better with a waterproof iPhone or a GoPro. For the price I paid and the experience, I couldn’t be happier.
Let me know if you want to see more of this camera and underwater case.
happy snappin’
-james
