Olympus Reviews

This is Olympus' proprietary version of the bulb shutter release cable for the E-10. If you do any type of photography that requires slow shutter speeds (including macrophotography and some special effects work), this little item should be among your first accessory purchases. Even if you just do "normal" photography, such as landscapes and portraiture, this will help you achieve better [less blurr-prone] results.

With very slow shutter speeds (and even some within the "normal" range, up to about 1/125), you may introduce blur into your photos -- even using a tripod or setting the camera on the ground -- just by the action of your finger pressing the shutter release button. This problem is solved by using a cable release: the motion of pressing the button is isolated from the camera by the cable. Olympus has, as with its other accessories, given more than I would have expected! This remote cable release allows the user to do a "half-button-press," as with the camera-mounted button, to autofocus and lock in exposure settings. It also has a button lock, which can be engaged for those long "bulb" exposures: the user can lock the shutter open, and then do other things (such as manipulate lighting, reflectors, rotate the barrel of the lens for zoom effects, and so on). There is also a threaded hub on which you can store the cable port cap when in use -- convenient, and nice not to have to worry about misplacing it.

The price is, admittedly, higher than the old stand-by cable or air release used with traditional SLRs, but the convenience, usefulness, and nice little features make it worth the price. If you want to improve the quality of your photos (and especially your macro and slow-speed photos), this is an accessory you must have.

I lost the remote for My Olympus C2500L before I got home with it, it is not very big. Office Depot had a super price, I expected to wait until next Wednesday, but, out pushing the lawn mower today, Saturday, and the Fedex truck pulled up. WOW!
Only thing with the remote is that I wish it was just a bit more powerful, and worked across wider angles. Other than this, it is a super handy accessory for what may be the greatest small camera ever. Office Depot's Bobbie Lay packed this thing so good it was bomb proof. Thanks, Folks

It's a useful assessory for my Olympus c-730 camera (it also works with a few others). It allows you to take vibration free pictures on a tripod as well as getting yourself into the picture. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is I think it should be (and expected it to be) included with the camera! I also had another remote control for an Olympus Centurion APS SLR and was disappointed that that remote wouldn't work with the c-730. I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be able to!

Great for group shots like family reunions. With this tool you can make sure that you are not left out. Self portraits are also possible. I don't think the remote is compatible with all Olympus equipment. Check your manual to see if it is offered as an option.

The case works, but it is considerabley larger than it looks on-line. The construction is solid, but the buttons seem to stick out a good distance, and I am afraid that eventually they will break off.

However, the thing has a great solid feel to it.

The one, major, drawback is that you have to turn the camera on, place it in the case, seal it, and then wait after every shot for the thing to go into stand-by... in short, your battery does not last nearly as long as in normal use.

If you buy this case for the sole purpose of going under water with it, then you have purchased a good product. I thought that it might be good for storage and everyday use (I work in the jungles and high mountain areas of Peru and Bolivia, in very adverse conditions), but it looks like I might have to shelve the thing until my next dive trip.

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 too. 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.