The Best Bang For Your Buck: Olympus PEN E-PL10 and Backscatter Octo Housing   

Backscatter Olympus PEN E-PL9 & E-PL10 Underwater Octo Housing UH-EPL10

We teamed up with AOI to produce the Backscatter Limited Edition Octo housing. As if the simple operation, compact and well-laid out ergonomics, affordable price point, and changeable ports, and built-in LED trigger and vacuum system weren’t enough, we just had to go and make it the coolest looking housing around too.



The housing works with both Olympus E-PL9 & Olympus E-PL10, so no matter which camera you use the same housing will support either.

The size of the housing overall is barely larger than most compact cameras and is significantly smaller than similar Micro Four Thirds underwater rigs. When compared to systems like Panasonic GH5 and Olympus OM-D E-M1 III the Olympus E-PL10 really stands out as being easy to handle and small enough to easily pack for travel.

Even with the overall compact nature of the housing, there is plenty of room for ergonomic control access, even for those with small hands or thick dive gloves. The housing includes an alternate shutter lever extension so that no matter whether you prefer to hold the housing directly or prefer to use a handle grip, you can easily access the shutter without moving your hand.

The shutter lever can be swapped to accommodate operation while handheld or while using a tray and grip. 

Housing Includes 67mm Threaded Port

The housing Includes a 67mm threaded front port for the Olympus 14-42mm EZ lens. Pair this port with wet wide or macro lenses for compact-like versatile shooting. Swap this port out for dedicated domes or extended macro ports for prime lenses and you will be ready to shoot any subject large or small. The housing is even compatible with older Olympus PEN series housing ports, so if you are upgrading from one of those classic systems then you already have some compatible accessories.

Mount a double flip holder on the 67mm threads to be able to quickly swap between macro and wide on the same dive. If you don’t want all that bulk on the front of your port, use the AOI QRS (Quick Release System) of bayonet mounts for quick-disconnect of lenses which can then be stored on a control arm or in a pocket.
 

Rapid-Fire Strobe Sync

Thanks to the built-in LED flash trigger of the Backscatter E-PL10 Octo Housing, the Olympus E-PL10 can shoot rapid-fire by completely bypassing its own built-in pop-up flash. It fires more shots per second than any compact or mirrorless that has to rely on a pop-up built-in flash, creating more opportunities to really nail the perfect frame in a quick-burst fast action sequence. This camera will fire as fast as the paired strobe can recycle, so at lower strobe power it can do some pretty astoundingly fast rapid shooting. This also has the benefit of keeping the housing small because there does not need to be room to accommodate the pop-up flash.

The tradeoff of this rapid-fire benefit is that there is no automatic TTL strobe exposure.
 
Olympus E-PL10 | Backscatter E-PL10 Octo Housing | Olympus 8mm | 1/200 | ISO 200 | ƒ9 

Integrated Vacuum Detection, Moisture Alarm, & LED Flash Trigger

One of the coolest features of the housing is the Multi-Control Device. This USB-rechargeable unit is what controls not only the LED flash trigger but also the vacuum and moisture detection for peace of mind while underwater.

Just connect the device to the cameras hotshoe for rapid-fire LED flash firing, and seal up the housing and port in order to pump it down for vacuum protection. By drawing a vacuum prior to the dive, the housing's integrity can be verified and it can be taken underwater with the full confidence of being leak-free. If by some chance there is any moisture present inside, an alarm will alert you so that it can be addressed before any serious damage occurs.

The USB-rechargeable Multi-Function Device provides both rapid-fire LED flash sync and a leak-proof vacuum for peace of mind. 

Use Your Existing UMG Viewfinder Accessories

The housing is also compatible with UMG magnifiers, which many TG shooters are sure to have for their Olympus PT-059 housings. Both the AOI UMG-01 and AOI UMG-05 are compatible with the Backscatter E-PL10 Octo Housing, meaning that they can carry right over from a TG rig to this one. The AOI UMG-01 makes it easy to see the LCD screen in bright conditions by creating a loupe-style view of the back of the housing. The AOI UMG-05 is great for SLR-like operation, where the LCD screen can be viewed at a downward angle using an angled prism. This is also great for getting down in the sand to shoot a macro subject face to face and still being able to actually see the screen.
 
The Olympus E-PL10 & Backscatter E-PL10 Octo Housing system features a full suite of accessories that allow any shooter to create their ideal rig. Click the image to download this system chart as a PDF. 

Specs:

• Description: Underwater Housing for Olympus PEN E-PL9/10
• Housing Color: White with Custom Octo Graphics - No two housings are the same!
• Compatible: Olympus PEN E-PL9 or E-PL10 with M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ Lens
• Waterproof: 45m/150ft
• Main Material: Housing Body: Polycarbonate
• Flat Port Glass: Optical Glass with double sided multi-layer AR coating
• Operating Environment: 0°C ~ 40°C (32°F ~ 104°F)
• Storage: -20 C ~ 60 C (-4 F ~ 140 F)
• Flash Trigger:
  • Battery Operation Time: Approx. 3 days (based on 3 dives/day and approx. 250 shots/dive)
  • Battery: Built-in Rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery (3.7V)
  • Charging: USB Charger DC 5V, 0.5A - Approx. 1 hour for a fully charge
• Dimensions: Approx. 166mm (W) x 128mm (H) x 135.5mm (D) / 6.53in (W) x 5.04in (H) x 5.33in (D)
• Weight: On land: Approx. 734g/1.61lbs
• Underwater: Approx. 26g/0.05lbs

Download the Instruction Manual.
 DOWNLOAD HERE
   The Backscatter E-PL10 Octo Housing includes everything needed to start shooting underwater right away.