Phil Rudin
Forum username: phil rudin Posts: 1,901 Articles: 3 (Wetpixel contributor) Active years: 2005–2024 Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique (81%), Classifieds, Lights/Strobes/Lighting Specialization: Olympus/OM System and Sony mirrorless underwater systems
Community Role
Phil Rudin is one of Wetpixel’s most dedicated gear discussion contributors, with 1,901 posts across 814 threads spanning nearly two decades. He also authored three articles for Wetpixel, including a hands-on review of the Olympus EPL-1 and PT-EP01 housing, a review of the Olympus E-410 and PT-E03 housing, and a Florida Dive Show report — establishing him as a trusted voice in the Olympus underwater ecosystem.
Rudin’s forum activity is overwhelmingly concentrated in Photography Gear and Technique (81% of posts), making him one of the most gear-focused contributors in the community. His single most active thread is the Olympus OM-D E-M5 discussion (80 posts), where he was a primary contributor to what became one of the landmark threads for micro four-thirds underwater adoption. He was similarly active in threads on the Olympus E-3 (19 posts), Olympus OM-D EM-1 (19 posts), and various Olympus port and housing configurations.
In later years, Rudin expanded his coverage to Sony mirrorless systems, contributing heavily to Sony A7R V discussions (24 posts) and Sony 20-70mm f/4 G lens evaluation threads (19 posts). His activity saw a notable resurgence in 2021–2023 (236, 229, and 177 posts respectively), driven by the transition to mirrorless systems.
Notable Contributions
- Authored Wetpixel article: “Hands on review of the Olympus EPL-1 and PT-EP01 housing”
- Authored Wetpixel article: “Olympus E-410 dSLR and PT-E03 underwater housing”
- Authored Wetpixel article: “Florida Dive Show Report”
- Leading contributor to the Olympus OM-D E-M5 thread (80 posts) — the most active single-thread participation of any member in this batch
- Major participant in Olympus E-3 discussions and lens/port compatibility threads (thread 30056, 15 posts)
- Active in Marelux Apollo strobe evaluation (thread 71254, 18 posts)
- Engaged in Canon EOS 5D announcement discussion (16 posts)
- Contributed to Sony A7R V and Sony 20-70mm f/4 underwater evaluation threads
Activity Profile
- Peak years: 2021 (236 posts), 2022 (229 posts), 2023 (177 posts)
- Earlier peak: 2007 (171 posts), 2008 (150 posts)
- Forum focus: Photography Gear (81%), Classifieds (6%), Lighting/Strobes (6%)
- Thread participation: 814 threads, averaging 2.3 posts per thread
- Gear trajectory: Olympus DSLR (2005–2012) to Olympus mirrorless (2012–2020) to Sony mirrorless (2021–2024)
References
- Forum posts: 1,901 across 814 threads
- Articles: 3 published on Wetpixel
- Source: person_matrix.json, forum database, items table