Any reports yet on the Ikelite AF 35?

[kerryw]

If you used two AF35s do you think it would make any difference?

Well since this old thread got revived I guess I better come clean and say I no longer use this strobe. I still own it as a backup along with a Canon A640 but here is the deal. I was very into underwater photography for years (like 15) with the Nikonos system and Ikelite strobes and then took several years off because i was tired of it. The A640 and AF 35 were my start back into the hobby. So I got hooked again and now have a Canon G9 with to Inon Z240 strobes and an Patima housing Which i am very happy with but is certainly a very expensive P&S rig.

I was happy with the AF 35 for macro as I said and much less so for other uses. All in all the set up is a bit flimsy but it certainly did the job for macro and no optical cables etc to worry about. having said that if i was buying an A640 level P&S again I would do some serious looking at the options out there, not saying the AF 35 is a bad choice but just that there are more and more options out there every day. Oh and yes two strobes are almost always better than one... (and more expensive;-)

I'm still going to keep the A640/AF35 rig as a spare, It's already been to the Red Sea with a friend and will probably go to Mexico in January with another friend.

So there My consience is clear.

Kerry

Let my story be a lesson to you all, U/W photography is a good way to get rid of that spare cash you have filling up your pockets

 

[South4Scuba]

Being one of the early posters on this thread, I have had quite a bit of time to check out my AF35. It takes a lot of tweaking with the settings to get good pictures. I think two AF35's would work well, but only to prevent shadows.

On a recent trip to AKR in Roatan I spent a lot of time with my AF35 and learned that you must use the manual (instead of auto) settings on the strobe. I usually took about 4 exposures of every picture to determine the right intensity setting. The good news is 1 out of 4 of my pictures is very good. I usually got too much light intensity rather than too little. If you play with the settings you will get some very good pictures.

If there is one thing I have found it is that no two pictures require the same settings.

South 4 Scuba

 

[bflavi]

I tried using the AF35 but it seems to be too overpowered so all my photos are washed out. Also, it seems to be inconsistent with its flash strength.
I used it with a G10.

Kindly note that I only got to test it once, so I was fiddling around with the controls. I will get to test it for real when I'm diving with just a buddy and not on a liveaboard with other unknown guests (I was pressured to keep up with the group so I can't really stay on one spot for too long.)

In conclusion (so far, as I have yet to test it again), with a GN 16, I'd rather use Sea & Sea's YS-17 (GN14). The TTL keeps it from getting the photos washed out.

 

[South4Scuba]

I have found that the AF35 has plenty of power. Ironically, some earlier posts mentioned that other strobes with more power might be better than the AF35. However, if you need any more power than the AF35 you will likely get mostly backscatter anyway. Up to about 4 feet this is a great strobe.

This is not really a strobe for Dummies. I have found that you need to make quite a few manual settings to get good pictures. In addition, you have to aim the strobe properly and not always directly at the subject. I suspect this is not unlike more expensive strobes.

I don't know if there are any fully automatic strobes out there. I think good photos require diver awareness of the conditions and a fair amount of manual adjustment to take good pictures.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

 

[bflavi]

So far these are the photos I took using the af35. I'll spend more time trying it out again soon, and compare it with another strobe as well.
You may ignore the other photos and just look at the underwater photos. They were taken in Phuket. You'll have to understand though that the camera, strobe and even the casing was still new so I was still trying to get comfortable with the whole set-up. It didn't help that the visibility was too awful (less than 5 meters, argh).
You may also want to compare it with the other photos I took using the Canon Powershot SB600 along with a Sea&Sea YS-17 when I was in Manado. Come to think of it, there's not much difference, but there are more shots taken since I didn't have to fiddle with the controls too much.

flickr.com/photos/bflavi/

 

[kerryw]

This is not really a strobe for Dummies. I have found that you need to make quite a few manual settings to get good pictures. In addition, you have to aim the strobe properly and not always directly at the subject. I suspect this is not unlike more expensive strobes.

Interesting statement, I think Ikelite is sort of marketing it as a simple mostly auto solution for point and shoot cameras... I thought it was pretty easy to get OK macro or closeup photos with this strobe.

I still say it is a little underpowered for things other than macro BUT that depends on what you are using for ASA and aperture etc. as well..

Certainly a strobe worth considering..

Kerry

 

[Gussy]

So I take it that this strobe does not work well in the "auto" mode for regular, non-macro shots and night shots?

 

[Hatul]

I bought an AF35 and used it once so far, and can concur with some of the comments on it here.

The Flex Arm is a little floppy on land, but it's OK underwater. The flash has to be aimed or it may not illuminate the subject properly. I'm considering trying the diffuser to get a wider beam.

Also has anyone found a good way to mount a light on this flash, for night diving and to help with focusing?

Adam

 

[kerryw]

I bought an AF35 and used it once so far, and can concur with some of the comments on it here.

The Flex Arm is a little floppy on land, but it's OK underwater. The flash has to be aimed or it may not illuminate the subject properly. I'm considering trying the diffuser to get a wider beam.

Also has anyone found a good way to mount a light on this flash, for night diving and to help with focusing?

Adam

I have a light holder that i think was originally designed to strap to your arm, works good with th smaller ikelite strobes. i ave also just strapped a light to them with knife straps.

Kerry

 

[Hatul]

I have a light holder that i think was originally designed to strap to your arm, works good with th smaller ikelite strobes. i ave also just strapped a light to them with knife straps.

Kerry

Can you post a brand name or a link to the light holder?

Adam