Arms/trays for Ikelite UltraCompact housing and Sea&Sea YS-02

[rickthompson]

I've decided to get a YS-02 for my Cannon S100/Ikelite UltraCompact housing. Sea&Sea sells strobe packages that include a ball and socket style arm with a tray and a fiber optic kit, but I'm wondering if there are any other systems out there people would recommend. My reasoning behind getting the YS-02 is that if I ever upgrade my housing and get one for my DSLR, that I'll still be able to use it and not look like a fool trying to attach Ikelite's little AF-35 toy to it. So when it comes to arms/trays, I would like to invest in something that will last and will be compatible with other housings (Ikelite DSLR housings for example). Obviously if I get a new housing I will probably have to get a new tray, but are there any good, modular, and broadly compatible arm systems out there I should look into?

Also as a side note, I've heard people say Inon has a better fiber optic cable/masking package. Can anyone elaborate?

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I got my arm package from Camera & Video Housings, Strobes, Arms, Trays & More! - Optical Ocean Sales Underwater Photo - 800-359-1295! for my dual YS-01s and Ikelite housing for S95. The arms and tray from Optical Ocean Sales are way cheaper than elsewhere. You can get really good dual arm trays for $200-$300 USD.

Your YS-02 strobes might not be the best price there, so you can get them at another store.

 

[rickthompson]

Has anyone else had any experience with Optical Ocean tray/arm systems? I only have one YS-02 (for now) and I've recently been looking on B&H to see what they have. They have a huge inventory of Beneath the Surface brand tray/arms and I figured I could get a medium double handle tray, grip handle with ball mount, 8" double ball arm, 5" single ball arm with YS strobe end, and two standard clamps for just about $260. This would allow me to have a very modular system that I could easily add another handle and arms to, and even just swap out the handle tray for like $50 if I ever get a housing of a different size. My biggest question now is how do these stack up against Ultralight, which from what I've read seems to be top notch for arms/trays...

 

[mozaik]

Hi Rick,

I have a few suggestions. First of all, Inon makes a brilliant fiber optic cable adapter for the Ikelite S100 , its a ring that is simple put around the port and has a small hole in it which is a S&S style fiber optic connection. This will allow you to use any strobe with the Ikelite housing in a very elegant way. The price for this adapter is 99$.
You can see it in this picture (Note the connection on the port):
http://www.housingcamera.com/v/vspfiles/product_reviews/s100/DSC_0553.JPG

Now , regarding strobe , if you are already putting some money in to this , get the YS-01 as it supports TTL and you will definitely want to you that feature at least as a beginner and even later with DSLR or other setups.

The Optical Ocean tray/arm is a very good one , there are also many other good ones in the market. I dive with BTS and love their systems, see my review here:
https://www.housingcamera.com/BTS-aluminum-tray-arm-system-a/318.html ( At the end of the page you can see your exact setup with an Ikelite S100 housing )
Yes, BTS is very modular , you can take a look at all my pictures , I dive with different combinations every time.

Now , if you are on budget , there are some cheaper options to go with which are still very good for a compact housing:
Underwater Strobe | Sea and Sea YS-01 & Fantasea Blueray Tray Flex Package (Fiber optic cable and adhesive white velcro connector included. )

You can read my review about this here:
Underwater Strobe Package Review | Fantasea & Sea and Sea

Search our website for many other BTS packages , Sea and Sea or Fantasea ones . If you want to PM or email me , I can recommend some options according to your budget.

Good luck.

 

[Jak Crow]

I had the bluetray and flex arms with a strobe and focus light mounted on them for about a year, but found the tray and arms to be limiting. When I got the underwater case for my Oly E-PL3 and bought a underwater tray with ultralight ball mounts for $150. Optical Ocean Sales has a number of tray/arm sets for around $200-$250 which are good prices.

 

[jameseg]

Has anyone else had any experience with Optical Ocean tray/arm systems?

I have the basic tray/single modular arm setup from Optical Ocean. Happy with it so far. Haven't used others, so I can't provide comparisons. Two things I have noticed. First, you have to get the clamps pretty tight to stop the arms from dropping with the weight of the strobe (even in water). Maybe that's the case with other system, too. Second, the lip that stops the camera from rotating on the single tripod screw mount seems like it's on the wrong side of the tray. For my Canon housing, it would be better on the front, so as to still allow the rear door to open. But it's on the rear of the tray. I managed to fix the issue with a washer that allows just enough extra height for the rear housing door to clear the top of the lip. Doesn't give the screw much to hold on to, but seems solid enough to be safe.

James

 

[Jak Crow]

I have the basic tray/single modular arm setup from Optical Ocean. Happy with it so far. Haven't used others, so I can't provide comparisons. Two things I have noticed. First, you have to get the clamps pretty tight to stop the arms from dropping with the weight of the strobe (even in water). Maybe that's the case with other system, too.

It is. In the case of BigBlue clamps, they have a design flaw where it doesn't matter how tight you make them, the arms will sag no matter what. I use actual Ultralight brand clamps, which are well priced anyways, and they've been the best for me so far.

Second, the lip that stops the camera from rotating on the single tripod screw mount seems like it's on the wrong side of the tray. For my Canon housing, it would be better on the front, so as to still allow the rear door to open. But it's on the rear of the tray. I managed to fix the issue with a washer that allows just enough extra height for the rear housing door to clear the top of the lip. Doesn't give the screw much to hold on to, but seems solid enough to be safe.

I did the same with a washer to make sure the door has enough clearance. If you don't do that, the tray can actually push the case door out of alignment and cause leaking.