Best strobe for Canon G10
- Thread starter BettyfromToronto
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Darn it! Now I have something else to consider! 
bvanant
Contributor
The s2000 is a very good strobe for the money. I know that there are folks on this forum that love the D2000 but for me the S2000 is much more suitable for your needs unless you are going to be shooting lots of very wide panoramic scenes. Then you need two strobes and lots more power.
Bill
Bill
OP
BettyfromToronto
Contributor
OK the list is now down to two. Ikellite AF35 and Sealife. Both are complete packages. LDS says Sealife is more powerful but hubby is starting to think he doesn`t like the connecting cable. Thinks it will get in his way.
He says he`s not planning on upgrading and just wants a simple cheap strobe so thanks for all the postings about the other better strobes.
Can anyone compare these two. The website for comparison is great except it doesn`t have the Sealife.
He says he`s not planning on upgrading and just wants a simple cheap strobe so thanks for all the postings about the other better strobes.
Can anyone compare these two. The website for comparison is great except it doesn`t have the Sealife.
Wisnu
Contributor
Warmwater Wank
Contributor
Ah, sounds like hubby is getting what he asked for then. Don't let Wisnu bring you down though and make you think hubby will have to dump his decision in a few months. I mean there is the possibility he can somehow make use of the AF35 as a 2d slaved strobe...
// ww
// ww
Hotpuppy
Guest
Hi,
I run a Canon G-9 in the stock Canon Case. It's great. Yes, the built-in flash is crap for underwater. Don't despair, you have a phenomenal camera that will grow with you and is the best of the point and shoots.
I bought a "tray" which really means mounting bracket from a small Seattle company.
Now, I'm gonna give you the bad news about dive photography before I tell you what strobe I run.
1) All the players want your money. Period. They will try very hard to sell you the toy camera in the LDS and the over-priced brand new strobe. Sea&Sea's answer when I asked for parts support was that a strobe I had was "non-repairable" and "they didn't provide support".... which is code for "you're screwed".
2) The beauty of a point & shoot is it's TTL interface. Unless you enjoy math and light calculations or what to revisit the world of film and frustration.... you want to use your TTL sensor. Canon has a great TTL computer that "figures out" the flash.
3) All dive gear eventually floods. Maybe if you are lucky I'm wrong, but plan on it. Put the amount of money into your gear that you are willing to throw out the window while driving on the freeway.
4) My philosophy is that I bought a used Canon G-9 with a used case, a new o-ring, and new-gel. I bought a USED YS-120 (8 AA battery) strobe... a good mid-range strobe that gives the fish sun-burn.
I bought a synch cable from Sea & Sea... and then I bought a Heinrichs-Weikamp TTL converter. No holes in my camera case and it works just fine.... it "fools" the strobe into thinking it's talking to the computer. It is manageable and settable - decent instructions.
You probably won't find a HW TTL converter in a LDS. You'll honestly be doing good to find someone who understands TTL and knows what a converter is. They would rather sell you a really expensive IkeLight case, strobe and cable.
Ebay is a great place to find a used strobe. I bought mine from a camera collector on Ebay who found it at an estate sale. I think I paid $80 for it. He was happy, I'm happy, and it works fine. I use Eneloop AA NIMh batteries with a MAHA 8-cell charger. It will recharge in 8 hours....
The hole rig is slightly negatively buoyant.
The tray came from Optical Ocean Sales - Camera Housings, Strobes, Arms, Trays & More! - Optical Ocean Sales Underwater Photo - 800-359-1295!
A small Seattle based company, he's on SB as well.
Lastly, I'm not a guru..... there are plenty of those on here.... I'm like you I want to take dive pictures. I do have a land-photography background though and knew I would outgrow a SeaLife. For the record, SeaLife is a good camera for someone who wants to take snapshots. It is not a photography grade camera.
Oh, your G10 probably does HD video. Videos is even easier then photography so spin the dial and give it a whirl next time you are in the water. If my memory is right the G9 is slightly more advanced then the G10, but they are both great cameras that have a range of options for learning.
If you haven't done so, set aside some time in the pool or your local dive environment to go out and play with the camera. Practice makes perfect. Find a dive photo club if there is one in your area. You will learn alot from other divers who can explain the finer points of getting it right so you can get great shots on your next trip.
I run a Canon G-9 in the stock Canon Case. It's great. Yes, the built-in flash is crap for underwater. Don't despair, you have a phenomenal camera that will grow with you and is the best of the point and shoots.
I bought a "tray" which really means mounting bracket from a small Seattle company.
Now, I'm gonna give you the bad news about dive photography before I tell you what strobe I run.
1) All the players want your money. Period. They will try very hard to sell you the toy camera in the LDS and the over-priced brand new strobe. Sea&Sea's answer when I asked for parts support was that a strobe I had was "non-repairable" and "they didn't provide support".... which is code for "you're screwed".
2) The beauty of a point & shoot is it's TTL interface. Unless you enjoy math and light calculations or what to revisit the world of film and frustration.... you want to use your TTL sensor. Canon has a great TTL computer that "figures out" the flash.
3) All dive gear eventually floods. Maybe if you are lucky I'm wrong, but plan on it. Put the amount of money into your gear that you are willing to throw out the window while driving on the freeway.
4) My philosophy is that I bought a used Canon G-9 with a used case, a new o-ring, and new-gel. I bought a USED YS-120 (8 AA battery) strobe... a good mid-range strobe that gives the fish sun-burn.
I bought a synch cable from Sea & Sea... and then I bought a Heinrichs-Weikamp TTL converter. No holes in my camera case and it works just fine.... it "fools" the strobe into thinking it's talking to the computer. It is manageable and settable - decent instructions.You probably won't find a HW TTL converter in a LDS. You'll honestly be doing good to find someone who understands TTL and knows what a converter is. They would rather sell you a really expensive IkeLight case, strobe and cable.
Ebay is a great place to find a used strobe. I bought mine from a camera collector on Ebay who found it at an estate sale. I think I paid $80 for it. He was happy, I'm happy, and it works fine. I use Eneloop AA NIMh batteries with a MAHA 8-cell charger. It will recharge in 8 hours....
The hole rig is slightly negatively buoyant.
The tray came from Optical Ocean Sales - Camera Housings, Strobes, Arms, Trays & More! - Optical Ocean Sales Underwater Photo - 800-359-1295!
A small Seattle based company, he's on SB as well.
Lastly, I'm not a guru..... there are plenty of those on here.... I'm like you I want to take dive pictures. I do have a land-photography background though and knew I would outgrow a SeaLife. For the record, SeaLife is a good camera for someone who wants to take snapshots. It is not a photography grade camera.
Oh, your G10 probably does HD video. Videos is even easier then photography so spin the dial and give it a whirl next time you are in the water. If my memory is right the G9 is slightly more advanced then the G10, but they are both great cameras that have a range of options for learning.
If you haven't done so, set aside some time in the pool or your local dive environment to go out and play with the camera. Practice makes perfect. Find a dive photo club if there is one in your area. You will learn alot from other divers who can explain the finer points of getting it right so you can get great shots on your next trip.
Hotpuppy
Guest
One thing to remember... you can always turn the light down, but you can't turn up what isn't there.... Very few photographers have ever complained about having too much light.
OP
BettyfromToronto
Contributor
Thanks Hotpuppy for such a detailed response. I'll have to have hubby read it since he's the real photographer. He just hasn't taken the camera underwater yet as he just got certified in September so I have been carrying it to date. He's doing his AOW in February in Roatan and one of his 5 dives will be the digital photography dive. I assume when the course is done he'll start being the one who carries the camera on every dive. 
Banon
Contributor
I'll add one more opinion to go with S&S or Inon. I've seen UW photographers unhappy with their SeaLife strobes. I haven't seen that with Inons. I traded up my old S&S YS-25s when I decided I wanted to shoot wide angle, but they were great up until then.
I'm currently shooting a Canon G9 with YS-110a's and love them. My wife has a Canon G11 with Inon Z240, which is basically the same as the Inon D2000 but a little more powerful. I like the Z240 just a little bit better than the YS-110a, but they are so close that to me it comes down to price and personal preferences.
I hear Ikelite makes great strobes, but I wouldn't recommend that route unless you are also planning an Ikelite case.
If I were buying a new strobe for a new Canon G series, starting from scratch, I'd evaluate as follows:
So basically, I'm one more opinion recommending the Inon D2000, S&S YS-110a, or S&S YS-01.
Whatever you do, I suggest you price match your LDS against one or more of the following, and look at the ratings/comments posted on some of these sites:
ScubaToys.com
Scuba.com
Leisurepro.com
Amazon.com
bhphotovideo.com
reefphoto.com
backscatter.com
Good luck with your purchase!
I'm currently shooting a Canon G9 with YS-110a's and love them. My wife has a Canon G11 with Inon Z240, which is basically the same as the Inon D2000 but a little more powerful. I like the Z240 just a little bit better than the YS-110a, but they are so close that to me it comes down to price and personal preferences.
I hear Ikelite makes great strobes, but I wouldn't recommend that route unless you are also planning an Ikelite case.
If I were buying a new strobe for a new Canon G series, starting from scratch, I'd evaluate as follows:
- If my highest priority was small rig size, I'd go with a single S&S YS-01 or Inon S2000 and plan on shooting macro and close subjects only. (I probably would also have gotten a Canon S95 instead of the G-series, but that's another path.)
- If my highest priority was upgradeability and planning for future UW photography, I'd get a S&S YS-110a or Inon Z240.
- If I wanted a balance between small size/reasonable price now with a clear path to add another strobe for wide angle, I'd go with a single Inon D2000 or S&S (either YS-01 or YS-110a, depending on how much light I wanted. Either is probably fine for your purposes, and the YS-01 is cheaper.)
So basically, I'm one more opinion recommending the Inon D2000, S&S YS-110a, or S&S YS-01.
Whatever you do, I suggest you price match your LDS against one or more of the following, and look at the ratings/comments posted on some of these sites:
ScubaToys.com
Scuba.com
Leisurepro.com
Amazon.com
bhphotovideo.com
reefphoto.com
backscatter.com
Good luck with your purchase!
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