Best Strobe for Ikelite housing & Oly 3000?

[JJacobe]

Man...I should read a little better! I missed that you already had the Ike housing. Do you already have the Ike tray?

alcina and I use the same arms. I don't think there's a way to attach them to the Ike tray, but I could be wrong...happens all the time!

Yes, I have the tray. What I own right now looks like this: http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/oly6130sin.html

Having done some of the recommeded reading :eyecrazy:

I've decided that I am definatelyl still undecided! :280:

I'm sure that with a little more input from this group, I'll be able to make a good choice.

 

[JJacobe]

I have both the ds-125 and the ds-50. If I were picking just one strobe, I would go with the ds-125. The differences between the two packages is the arms and the strobe/charger. I like the wider coverage of the ds-125 and I think the color is a little warmer. I started out with a single ds-50. Added a ds-125 and am now adding my second ds-125. I think the ds-125 is a better strobe to grow with.

Don't get me wrong, the ds-50 is a fine strobe. I just like the 125 better and I find it suits my needs better. I do like the ball socket arm better. It is much easier to adjust.

You might want to check with Ryan at Underwater Camera Pros. He is great about providing advice and providing superbe customer service.

I noticed the arm difference. It looks like there is a ds-50 package with the ball socket arm. But, I guess my question for you (since you've used both!) is am I better off starting with the ds-50? I wonder if I need to start with something basic? That would not be my nature. I like to research, gather opinions, and dive in with both feet.
I also hate having to immediately upgrade! Its nice to buy once.

 

[SwimsWithSharks]

I noticed the arm difference. It looks like there is a ds-50 package with the ball socket arm. But, I guess my question for you (since you've used both!) is am I better off starting with the ds-50? I wonder if I need to start with something basic? That would not be my nature. I like to research, gather opinions, and dive in with both feet.
I also hate having to immediately upgrade! Its nice to buy once.

My recommendation is to go straight to the ds-125. The odds are that you will want to upgrade reasonably quickly so why buy twice. The ds-125 provides greater coverage for w/a shots and will be more forgiving on strobe placement when you first start out. As far as basic vs. complex, you will probably notice little difference in the two as far as complexity of use.

One other thing that I forgot to mention (and to me is a big selling point of the ds-125) is the light which can subsitute for your primary light on night dives. The ds-125 has one, the ds-50 doesn't.

My history is that I thought, well, I don't want to spend all the money for a ds-125 and I want to see if I like taking pictures underwater. It didn't take me long to want a ds-125 so I bought one. I figured, I could use the ds-125 and ds-50 together for awhile but wasn't completely satisifed with the results (some shadows due to different strengths). Which is why the second ds-125 was delivered a couple of days ago.

For me, it isn't a complete loss. My wife wants to have a small compact set-up to try underwater so I am setting up an u/w system for her and will use the ds-50 on her camera.

Finally, one last comment, I have had such great luck with Ikelite's service that I am a big fan. Very few companies, in my experience, are so interested in customer service.

 

[JJacobe]

My recommendation is to go straight to the ds-125. The odds are that you will want to upgrade reasonably quickly so why buy twice. The ds-125 provides greater coverage for w/a shots and will be more forgiving on strobe placement when you first start out. As far as basic vs. complex, you will probably notice little difference in the two as far as complexity of use.

One other thing that I forgot to mention (and to me is a big selling point of the ds-125) is the light which can subsitute for your primary light on night dives. The ds-125 has one, the ds-50 doesn't.

My history is that I thought, well, I don't want to spend all the money for a ds-125 and I want to see if I like taking pictures underwater. It didn't take me long to want a ds-125 so I bought one. I figured, I could use the ds-125 and ds-50 together for awhile but wasn't completely satisifed with the results (some shadows due to different strengths). Which is why the second ds-125 was delivered a couple of days ago.

For me, it isn't a complete loss. My wife wants to have a small compact set-up to try underwater so I am setting up an u/w system for her and will use the ds-50 on her camera.

Finally, one last comment, I have had such great luck with Ikelite's service that I am a big fan. Very few companies, in my experience, are so interested in customer service.

Ok, obviously you are an Ike fan. Any place I should look to try to bring down the cost? The product appears to be worth the price. It is just that the my wallet may not meet the price tag. I am not against a good preowned unit.

 

[SwimsWithSharks]

Well, I watched e-bay for quite awhile but all the used strobes went for a cost that was pretty close to new and I never won a bid. Again, just so you know, I am biased here. I really recommend Ryan at Underwater Camera Pros. Everytime I have needed something, he has come through. Also, remember he has free shipping so make sure you are comparing apples and apples. I think Ken at California Digital Diver is excellent as well.

The strobe will last you a long time and grow with you. So, over the long run cost is not as significant and I would opt for someone who will really provide you service. Twice, I have decided I wanted something close to a trip and Ryan came through both times.

Finally, the ds-50 is a fine strobe, and if the ds-125 is out of your budget and the ds-50 is within the budget, go ahead and go for it. But if you can stretch for the ds-125, then stretch.

 

[Shader]

I am definitely a big fan of the DS-125 and highly recommend it. It does work well for night dives as a primary light for short periods. The modeling light is very powerful and serves as a great way to lock in focus at night or in low light. The DS-125 cycles fast and with the quick charger usually has my strobe juiced and ready to go in under 1 hour. I am personlly thinking of adding another one to my C5060 housing but I will have to buy a dual arm tray. Ike is rugged, dependable and worth the $'s if you can budget for it. I had my rig accidentally knocked over and roll down some stairs by the shore and it worked as if nothing happended to it.

The only downside to the strobe arms I could possibly say is that they are a bit on the heavy side but it's not noticeable so much under water. I may look at lighter options eventually. I picked up my strobe arm package from Adorama and got good service and pricing from them. I usually call a sales rep to make sure they have what I'm looking for 'In Stock' before ordering online.

http://www.adorama.com/IK394475.html