best strobe

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I've just added some basics on strobes in the pink link in my sig so have a look there.

SeaYoda and LarryC use SunPaks so hopefully they will chime in here, too, as they aren't in the list as yet.

And there are some other options so hopefully a few members who actually use the other types will add their two cents, too!
 
I'll put in a vote for the Inon Z-240. I took one out for the first tim on the weekend. Hopefully UPS will be delivering my DSLR housing this week, but in the meantime I took it out with my Sony DSC-P10.

There is an optical trigger, so when the Z-240 "Sees" the flash from your internal strobe, it mimics exactly what your internal flash does. You can buy a special fibre optic cable which attaches to the housing and the flash, but since this is only a short term use for me, I used the flash without the cable and it still worked fine! Just put some opaque tape on the inside of my housing to reduce direct flash onto my subject, but still allow enough light to be emitted.

I had stopped taking my camera out on dives, because the results were just too poor. After only one short dive I was already getting the hang of it, and even managed to get a half decent photo in relatively low vis..

Not a particularly interesting shot, but a pretty good result for auto-everything, and not even using the $100 optical sync cable.

normal_DSC03036.JPG
 
My cost effective recomendation: - Ikelite AI/N or 100a strobes (cheap off ebay), add an ikelite optical sensor (older, film - orange - one), set the camera on M (manual), dial the strobe output to lowest setting (battery will last longer), and vary the power settings on strobes, the subject distance, etc.

I put together a tray (fantasea) with ikelite arm components.
(bad pic, accidentaly hit shutter on 2nd camera)

s70-2.jpg


this one shows it in use
s70-1.jpg


and the results - wide angle

s70-wide.jpg


closeup

s70-close1.jpg

s70-close2.jpg


macro

s70-macro.jpg


works well, surpisingly even to 175' (zoom button tends to stick, but shutter is fine)
s70-wide-deep.jpg
 

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