Best U/W Strobe?

[Chris1260]

Hi All!

Since Nikon has shown the bad taste to discontinue the Nikonos V, I felt compelled to buy one. Now....the question of lighting: Are the SB-105's the best thing since sliced bread? Are there better-for-the-dollar available?

Thoughts and opinions appreciated!

Chris ~

PS - For those who missed it, Nikon has ended production on the Nikonos V camera, but will continue production/shipping of the lenses and accessories till next year.

 

[Dee]

You'll get lots of opinions for BEST u/w strobe...we all have our opinions.

I've always used Sea & Sea Strobes with total satisfaction. A friend loaned me a couple of SB105's when I decided to upgrade. I didn't like them at all. That doesn't mean they weren't good, I just preferred S&S strobes.

I recently went digital and added a S&S YS90 DX duo strobe. It has 12 power settings, can be used as a TTL primary or slave strobe...depending on the camera. I have fouind S&S strobes to be very reliable but in the rare instance you have a problem, S&S's customer service is excellent.

 

[Liang]

Hi,

I have never used any other strobe other than Sea&Sea. I find them reliable, easy to use and able to deliver.

They are also one of the cheapest in the market. Good value for money.

regards
liang

 

[Chris1260]

Thank you both! I'll certainly do my S&S homework before I get my strobes.

Another query, while we're here; have either of you, or anyone else reading this, used the S&S high-eyepoint finder that covers the 15, 20, and 35mm lenses all in one go? It's certainly less expensive than buying the Nikon finders, but I wonder if having framing lines for the different focal lengths, plus, parallax correction markings (which I assume it must have), might get a tad confusing. No?

Also, which are the favored tray/light support arms by folks here? ("Not very inquisitive, is he?!?")

Thanks again for your input. I'm delighted to have discovered this board!

Chris : )

 

[Dee]

I loved my High Point Vierwfinder! It works exactly like you said. In the viewfinder, you'll see frames marked for each lens. The composition you see through is what your photo will look like.

No, it does not get confusing. You'll soon learn which one is which. Even with the S&S's feature of changing lenses underwater, getting confused wasn't an issue.

 

[Liang]

Hi,

I don't really understand your questions.

Anyway, I have both the Sea&Sea MMIIEX 15mm with High eyepoint viewfinder (I started off with that) and a Nikonos V, 15mm lens with the DF-11.

Although I have no problems using the S&S Viewfinder with the S&S MMEXII, I would suggest that you buy the Nikonos Viewfinder to go with your Nikonos V 15mm lens. The DF-11 has indicating framers within the viewfinder and it does come in handy.

liang

 

[Rooster]

Originally posted by Chris1260
Hi All!

Since Nikon has shown the bad taste to discontinue the Nikonos V, I felt compelled to buy one. Now....the question of lighting: Are the SB-105's the best thing since sliced bread? Are there better-for-the-dollar available?

Thoughts and opinions appreciated!

Chris ~

PS - For those who missed it, Nikon has ended production on the Nikonos V camera, but will continue production/shipping of the lenses and accessories till next year.

Dollar for dollar (IMHO) you can't beat Ikelite. I have strobes from Nikon (SB105) Ikelite ( SS200 & 100a), and S&S (YS-60). Since you are planning on doing wide-angle work, I would recommend Ikelite 100, or better yet a 200. IMHO you can't have too much power ;-}

Go here for a comparison

 

[Marvintpa]

Ikelite makes what may well be the best set of strobes for the price.
They range from small to huge, with corresponding power levels.
They're reliable, and their service (should there be a problem) is outstanding (I had to use it recently due to user error).

www.ikelite.com

When my Nikonos SB102 went down I was told it could not be fixed as the parts are no longer available.
When my Ikelite 225 (which is OLDER) went down they fixed it and sent it back better than it's ever been.
That's not hard to appreciate.

 

[Tony]

My vote is for Sea & Sea. The entire range is dependable, and the internal design is rugged. I've used the 30, 50, 60, 90, 120, 300s, and they're all great.

Tony
www.silent-symphony.com

 

[sillago]

I have both ikelite (DS-125) and sea & sea (YS-120) strobes and am very comfortable with the use of both. In terms functions, I have to say that the DS-125 has more including more manual choices and a built in light which makes taking photos at night really easy. The rechargable pack in the ikelite strobes makes it more convenient to recharge though I guess you could do the same for the sea & sea strobes as well.
In terms of power of the strobes, I personally can't really tell the diff cos I have 2 of each and frankly...I think I am blasting the eye balls out of anything (divers included)...both have diffusers that do good jobs of widening the angle too.
The YS120 has something that the ikelite doesn't though which I find really useful as well, it has TTL slave function which basically allows you to use two strobes even if you only have single sync cord.
I think that in the long run, if you do go into digital camera photography then maybe consider the ikelite DS125 as it apparently the only (or one of the few) which can be used properly with digital cameras (so I hear anyway)
Just my $0.02
P.S. Oh yeah the other good thing about the ikelite strobes is that the O-rings don't need lubricating with grease as much..in fact it is recommended that you don't use any at all..however I think that cleaning all the O-rings is beneficial regardless of the brand