C5050 Strobe and Housing decisions ???

[THomas Marshall]

First off, I just want to thank everyone for the excellent advice on helping me arrive at the C5050 purchase as well as all the info on the equipment I will list below.

And a special thanks to Dee for all your great posts on many of the threads I've looked at, they really helped me.

I've been spending to much time with my new Canon DSLR 10D (land camera only), and now realize I need some time to learn how to use my C5050 underwater setup before we take our vacation in early August. I know, three months is cutting it a little close.

So I need to make the rest of my purchases and get to it. However, I have a few questions if you don't mind.

This is the additional equipment I'm planning on purchasing:

PT-015 Housing
UCLS Tray and Handle
L&M Infinity Arm
Inon D-180 Strobe and Fiber Optic Link
S&S or Inon WAL (still editing at press time)
Digital Lens Dock and Leash

Here are my questions:

1- We will be going to French Polynesia (Bora Bora, Taha'a and Rangiroa). My wife doesn't scuba and my son is a novice diver, so the majority of ocean activity will be snorkeling, perhaps a dive or two per Island. If I take the majority of pictures while snorkeling (shallow water with lots of sunlight), will I need a strobe?

2- Considering I'm not an expert photographer, I'm wondering if I will be able to master a strobe in less than three months with maybe 2 dives prior to our trip and many encounters in the pool with plastic fish :11ztongue Also, I will be taking lots of open ocean pictures with the WAL during the drift snorkel in Rangiroa (lots of sharks and hopefully a manta) so a strobe will be of no use in that case anyway.

So, am I wasting my time with a Strobe this early in the game, should I concentrate on learning how to use the camera and WAL and back off buying a strobe?

3- How reliable are the Olympus housings (PT-015), is it worth the money to upgrade to an Ikelite?

4- Any other suggestions based on what you've read?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[RiverRat]

I'm not an expert, just got a C-5050 and the PT-015 case myself. I plan on diving and shooting the rig with the internal flash for several dives before considering mounting the strobe. I plan on getting an Inon as well. From what I've heard it mates well with the PT-015 housing/C5050 setup. If you're shooting in well lit shallow depths you may be able to use ambient light. You could use the built in strobe for "fill" lighting, to fill in shadows. This is what I'm going to work on before dumping 5 bills on a strobe, but once I get some time in, the strobe is the way to go. It would also be my guess that the strobe will be needed to light up a WAL shot unless your using ambient light. I believe the max distance on the built in flash is around fifteen feet.

 

[OCdiving Deb]

Thomas,

I am a newer 5050 user and recently added a strobe. This is my perspective only. I am sure others will have their own opinions.

I used my camera and PT-015 housing first on two dive days and loved the results. I enjoyed the dives, the pix turned out great (except for the distant ones, not enough light) and I was a very happy camper. Then I added the strobe which I thought should increase my enjoyment because the pix should turn out even better than the others.

Not true, so far.

Granted, the conditions for these more recent dives with strobe have been less than stellar, but the frustration at trying to figure out the right settings and having to concentrate so much on the problems has taken away from the quality of the dive experience.

If you are going to be in clear water, you can probably do just fine with the camera and its internal flash only. Look at some of sapphire's shots. She was not using a strobe until very recently. It could be that all of her shots currently posted are w/o a strobe. They're fab!

So, my vote for you if you want to maximize the total dive experience is to use the camera and housing only. Get very familiar with all the features you can use (and there are many!) and enjoy the whole trip! Ease into the strobe for a future trip when you will be more familiar with the camera by then.

I suppose if bigger critters will be your focus, then this advice is all bunk. You'll want the strobe for better lighting of animals that are a little distance away.

 

[Dee]

Glad I could help. Excellent choices

PT-015 Housing
UCLS Tray and Handle
L&M Infinity Arm
Inon D-180 Strobe and Fiber Optic Link
S&S or Inon WAL (still editing at press time)
Digital Lens Dock and Leash

1- We will be going to French Polynesia (Bora Bora, Taha'a and Rangiroa). My wife doesn't scuba and my son is a novice diver, so the majority of ocean activity will be snorkeling, perhaps a dive or two per Island. If I take the majority of pictures while snorkeling (shallow water with lots of sunlight), will I need a strobe?

No, you won't need one. If you do find you need a little extra light, the internal flash is very powerful and would work just fine.

2- Considering I'm not an expert photographer, I'm wondering if I will be able to master a strobe in less than three months with maybe 2 dives prior to our trip and many encounters in the pool with plastic fish :11ztongue Also, I will be taking lots of open ocean pictures with the WAL during the drift snorkel in Rangiroa (lots of sharks and hopefully a manta) so a strobe will be of no use in that case anyway.

You'll have more experience than most. The D-180 is very easy to use and adjust. The biggest thing you need to learn to do is to aim the strobe. The aiming light on the strobe is a great help. I was amazed that where I 'thought' I was aiming was so far off! Pictures if that plastic fish will teach you alot. Just be aware that a pool is one of the hardest places to judge your exposures, the pool bottom is usually white or very bright which makes it extremely hard not to blow out the pics. That said, it was the pool photos that I took that really sold me on the D-180. For the open ocean shots, meter the water first to get those great blue water backgrounds.

So, am I wasting my time with a Strobe this early in the game, should I concentrate on learning how to use the camera and WAL and back off buying a strobe?

Maybe and Yes, definately and Probably. You definately will benefit by knowing how to change the camera settings with the button on the left side of the camera. AF/macro/MF (left top button), Focus target (right top button) adjust your exposure compensation (left bottom button), Flash mode (right bottom button)...all without having to look at the housing every time. Most importantly knowing WHEN you should change these settings. As for the WAL, by using manual White Balance, you can take great close-up WA shots and reef shots without a strobe. So if that's your reason for a strobe, you can do without it. Using a WA lens doesn't require alot of learning other than composition. It's hard to say yes or no to a strobe as each person learns at different rates. But I'm a big believer on mastering one thing at a time then moving on to the next, your photos will be the better for it. On this last trip, I was using the C-5050/PT-15/D-180 together for the first time and also trying the WB techniques. I ended up using the strobe on only the last couple of dives and didn't feel the loss of it a whole lot.

3- How reliable are the Olympus housings (PT-015), is it worth the money to upgrade to an Ikelite?

I'm totally happy with my PT-15. I replaced the jog dial o-ring on this trip but it was easy to do. I still trust it. True the Ikelite housing is sturdier made. It's also bigger, which was the biggest con to me besides the price. (keep in mind the ikelite comes with a tray but you're limited to Ikelite arms with it) If I lived in SoCal and did alot of beach dives with rocky entries, I'd have the Ikelite. But for the shore dives I do, boat dives and local diving, the PT-15 fits me perfectly. It also helps keep my whole rig small which is important to me. Only you can decide if the extra cost is worth it. To me, it wasn't.

4- Any other suggestions based on what you've read?

Buy DEPP or another companies insurance before you ever get it wet. I've been using DEPP for about 8 years, have made several claims, both for floods and impact damage, and have always been extremely satisfied.

A few other thoughts....
Never get in a hurry preparing your housing to dive. I do mine at night when I can concentrate on it and am ready first thing the next morning for those dawn shore dives! If you are in a hurry, you'll leave yourself open to make mistakes and/or take shortcuts. Better yet, leave the camera for that dive(s) and enjoy the dive without your eye to the monitor!

Keep your stress level low. If you find yourself flustered/aggitated/anxious about a shot or the settings, etc. go back to your comfort zone. That may be full auto, using the camera as a point and shoot. Just because you have all those buttons and fancy features doesn't mean you have to use them all!

Slow down and really look at your surroundings. Trying to keep up with a group and DM is not the best way to find stuff but is sometimes all you can do. Use those dives for reef shots, other divers, etc. and don't worry about the teensy creatures to be found in the cracks.

And last...have fun with it! If it's not fun, why do it? That's the biggest reason I shifted from film to digital in the first place. A dual strobe big rig was driving me, not the other way around and I dreaded every dive with it. Now it's fun again!

Sorry for the epilog!

 

[THomas Marshall]

Thanks so much for your quick responses all.

Dee,

Thanks for the suggestion on using DEPP.

When you say meter the water first, what exactly do you mean (take light measurements and make setting adjustments)?

Would a strobe be helpful for the deep water snorkel when shooting sharks and other big critters with the WAL?

Do you have a product number for your ULCS Tray you have, I noticed the top of your hand grip has a 45 degree bend in it making it parallel with the top of the camera and then your arm sits on top, the one on the site I was looking at looks like it's about a 30 degree bend.

One of the reasons why I opted to buy two cameras (one for land and one for sea) is to avoid the constant opening and closing of the housing and being in a hurry to prep the UW Camera for a snorkel or dive.

You bet, if I've learned one thing in life it's to take your time and do it right the first time.

 

[Dee]

When you say meter the water first, what exactly do you mean (take light measurements and make setting adjustments)?

Yes.

Would a strobe be helpful for the deep water snorkel when shooting sharks and other big critters with the WAL?

Not unless you are within 3-4 ft from them! No strobe is going to be useful past that except for maybe fill flash. The only time I use a strobe with a WA is when shooting a wall scene and I want to light some feature, ie., fan, sponge, diver, etc. in the foreground. And with some sharks, the flash will just pi$$ them off!

Do you have a product number for your ULCS Tray you have, I noticed the top of your hand grip has a 45 degree bend in it making it parallel with the top of the camera and then your arm sits on top, the one on the site I was looking at looks like it's about a 30 degree bend.

I got mine from Ryan at UWCP. I don't know what the UL number is but it's the single tray. the only difference is i don't use the ULCS arm so the ball at the top isn't there. My Infinity arm screws directly to the top of the padded handle.

If you're talking about the photo of my gear I posted in another thread today, that tray is the Fisheye that Beast is using now.

One of the reasons why I opted to buy two cameras (one for land and one for sea) is to avoid the constant opening and closing of the housing and being in a hurry to prep the UW Camera for a snorkel or dive.

Yeah, I tried that, too. But you have to open the housing every 2-3 dives anyway to change batteries. If I wasn't diving, the camera was out of the housing anyway. Besides, it got confusing keeping two camera systems straight. (I already had a Nikon 880)

 

[THomas Marshall]

Dee,

Thanks so much for your help again, I really appreciate it.

I think I will go with an initial setup without a strobe and see how I do.

I'm really looking forward to putting my rig together in the next couple of weeks, and I'm sure I will be back with many questions as I make my journey through the learning process.


RiverRat and kelphelper,

Thanks for your input as well, you both re-enforce my decision to take one step at a time.

 

[ReyeR]

Hey Dee, the ULCS tray you got from Ryan - is that their older tray or the new 'digital' tray featured here:

http://www.ulcs.com/news.html

And how come the fisheye tray ended up with Beast? :06:

 

[Dee]

Hey Dee, the ULCS tray you got from Ryan - is that their older tray or the new 'digital' tray featured here:

http://www.ulcs.com/news.html

And how come the fisheye tray ended up with Beast? :06:

Oops...yes, that's the one....the new digital tray. The tray is TR-D, the handle is TR-DH.

Beast decided he wanted his own C-5050 and since Ryan sent the ULCS tray with the D-180 for me to try out (he's trying to convert me to ULCS!) and I liked it, Beast decided he would use the Fisheye tray. I like them both so it was a no-brainer to keep it!

 

[THomas Marshall]

I just pulled the trigger on all the accessories I listed above with the exception of the strobe.

Dee,

Ryan is great at Underwater Camera Pros, he gave me some excellent tips about using the C5050 without a strobe and was happy to answer all my questions, he even told me not to buy the PT-015 from him because it can be had for $60.00 less at another vendor site.

I purchased the Inon WAL, ULCS Tray and Handle and some hardware pieces from him. I will definitely be back to purchase a strobe from him when the time comes, great customer service.