Canon IXUS500/WP DC800 (strobe or not)

[zilch]

Just purchased the above items from digital depot in Swindon, at a reasonable price.. Question i have is, when do you need to use a strobe/external flash system.. I will only be going down to 20 ish metres, Red Sea, so assume the flash and diffuser plate would be adequate, or should i part with more hard earned cash for a strobe :06: .. Can anyone provide some practical advice.. Not going professional or anything

Cheers

Jim

 

[zilch]

Anyone ?? tried Canon site in japan, suggests use a probe to avoid the snow affect (which i already have on some pictures from the whitsundays and would like to avoid), but does not say what you can use with the package i have purchased..and assume close ups you would not need.

Cheers

Jim

 

[Scuba_Eric]

Hello Jim,

A strobe is normally required to fill in some colors (below 3 metres in depth, colors like red are not be seen). Furthermore the flash used from the camera itself (if in operation under water) will provide some reflections of plankton in the water (always) due to the short distance of the flashlight to the lens. Therefore, it can be worthwhile to invest in a strobe (if possible with guiding lamp inside) which should be separated some 30-50 cm from the camera in an angle to the subject you interested in to prevent the snow effect. Keep in mind that the max distance from you to the subject should be not more than 1.5 metres to avoid loss of red color... If more information is required, there are some good books to find about underwater photography, stating this kind of problems and solutions...

Cheers and good luck :diver: ,

Scuba_Eric

 

[zilch]

Eric, many thanks for your feedback. I have been doing some further investigations and your response bears that out. Might have to be close up work then, unless i can find a strobe that can work with the above combination at a reasonable cost..

Cheers

Jim

 

[H2O Photo Pros]

Jim, there are many options for strobes for the Canon S500 camera and housing. One my of demo systems is the Canon S400, and what I have done is added a Sea and Sea YS25 Auto with Fiber Optic Cord. This is a nice beginner compact strobe and will be adequate for most of your needs. However, if you think you will want to do a lot of wide angle shots, and eventually get a wide angle adapter for your housing, then you might want to consider going with something like the Sea and Sea YS90 Auto with a Fiber Optic cord.

Check out www.seaandsea.com. You can also check out Ikelite.com and look at the ds-50 and ds-125 strobes. Personally, I like the sea and sea strobes better and have had much success with them. bext of luck

 

[zilch]

Jim, there are many options for strobes for the Canon S500 camera and housing. One my of demo systems is the Canon S400, and what I have done is added a Sea and Sea YS25 Auto with Fiber Optic Cord.
Check out

Hi, and many thanks for the information, I will do some hunting on the net and see what the cost is. Just have to convince the wife now

Cheers

Jim

 

[ddub23]

Hi Jim,

I have the S400/WP-DC800, and the YS90DX strobe. Learning to adjust the angle of the strobe has been my biggest challenge (to prevent backscatter). Depending on how clear the water is where you dive, this may not be a big problem. Scuba_Eric is right though, the strobe allows you to capture more natural colours, those absorbed at greater depths. Also, a strobe will allow you to manually control the power/intensity for better exposure of your picture. Good luck and happy diving.
Derrick