cheapo slave flash

[scubabrandon]

I have a SONY DSC-W1 and the marine pak for it. I was wondering if you had any advice on a cheap slave flash?

Thanks

 

[mike_s]

Check this one out. It supposed to work with any camera.

http://www.divesports.com/mall/sealife_SL960D.asp

BTW.. If you're in Nashville, this shop is only about a 2 hour drive from you.
Or you can order online/phone and get it in a day.

 

[scubabrandon]

any ideas on anything cheaper?

 

[Chris Bangs]

cant get much cheaper than the sealife. you can not use a old style slave flash as the preflash will trigger the strobe and then it wont fire when the main exposure flash in your camera fires.

the sealife is adjustable as well. and can be set for 0 t0 4 preflashes. different cameras use a different # of preflashes.

underwater flashy thingys are expensive!

 

[f3nikon]

any ideas on anything cheaper?

Look into this strobe or used Ikelite strobes on ebay.

http://www.leisurepro.com/Catalog.aspx?op=ItemDisplay&ProductID=SPKGF&kw=Sunpak+G-Flash

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...876&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

http://www.tocad.com/flash/gFlash.html

http://www.athena-opt.com/sapport.htm

I just found out that the G-flash also comes with the strobe arm and camera tray, wideangle diffuser all for $179!!!! I may just get one myself!

 

[Nemo]

Hi! I've used both type of strobes. The SeaLife is basically the same as the one you get when you buy a Bonica camera system www.bonicadive.com . I found it somewhat temperamental, not always flashing when it should. Also it used batteries faster than it should have. Two years ago I was diving around Bali when the strobe quit (either the switch or the capasitor), so I bought one sold by Epoque - which is the same as the Sunpak. I found it much more reliable and it used fewer batteries. I bought a back-up last year on my way thru Singapore. After about 3,000+ pictures, the original Epoque (Sunpak) quit and after using the new one I had bought for about 300 pictures it quit as well. I had a local camera store look at them and they said both had corroded electric boards. Although there was no obvious flooding, I did notice a few drops of water inside the housing once in a while. I had no trouble with any kind of flooding with the original Bonica (Sealife) strobe. That said, I need a couple of strobes myself as I'm heading back to SEA for 5 months and will be diving in some remote places. I am leaning toward getting 2 Sunpak strobes, even though I think they have a greater possibility of flooding (make sure you silicone them every time you change batteries). They are smaller, more reliable and use 1/2 the batteries!
Good luck!!