Do I really need the strobe?

[Zanna0919]

I have a Sony Cybershot that I use in an Ikelite housing which takes great pictures with just the flash from the camera. I am going to be shooting some wide angle photography and was told that I should really use a strobe. They said that the flash from the camera wouldn't be enough light for wide angle shots. Is this true? Would a strobe make that much of a difference? Vis will probably be in the 40 to 50 ft range. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[alewar]

I'm not a photographer, but check this link:

Underwater photography - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[ScubaSteve]

My recommendation is that yes you will need the strobe. First of all, with a wide angle lens you are taking in more scenery and you will need to light all of that up. Bottom line is without the strobe, you will find the colours are not as brilliant because the internal flash just does not have the same power. On top of this, the internal flash will hit an object head on every time which is not always the way you want to light it. A strobe can be positioned and have the intensity tweaked. With the appropriate camera and housing it can also be controlled automatically through eTTL technology.

My suggestion, get the strobe. I think you will be better off for it.

 

[scottfiji]

It really depends on the shot. your internal flash will work (approximately) up to 3-4 ft away.

An inexensive external strobe will light up a wider area and extend the range a little bit. Only you can decide if you "need" that.

For subjects farther away, neither solution will light up the subject.

hope this helps

Scott

 

[DiverLS]

A lot depends on depth. If you are above 30' and are shooting up, you probably won't need the strobe. If you are deeper than that, you will loose color. If you are shooting wide angle with the subject 45 feet away, a strobe probably won't help. That's too far.

A good thing to do when taking your pictures, get close, then get closer, then shoot up. That way ambient light will help.

 

[alcina]

External strobes really do offer the best solution for wide angle photography, but you still need to be close to your subject and there is a learning curve. A strobe is an excellent purchase for your underwater photography as it will allow you to really grow and get much better images than without one in many instances.

Another option is to use your manual white balance at depth to adjust what the camera "sees". This can be especially useful in clear, bright water and for when you want to avoid backscatter.

You can also turn off your strobe and experiment with ambient light exposures - black and whites can often be lovely with this method.