DS51 or DS160

[Troutbum75]

I haven't bought anything yet but wanted to figure out what people thought. I have a Canon T2i and was planning on buying an Ikelite housing since they are so much cheaper then all of the rest and have eTTL. I'm not that good of a photographer to start with and have only took pictures with my 870 compact. I really enjoy it but only go on one or maybe 2 dive trips a year. What would be better to start? Should I get a 51 and then add a 160 next year or get a 160 to start with. I'll most likely just have a kit lens till my next trip next year. Money is my issue, it's such a big expense for the DSLR setup. thanks for any help

 

[JahJahwarrior]

The amount of light you need depends somewhat on what type of photography you do, in my opinion.

I've gotten some great shots without a strobe at all, for macro photography. There, I used a can light to position the light source wherever I needed it, and it probably gave about the same light output as the DS51. I would have been happy to have the DS51, but I made do.

However, the great light angle and the higher output of the DS160 is really necessary for shooting further away, or wide angle. For real wide angle, you're going to want more than one strobe for even lighting, but for not-so-wide angle, like the kit lens will probably give, you can get some awesome shots with a single strobe.

I currently shoot with a DS125, and could not make do with less, for the shooting I'm doing, in caves, with the subject more than a few feet away. I'm actually looking forward to adding to that light output, just holding out for better deals on used DS125's. I've been very happy with Ikelite gear.

If you check out the used section here, DS125s do come up for sale pretty often. If you know what model serial number to look for, and can tell the difference between nicad and nimh batteries, you can get good deals. That might help you get the greater light output without breaking the bank with a new DS160, then once you are comfortable and want to upgrade, you can consider new strobes.