Fantasea Nano with Panasonic ZS-8 camera?

[Javachip]

Does anyone have experience with the Fantasea Nano flash, with the Panasonic ZS-8 or with any compact digital camera? From reading the threads in this forum, I see a theme emerging that "cheap" and "reliable" do not go together when it comes to u/w strobes. I would welcome any comments as to the reliability and performance of the Fantasea Nano. Thanks in advance.

 

[Jak Crow]

I used the nano with a canon sx230 controlled with an optical cable on an 8 in flexable arm for almost a year. I took some great photos with the nano. You can see my pics at Picasa Web Albums - Jak Crow - Underwater. Everything before Feb of this year was with the nano. It is a good strobe to cut your teeth on. I would recommend getting an ultralight-style arm setup for it though, so you can position the strobe nicely and for future upgrades.

 

[Javachip]

Thanks for the info. Great photos! If I can get some Spanish Shawls and some Garibaldis that look half as nice as yours, then I'll be happy. How was the useable range with the Nano -- was it able to light up things a few feet away, like those Garibaldis, or was it only good for macro? Was your built-in flash masked over, or was it also lighting the subject along with the Nano? Why did you stop using the Nano? I'm actually looking at a cold-shoe mount for the Nano, no arm or tray, to keep things simple and compact. Thanks again.

 

[buton]

Take a look at the sealife sl961 strobe, i have one for sale...

 

[Jak Crow]

Those were taken with my Oly setup. Again, everything before Feb was taken with my Canon and Nano strobe.

Range is probably 3 feet or so. I used it for mostly macro shots as you can see.
Built in flash was covered. You don't want to have the built in flash used with the external strobe.
I stopped using it because I got the underwater case for my Olympus E-PL3 and also got 2 YS-01 strobes.
I would suggest checking out some of the strobe techniques available online. Even mounting on the cold shoe, you should use a ball mount which will give you some flex with the clamp so you can do some aiming.

Thanks for the info. Great photos! If I can get some Spanish Shawls and some Garibaldis that look half as nice as yours, then I'll be happy. How was the useable range with the Nano -- was it able to light up things a few feet away, like those Garibaldis, or was it only good for macro? Was your built-in flash masked over, or was it also lighting the subject along with the Nano? Why did you stop using the Nano? I'm actually looking at a cold-shoe mount for the Nano, no arm or tray, to keep things simple and compact. Thanks again.