Help: Ikelite Dual Strobe OverExposed

[ScubaMarc]

Today I am in Curacao diving with ikelite ds125, ds51 and canon G10 using optical controllers. No matter what i do most pictures are over exposed. I fiddled around with all the settings. Does anyone have recommendations on a basic settings config to stop the over exposure. This is the first year with the 125. last few years i only used the ds51. Always had very nice pictures with one strobe.

After my dive today my last thought was the 2 strobes are doubling the light at the center of the photo giving 2x the light to the spot metering. I was thinking of lowering the exposure, i will try this tomorrow unless someone gives me the magic bullet tonight to solve this issue.

Any one with a clue or some settings i should try.

I tried changing with all the combinations below:
- the f stop, the higher i go the better, but i max out with f8 on the g10
- changing iso 80-200 - nothing good.
- speed
- p,tv,av,m mode, tried them all.
-dialed down the strobes to the lowest setting, on day dives still washed out, even at depth. A twilight dive tonight, gave ok results(most dives are not twilight, so please help)

I did not play with exposure dial, that will be tomorrow.

Can someone help!!!????

 

[sdjoe]

I also shoot two Ikelite 125 strobes. I have the best luck when I dont overlap the strobes and use the difusers. I adjust them so the edges of the light just meets in the middle. If you are shooting water in the background, adjust the camera settings so the background is properly exposed then adjust the strobes to properly expose the foreground.

Attached are a couple charts I use to set my strobes. The blue chart is used to determine distance from subject for different aperture and power settings. The white chart is used to determine aperture for different distance and power setting.

Hope this helps.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[Doubler]

/www.uwphotographyguide.com/underwater-photography-strobe-positioning

Try positioning your strobes in accordance with the above link. They have a lot of great info.

Jim

 

[AussieByron]

How about you set the Camera in M mode the iso at 80, f8 and then just adjust your shutter speed.

If its over exposed increase your shutter speed and vice verser.

If you want to increase or decrease strobe power then adjust the shutter speed accordingly. Leave everything else the same.

Try in your room now before you go out for a dive and see if it works.

Cheers Mark

 

[oly5050user]

is the strobe on ttl? must be when using controller. Use M setting and set iso for 100 or 200 and use a f stop of 5.6 or 8..shutter speed 125 or 200..set controller itself on middle setting.Adjust using controller for foreground exposure, more power to make brighter,less to make darker.
Use shutter speed to lighten or make background darker.

 

[gypsyjim]

/www.uwphotographyguide.com/underwater-photography-strobe-positioning

Try positioning your strobes in accordance with the above link. They have a lot of great info.

Jim

Great link, thanks

 

[arkstorm]

I have a slightly different question then the OP but in the same vein...

I am shooting a Canon T2i in an Ikelite housing and two manually controlled (non TTL) strobes hooked up via sync cable. If I shoot in Av mode (aperture priority mode), does the automatic metering recognize that an external strobe is connected to the hot shoe or will it just be over-exposed since the light at the moment the shutter is open will be greater than the amount of light the camera measured prior to taking the shot?

Or should I just be shooting in M mode?

 

[diver 85]

Great link, thanks

Scott's got great info all over that site.....some tutorial videos also...

Video tutorials on underwater photography|Underwater Photography Guide

 

[BLUESEASONBALI]

That link from doubler is fantastic - Underwater Photography Guide is a brilliant resource for information on how to get the best out of your setup or overcome any issues you may have.

By controlling the aperture on the foreground will lead to you to being able to reduce the light impact from the dual strobes upon your subject; remember the ambient light will not be massively altered with small aperture changes but it can make a huge different on your foreground.

Also, using dual strobes you are opening up yourself to issues such as creating an area of double exposure in the center where the light from both flashes meets. Think of it like a Venn diagram. Make sure you keep your strobes on the angle required to reduce or eliminate the back-scatter but turn your strobes outwards so that they are not overlapping each other.

Hope this helps a little bit

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[AussieByron]

I have a slightly different question then the OP but in the same vein...

I am shooting a Canon T2i in an Ikelite housing and two manually controlled (non TTL) strobes hooked up via sync cable. If I shoot in Av mode (aperture priority mode), does the automatic metering recognize that an external strobe is connected to the hot shoe or will it just be over-exposed since the light at the moment the shutter is open will be greater than the amount of light the camera measured prior to taking the shot?

Or should I just be shooting in M mode?

Basically when your shooting with manual stobes in any mode the camera knows that there is a flash attached but does not meter with strobe.

If you want your camera to meter with the strobes you shoot TTL.

I bascially shoot in M mode with manual strobes. Kind of start off with a setting which suits your lens (macro or wide etc etc) then meter the natural light with that setting and adjust your strobes accordingly. Fire some test shot, review the histogram and adjust.

You soon get the feel of what settings you want to use with each lens and each situation.

Hope this helps.

Regards Mark