Help

[scubaaaronh]

i recently bought a C5060 and PT-020 housing. I am trying to figure out how to use the system. What is the best beginner setting to start out at. The other thing i was wondering about is what type of strode (flash) to buy and how to choose the best on for the cam, i was told to stay away from the oly flash and housing as it wasn't very good. Any ideas on what to look at that wont break my pocket. :06:

 

[H2O Photo Pros]

First off, where are you located? I have a trip the end of this month (2 spots left) where I will be teaching on the 5050 and 5060 cameras in the Light and Motion Tetra housings.

Secondly, there are great advantages with the Tetra housing over the Olympus housing and the investment is well worth it. If you would like to try one out, I have trips to the Channel Islands (CA) monthly.

As far as the strobes go, I would either go with the Sea and Sea YS90DX or the Inon Z220. Boht are excellent strobes and are quite versatile regardless of the housing choice. Send me a PM for more info.

 

[richorn]

This site has a great deal of information for the new Oly user. He has settings and techniques that will help speed you on your way to a better understanding of your camera and its use underwater. Check it out!

http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gallery/underwater_photography/index.html

As to a choice of strobes, I started with the Sea & Sea YS90-DX's, and switched to the Inon Z-220's. In your case, you should probably start with a single strobe, and I would recommend the Inon, mainly because it is brighter, smaller, and you are less likely to outgrow it in the future.

I also agree with the statemant about the Tetra, as that is what I used to shoot, but as you already have a housing, you should learn with what you have, invest in a strobe, and wait untill you outgrow the setup. You may find that when you do outgrow the rig, a new camera will be in your future, and you will not have "over-invested in the housing.

My humble $.02

 

[scubaaaronh]

Has anyone used the olympus flash and housing and what do you think of it. Is it an ok flash, and what of negative and positive feed back on it. Or what of the Epoque ES 150 DS

 

[H2O Photo Pros]

I have used the Olympus housing for the 5060 and the previous models as well. It is an inexpensive polycarbonate housing. As far as the Olympus strobe, I have not and I do not know of anyone who has. My guess is the light output is nowhere near that of the Sea & sea or Inon strobes.

The Olympus housing lacks a direct connection between the strobe and the camera. Rather, you would be using a fiber optic sync cord. When the internal flash on the camera fires, it sends the signal to the strobe to fire (slave mode). One problem with this method is it is not always reliable, hence it is the most inexpensive way to go. Having a direct connection via a 5 pin Nikonos style sync cord will be more reliable. Also, if you do any diving beyond 100fsw, you began to push the limits of the housing. It is rated to 130...but that is the max and I have known of a few people who have had instances where the housing was either inoperable, or began to show hairline cracks at depths beyond 100', and definitely close to the 130 mark. So, depending on the diving you do, you should be wary.

With the Tetra housing, in addition to an aluminum housing rated to 250feet, you have a double o-ring seal, a direct connection via the nikonos style bulkhead and sync cord, and even more important is the ROC control which allows you to control the output of the strobes ON CAMERA with the push of just the "+" or "-" buttons which increase or decrease the light output.

The ROC control is an indispensable feature alone which makes picture taking easier and more enjoyable.

for more information, send me a message or visit the manufacturers' websites.

Mike

www.seaandsea.com
www.uwimaging.com
www.inonamerica.com

 

[lanwu]

Hi Scubarooonnh....

HOpe it's not too late....

The DS150 strobe is a baby strobe. However, for macro, it puts out more than enough light. It can even manage well in some close wide angle distance shots.

The optical sync trigger line works flawlessly, as long as the strobe is set properly for pre-flash or not.

The strobe can even follow a pre-flash picture dbl-flash, however, only at medium to low strobe outputs. It does have a nice range of strobe settings from low to high. I've even managed to capture some wide angle pics w/o a WAL lense where it was thanks to this strobe for lighting up the foreground subject....but I think it doesn't fare as well as the bigger strobes in this dept & this would be it's reason for it's price difference to the others.....

I found the guide numbers not very accurate & had to go by feel when trying to get the right exposure...but I wonder if other higher end strobes are similar in this way.

 

[scubaaaronh]

Thanks for the help and no i havent decided on which to buy yet. I have to save a little more for it.