Question Ikelite Strobes

[JuanD]

Hello everyone, and thanks in advance for your help. I'm contemplating the purchase of new strobes. Previously, I used an Olympus TG6 with a Sea & Sea YS01 Solis and a Weefine WFS07. Having switched to a Canon R10, I find that Ikelite is the only available housing, prompting me to consider their strobes for TTL sync and electronic connection compatibility. I'm torn between the DS51 II and the DS161 II. I recognize that the DS160 is more durable and powerful, but its greater weight and cost are considerable factors. Unfortunately, I've found no reviews of these strobes other than Ikelite's own information. I would greatly appreciate any guidance. Thank you!

 

[sea_ledford]

I can't give you much direct information between those two models, but I have extensively used ikelite strobes in the past. I have a DS160, DS161, and an ancient DS125. It looks like I can still send that one back in for a discounted upgrade.

They have all worked great, service has been good directly from ikelite. I plugged in my DS125 about 6 months ago, after sitting in a box unused for over 10 years. The battery still charged (no idea how long it would last, but at least it charged!), the strobe still worked. Swapped in the battery from the DS 161, and it still works with the newer battery. That particular strobe probably has over a 1000 dives on it, purchased in about 2004.

If you can swing the price difference, I'd recommend the more powerful strobe, they'll last a lifetime. You'll never wish you had less light.

 

[davehicks]

I am curious about your choice of the Canon R10 as it has limited housing options. Is that a done deal?

As for the Ikelite strobes, they are quite good. However, I think they are not as competitive as they were 10 years ago for a few reasons. 1) Proprietary electrical cable. 2) Proprietary battery 3) Large size and weight

I used the 125, 160, and 161 for many years before moving to Inon 330s, then Backscatter HF-1. The HF-1 being a very recent release has a lot of capabilities missing in the Ikelite for a lower price without the proprietary attributes.

 

[missionmtb]

I'm shooting 230s but have friends with 51s and 160s and they get beautiful results. The 160s have advantage with more power to light bigger/darker scenes and last longer at lower power. I would say go with the 51s, you can always turn them around for about what you pay and get some bigger boys later.

Also TTL was a game changer for me, I'll never shoot fiber again because of the inconsistency I experienced (of course YMMV). I find that my strobes last longer on TTL too since I'm generally using less power.

 

[TostitoBandito]

If you plan on shooting much wide angle I'd suggest a pair of 160's. A 51 could work for macro, but you'll struggle to light large scenes. You might also check out the used market, cause you can find some deals. I recently sold my old 160's for probably a third of what new ones would cost and they worked fine (I currently shoot 230's).

There's also some benchmark info out there for Ikelite and other strobes, though I don't remember which site and it was tough to find. I remember finding it a while back though and he tested beam width, brightness, uniformity, flash duration, recycle, all the stuff you want. You might check on Youtube, he may have made videos.

 

[JuanD]

I am curious about your choice of the Canon R10 as it has limited housing options. Is that a done deal?

As for the Ikelite strobes, they are quite good. However, I think they are not as competitive as they were 10 years ago for a few reasons. 1) Proprietary electrical cable. 2) Proprietary battery 3) Large size and weight

I used the 125, 160, and 161 for many years before moving to Inon 330s, then Backscatter HF-1. The HF-1 being a very recent release has a lot of capabilities missing in the Ikelite for a lower price without the proprietary attributes.

Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it. Yes, the camera was a gift, so not much options there. This is why I’m thinking on Ikelite strobes but there isn’t much information besides their own. And giving I already own a pair of strobes, which I consider sufficient enough, was wondering if it will worth the extra effort $$$ because of TTL and electrical sync functionalities.

 

[JuanD]

I'm shooting 230s but have friends with 51s and 160s and they get beautiful results. The 160s have advantage with more power to light bigger/darker scenes and last longer at lower power. I would say go with the 51s, you can always turn them around for about what you pay and get some bigger boys later.

Also TTL was a game changer for me, I'll never shoot fiber again because of the inconsistency I experienced (of course YMMV). I find that my strobes last longer on TTL too since I'm generally using less power.

Thanks, really helpful advice, I mostly shoot macro and close-up wide angle. Will the 51s suffice?

 

[JuanD]

If you plan on shooting much wide angle I'd suggest a pair of 160's. A 51 could work for macro, but you'll struggle to light large scenes. You might also check out the used market, cause you can find some deals. I recently sold my old 160's for probably a third of what new ones would cost and they worked fine (I currently shoot 230's).

There's also some benchmark info out there for Ikelite and other strobes, though I don't remember which site and it was tough to find. I remember finding it a while back though and he tested beam width, brightness, uniformity, flash duration, recycle, all the stuff you want. You might check on Youtube, he may have made videos.

Thanks, I believe i saw that chart. It was Brent Durant’s.

 

[TostitoBandito]

Thanks, really helpful advice, I mostly shoot macro and close-up wide angle. Will the 51s suffice?

For macro a single DS51 would probably work just fine in most cases. In some ways it's actually easier to shoot macro with a single strobe. Less to worry about in terms of positioning and it's also smaller so it's easier to get in close or in tight spaces.

For close focus wide angle, the answer is "it depends". You'd certainly want two strobes for starters. A pair of DS51's would work well for some shots, for example with less ambient light/deeper and very close to a relatively small subject area. You'll run into some trouble though if you want to do things like wide reef scenes where you need to throw light over a large swath of reef from a few feet away. Or shooting sunbursts or in other very bright/shallow areas with lots of ambient sunlight. Or big critters (sharks, turtles, etc...) coming at you out of the blue where you might not be able to get super close. Those are what the big beefy strobes are for. But if you're focused on fish/critter shots and smaller scenes they'd probably do most of that pretty well for you.

So it totally depends on what you like to shoot and what compromises you're willing to make. I personally began my journey with a single DS125 back in the day, before getting a second the following year and later upgrading to twin DS160's and later DS230's. I started with mostly macro, and gradually got better at wide angle over the years.

 

[JuanD]

For macro a single DS51 would probably work just fine in most cases. In some ways it's actually easier to shoot macro with a single strobe. Less to worry about in terms of positioning and it's also smaller so it's easier to get in close or in tight spaces.

For close focus wide angle, the answer is "it depends". You'd certainly want two strobes for starters. A pair of DS51's would work well for some shots, for example with less ambient light/deeper and very close to a relatively small subject area. You'll run into some trouble though if you want to do things like wide reef scenes where you need to throw light over a large swath of reef from a few feet away. Or shooting sunbursts or in other very bright/shallow areas with lots of ambient sunlight. Or big critters (sharks, turtles, etc...) coming at you out of the blue where you might not be able to get super close. Those are what the big beefy strobes are for. But if you're focused on fish/critter shots and smaller scenes they'd probably do most of that pretty well for you.

So it totally depends on what you like to shoot and what compromises you're willing to make. I personally began my journey with a single DS125 back in the day, before getting a second the following year and later upgrading to twin DS160's and later DS230's. I started with mostly macro, and gradually got better at wide angle over the years.

Thank you again for your detailed response. This is, indeed, such an expensive addiction

One big concern I have is the weight for traveling and for diving, are the 160s easy enough to handle them under water?