Macro & wreck interiors

[Halthron]

At the moment, I have a Canon a620 with the WP-DC90 housing. I have been using the internal flash for macro and no-flash for pretty much everything else. I'm still fairly new to taking good pictures and feel that I have yet to outgrow the ability of my current camera. While I will probably move to a DSLR at some point, that point has not yet arrived.

I've played around as much as possible between the manual options and my 21w HID and have to face facts that any chance of decent interior wreck shots will require one or more strobes.

I've looked at some of the strobe descriptions and the comparision chart at digitaldiver but much of the data is over my head. While being able to grow with my photography is a concern, cost is as well. I expect that if/when I do make the move, my camera setup will be passed to the next generation.

What kind of strobe can be used to light up an object in a dark silty room 4-8 feet away? The cost-concious side of me says to lean toward the Ike DS51, despite its long recycle time while the side that's more likely to try to shoehorn a smallblock 350 into a Chevette says to splurge on the DS200 or the Inon Z-240.

Realistically, what're good strobes once you get outside of macro range and for lighting up dark spaces yet still be used for macro?

 

[AndyT]

Inon Z240 or Sea & Sea YS 110 - they will both last you well into your DSLR photography as well.

 

[gert7to3]

Have you thought of a small tripod or clamp to hold your camera to take time exposures? You could "paint in" parts of the subject with a smaller strobe light or even youe HID. Or just make a really long exposure for a single scene. This could be done all at once or sequentially. It is possible to make several exposures from the same fixed point, then cobble them together with PhotoShop.

The compact strobe you get now (a'la AndyT) will probably become your fill light when you graduate to a DSLR and TTL strobe.

 

[Cacia]

8 feet away?

will a flash illumintae that far away, in poor viz?

 

[bladephotog]

The DS-51 will serve you just fine. In fact, I had great luck using a Reefmaster SL 960D with my Canon A85. The recycle time is very slow but I like the fact that you can just dial the power up and down. Once you get a little experience with it it's an easy strobe to use and it's CHEAP.

Catherine raises a good point. It's not the strobe that will help in a silty environment, it's the length of the strobe arms.

 

[AndyT]

As many of us on this board have learned (me included), buy cheap and you will buy again ...........