moved from 350 thead: strobe & lens questions from Amy

[Amy B]

Aaah, I see. Thanks. I did think I would need one as I read in a few other posts elsewhere that the strobe really helps when taking the macro shots...

I assume you CAN turn the camera on and off underwater? A friend of mine missed out on some good shots of a Great White whislt cage diving because he forgot to turn his camera on before he went in the water, and couldn't do underwater... He completely missed the shark attacking the bait!

 

[Larry C]

The PT-030 has very nice, easy to use control buttons. You can easily turn the camera on and off underwater. Occasionally the camera will go into kind of a sleep mode if you don't continuously take pictures. You have to dab the shutter button a few times to bring it back to life.

The set-up shown in your link looks very nice and complete. I would opt for the Epoque set-up on the strobe and use their Oly-Epoque cable, even though it means shooting manual only (as opposed to ttl-auto). The camera has 10 manual settings for flash, and though others have expressed good results with the FL-20 set-up, I agree wholeheartedly that it leaves a lot to be desired as your only strobe.

The Ikelite tray and handles you linked to earlier just use a thumbscrew into the same 1/4-20 (universal tripod thread) hole on the bottom of your housing. They're really nice and allow you to quick disconnect your strobe.

A WA lens will definitely block your built in flash. Even the standard lens blocks it in supermacro. That's why the camera will only fire in slave mode on supermacro settings.

The FL-36 and housing is probably a really nice option, and will do the ttl function, but Oly wants an arm for the strobe and a leg for the housing. You can buy a top of the line aftermarket strobe from Inon, Ikelite, Sea & Sea, etc. for less money.

 

[Amy B]

The Ikelite tray and handles you linked to earlier just use a thumbscrew into the same 1/4-20 (universal tripod thread) hole on the bottom of your housing. They're really nice and allow you to quick disconnect your strobe.

The FL-36 and housing is probably a really nice option, and will do the ttl function, but Oly wants an arm for the strobe and a leg for the housing. You can buy a top of the line aftermarket strobe from Inon, Ikelite, Sea & Sea, etc. for less money.

Hi Larry, thanks for your reply and advice.

I don't really understand what you mean by, "...Oly wants an arm for the strobe and a leg for the housing." though? A leg?!

Would the FL-36 fit onto the Ikelite tray/handles I mentioned before?

Sorry but I'm new to this; I'm learning but it's still a bit over my head!

I found the flash you mentioned (FL-36) here: http://www.bristolcameras.co.uk/page39.htm

Which seemed quite good at less than £130 but then I realised the housing for it is almost £400!! :'( I'm a bit hesitant to go for the Olympus strobes after you mentioned having so much trouble trying to get the diffuser to stop falling off your FL-20...

I'm going to see someone at Cameras Underwater tomorrow so I can actually feel the camera in my hands (the final deal clincher!) and to get some advice, but obviously I'm not 100% sure what I'm talking about and I'm a bit worried they'll try to sell me something I don't really need, or isn't quite right for what I want to use it for... I don't want to get ripped off!!

Sorry if I am annoying anyone with my basic questions!!

 

[Larry C]

Just American slang i.e. expensive = it costs and arm and a leg. $700 for the housing is just outrageous when you can get an Ikelite or Inon for $600 and it doesn't need a housing. The strobe itself isn't bad at all. Hmmm, now I did see a DIY post about putting a land strobe in a generic UW electronics case that costs about $30. Sorry, I digress. Go for an established brand name strobe that has a reputation for good service and you'll be much happier with your purchase.

 

[Amy B]

Just American slang i.e. expensive = it costs and arm and a leg.

Lol!! Sorry, I'm stupid!

$700 for the housing is just outrageous when you can get an Ikelite or Inon for $600 and it doesn't need a housing. The strobe itself isn't bad at all. Hmmm, now I did see a DIY post about putting a land strobe in a generic UW electronics case that costs about $30. Sorry, I digress. Go for an established brand name strobe that has a reputation for good service and you'll be much happier with your purchase.

Yeah, it did seem a bit much...!

I think I'll make my final decision on the camera today (I'm 99% sure it's the one for me, but as I said, I want to feel it in my hands first...) and get the housing, and have a play around with it for a while.

When I'm more competent with it I'll go for the strobe and lenses... I found some good tips for taking photos with just the camera/housing (no strobe) in the article written by Gilligan, in the "Taking good photos with just the basic camera and housing" thread, so that should give me enough to start with right now.

Maybe I can go for the strobe/lenses in a few months, say around Christmas time...


I've had some really good advice on here, and would just like to say thanks to everyone who has replied! :sappy:

 

[AndyT]

Good idea to get the camera and housing first - Sea & Sea have a new strobe on the way with a built in focus light , it remains to be seen just how good it is. If you can learn to shoot natural light first you're off to a good start .

 

[Amy B]

Good idea to get the camera and housing first - Sea & Sea have a new strobe on the way with a built in focus light , it remains to be seen just how good it is. If you can learn to shoot natural light first you're off to a good start .

Cheers. I was hoping that once I'm more familiar with the camera I'll know what I want to use it for, and go for that lens and a strobe... And, as you said, there may be new strobes available by then (and the older ones may be on sale for a reduced price! )

Amy.

 

[sylpha]

you could also try talking to Alan James Photography in Bristol, they are very helpful.

 

[netmage]

Amy,

I'm a total n00b w/ a strobe... Here's what I was able to get first time out w/ my SP-350/DS-125 setup wednesday evening. No facy lenses - the cameras internal macro mode seems good enough. Viz was ~30-40'. I have an Inon UWL-100 (Wide Angle) lense laying around - thinking about getting the adapter to mate it w/ the Ikelite housing.

I threw out ~ 20 shots where backscatter made the pic unintelligable.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/netmage/sets/72157594174341709/

-Tim

 

[Amy B]

Wow, thanks Tim! You've got some awesome pics there! I'm so jealous. I especially like the ones with the fish in (they're my favourite thing to look at underwater, although I doubt I'll be any good photographing them!).

Did you take the diver photos in RAW? I ntocied they're a little blue and have read a few times that you can easily adjust RAW pics after taking them?? (Also JPEGS but as they're already compressed, it's not so easy...). They're still ace though - all my Egypt photos are VERY blue but to be fair, it was a £20 camera/housing and my first attempt at underwater photography!!

I can't wait to start taking underwater photos with mine! I just bought it today, with the Oly (PT-030) housing. No strobe or special lenses yet, I'm thinking I made need them around Christmas time...

But first, I need to practice, practice, practice on land, check the housing underwater and get really good at using all the controls with gloves on... It gets mighty cold here in the UK!

Hopefully when I'm good enough to take some decent underwater pictures, my parents and friends (who don't dive) will finally understand what I get so excited about when I'm diving! Would be nice to give them a glimpse of the underwater world.

Congrats on a fantastic first attempt with your strobe!!