Olympus C5050, 2x Sea&Sea YS-90TTL Duo, how to connect it?

[spachal]

Hallo, excuse my English please and welcome to my first post here :]

I'm newbie in the quetion of using external strobes under water, so I hope
that my questions will not be too foolish ..

I bought two Sea&Sea YS-90 TTL Duo strobes and I want to use them with my
Olympus C-5050 & PT-015 camera. In the first moment I thought that I'll use
them only like slave strobes, disable preflash on C-5050 and make exposals
only in manual mode (and in the future I'll buy better camera and use them
with electric cords and TTL function). But I found that it's possible to use
them on C-5050 like TTL strobes too. And, that this strobe supported cordless
TTL functon, which can maybe helps me a lot :]

I found that I can buy and use Heinrichs's Digital Adapter and connect it with strobes
via cable, using internal flash with TTL. But now, as I can see, it's maybe
possible to use only fiber optic cables with TTL too! Unfortunatelly I can't
use Heinrichs converter for Olympus-TTL, in PT-015 there is no hole for this.

So now please give me an advice what I should to do, here are some (maybe
totally pointless :] ..) options, but I want to use TTL in any case:

1. Connect both YS-90's slave sensors and outside case with fiber optic cables,
use internal flash in TTL mode for firing strobes (on strobe set up TTL and Slave on)

2. Connect only one external strobe's slave sensor with fiber optic cable, and fire
this one with cable by internal flash in TTL mode, and fire the second one
with cordless(wireless) TTL system (YS-90/30 TTL Duo should have this function)
- I suppose that if this will be functional, it shoul be the best solution

3. Connect both strobe's slave sensors and outide case with fiber optic cables,
use internal flash without preflash mode for firing strobes (on strobes set up
no TTL and Slave on) - I suppose it will works for sure, but without TTL, only
in manual exposal mode

4. Bought Heinrichs's digital adapter, connect it with first external strobe
via cable (Nikonos or S&S) and on second one use cordless TTL function, and fire
them with internal flash in TTL mode

5. Bought two Heinrichs's digital adapter, connect both external strobes via cables
and fire them with internal flash in TTL mode

6. Bough one Heinrichs's digital adapter and one DUAL sync cord for both strobes,
(it's probably the most expensive solution)

Of course, in all cases I will set up output of internal flash to minimum and
use it only for firing external strobes, the internal flash will not affect the shot.

Please, can you help me to choose preferably cheapest, but 'TTL workable" solution?
I want to use my camera with external strobe(s) for "wide shots" and macro too.

Thanks for your answers! :]

 

[Ardy]

Hi - this is a tricky question requiring knowledge of the C5050 and the YS 90's. I am guessing that your best option would be to use a fibre optic solution but I don't know anything about your set up.

Maybe your best option is to send a PM (private message) to Phil Rudin as he knows Olympus stuff well and may be able to help you.

 

[driftwood]

Ardy is right, that is one tricky question made a lot harder with you using two strobes. I use an Oly 5060 and PT-020 housing with a YS-90dx. The best way I found to make the two play well together is by using Heinrich's Digital Adapter. You might want to shoot Heinrich an email and see what he has to say.

 

[Cathy Church]

If you have the Heinrichs adaptor, all you need is a dual cord for the Sea and Sea strobes. This will give you excellent TTL with both strobes. Let me know if you need something more.

 

[Cathy Church]

Sorry-- I was thinking of the later Olympus models. You are right, you cannot set up the Heinreich. You can easily attach two fiber optic cords to the camera. You can use the grommets and velcro material that comes with the fiber optic cables. To get both of the grommets close together, just shave off one side of each so that the holes sit side by side. Most Olympus housings have an offset piece of plastic in front of the strobe that holds a diffuser. This piece can be drilled to hold the grommets or to hold the fiber optic cables directly. Cut the velcro large enough to block off all of the strobe light from the built-in strobe. Let me know if you need further help.

 

[spachal]

Hallo all, thanks for your mesages, I decided to use two fibre optic cables, it's the cheapest way now, I'll try it if this is 'usable solution' :]. I'm preparing it now, I'll use cheap audio optic cables, they will be enough, I hope. I'll replace front difuse panel on PT-015, I'll place there two toslink-3.5 jack adapters inside and I made a reduction part on side of strobe too, with the same adapters. It will be easy to connect case and strobes then with toslink optical cable for sure :].

Probably it will be finished to the end of next week, if it will be usefull solution, I'll make some pictures and post it here for you :] (sorry for my English ..)

 

[reubencahn]

The ttl function on the YS-90DX does not work with direct optical triggering. It only works with standard Nikonos protocol. For ttl, you need the Heinrichs adaptor or something that a newer Inon strobe that has s-ttl.

 

[spachal]

But if TTL is not working with optical cable (slave sensor), WHAT is a function "cordless TTL function" ? :] I know that at least one strobe must be connected via TTL cable (Heinrichs adaptor probably), but the second one (or others) could be fired without cables in TTL mode too..

See this page of YS-90 manual page 12: [sorry I can't post URL, minimum 5 posts here]

 

[reubencahn]

But if TTL is not working with optical cable (slave sensor), WHAT is a function "cordless TTL function" ? :] I know that at least one strobe must be connected via TTL cable (Heinrichs adaptor probably), but the second one (or others) could be fired without cables in TTL mode too..

See this page of YS-90 manual page 12: [sorry I can't post URL, minimum 5 posts here]

I'm not sure of the answer to your question. I don't have my YS-90 strobes or the manual any longer. I'm pretty certain that optical ttl, where the strobe mimics the on-camera flash was never available in any YS-90 model but instead first became a feature in the YS-110. Looking at the Sea & Sea's product page on the YS-90 Duo, it reads: "TTL slave (cordless TTL): Cordless TTL (TTL slave) function with film camera ." I'm not sure just what that means or how one could have cordless ttl with a film camera but not with digital.

 

[spachal]

I don't know an aswer too, but I'll try manual mode with optical cable first, maybe then I'll buy Heinrichs adaptor if I'll need TTL.
In YS-90 TTL Duo manual there is no informations about differnce between digital or film cameras, see this page (copy to browser this url): temp.mcsa.cz/YS90TTLDUO_page12.pdf