optic cable, Red filter, Diffuser - Usage of all

[JohnDough]

I have a bunch of questions..

I have a stylus 410 ( pt016 housing ) and Sunpak gflash strobe- I havent had a chance to use the strobe yet but will soon and want to try to keep the experimenting down to a min as the amount of dives will be few. The last time I dove this destination/charter the dives were supposedly drift dives, but we moved pretty slow and average around 50-70feet. most pictures were either about 1 foot distance or 6'-10' ( at that time I used only the camera without strobe). I expect the same diving this time.

I've read about people using a red filter. is this something I should consider? in what circumstances would it be used? if deeper than xx feet? if more than xx distance? with/without strobe? or just never or all the time? ( and are there diffent shades of filters?)

As far as the diffuser, again, when how should it be used - depth and distance actually removing the diffuser is a real chore that nearly rips the ends of my fingers off, I cant imagine trying to take it off with water logged fingers. is it something that should be off for distance and on for closer?

I also saw some people have a fiber optic sync cable, should I use that and block the camera flash? use black tape to hold it to the camera housing diffuser?
if i should have a cable, does anyone know where to get one? I tried calling B&H photo, they dont have one for my setup but I see on their site ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ ) they have a few for other cameras ( Fantasea and Sea&Sea ). they run about $35 to $60 - would one of these work?

Thanks

 

[Gilligan]

1. I have a filter but don't use it. They are good to about 60 feet with good vis and lots of ambient light but IMHO Manual white balance works just as well between 15 and 60 feet. For all your non-strobe shots always use "manual white balance" and calibrate it off a white dive slate at the depth you are shooting. Post-process the photos in Photoshop or the like. Or, use the RAW setting if you have one.
Here are non-strobe shots using manual white balance.
Here is an unscientific test I did with and without a filter.

2. I have an Inon strobe that uses the infra-red system. It was designed for that. The Sunpak is not. Remember the strobe is good to about two feet. I would experiment with ways to diffuse the camera's strobe and yet have enough light left to fire the Sunpak before I would try making a fiber optic setup for it. One way is to turn the camera's flash down to its lowest setting.

3. I have a diffuser for my Inon D-180 and have mixed feelings about it. I like it for the very close-up macro shots as it does its job of diffusing the light. I don't like it for the more distant shots, or when I use my wide angle lens, as it "robs" me of too much of the light. Overall I do better without it. IMHO I think you need a very powerful strobe, or two, to use a diffuser and not lose a lot of the light. I don't think the Sunpak will benefit from a diffuser.