PT-030 and non-TTL strobes

[jbichsel]

Ok, I'm plunging in. Ive ordered the SP-350 and two 1GB Htype memory cards. Next week comes the housing and tray.

My next step will be a quality yet "affordable" strobe, non-TTL. So here are my questions:

1. Do I need to have a fiberr optic cable running from the housing in front of the camera strobe to the external strobe? Or is there enough settings on the SP-350 to use it "as-is" with pre-flash and have the external strobe fire correctly?

2. Is it possible to use and older strobe like an Ikelite Sub Strobe 102, 105 with this setup?

3. What brands/power do you guys recommend?

Thanks.

 

[rjsimp]

I haven't tried this (because I don't have an Inon strobe yet) but they claim they have a method to sync their strobes without any visual light from the camera. From what I understand, you put a filter over the internal flash on the camera which filters out visible light but allows another light frequency through that the strobe can see and sync to.

Whatever solution you use, you don't want a lot of light leaking from the internal strobe because it will mess with your pictures and cause back scatter. I prefer not having any light from the interal strobe so I can control it better with the strobes. I will say that the fiber optic is going to be more reliable than just using visible light sync. The reason being that if the strobe is not pointed in a way that it can see the internal flash go off, it won't fire. The "TTL" sync cable can also work on manual strobes, so don't overlook that either.

 

[sunkarm]

I haven't tried this (because I don't have an Inon strobe yet) but they claim they have a method to sync their strobes without any visual light from the camera. From what I understand, you put a filter over the internal flash on the camera which filters out visible light but allows another light frequency through that the strobe can see and sync to.

Whatever solution you use, you don't want a lot of light leaking from the internal strobe because it will mess with your pictures and cause back scatter. I prefer not having any light from the interal strobe so I can control it better with the strobes. I will say that the fiber optic is going to be more reliable than just using visible light sync. The reason being that if the strobe is not pointed in a way that it can see the internal flash go off, it won't fire. The "TTL" sync cable can also work on manual strobes, so don't overlook that either.

How many dives have u had on your pt030? it seems to b a relaible housing

 

[rjsimp]

How many dives have u had on your pt030? it seems to b a relaible housing

Actually my wife dives with it as I have a Nikon D200 I dive with. She loves the set up. It was a real step up in usability and reliability from the Canon S80. The housing that olympus puts out is much nicer than the canon housing also.

I have played around with it and have tested it out. I like it and in fact we have bought 2 more of the cameras and housings since she got hers.

 

[DesertEagle]

If you can afford it, get the Heinrichs-Weikamp bulkhead for your PT-030. It lets you use a plain Jane Nikonos-type strobe. The cost is $225. Reef Photo sells it:
http://www.reefphoto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=27&products_id=902

Second choice, get the Inon D-2000 strobe plus a fiberoptic cable. They call it the clear photo system. It blocks the light from the camera coming out, but lets out enough flash to trigger the slave.

Option three- get a strobe like the new Sea & Sea YS-27. It's fast and will let you manually select power level. On your SP-350, you can either keep the pre-flash (and power it down), or you can use the slave mode (one flash, and select power level 1-10). I'd use the slave mode since it's the quickest. You would then select the power level manually. That would be easy because you have instant feedback.

 

[sunkarm]

Actually my wife dives with it as I have a Nikon D200 I dive with. She loves the set up. It was a real step up in usability and reliability from the Canon S80. The housing that olympus puts out is much nicer than the canon housing also.

I have played around with it and have tested it out. I like it and in fact we have bought 2 more of the cameras and housings since she got hers.

The thing is i wanna buy the pt030 instead of the ikelite since it's too costly. n i don't wanna have the camera flooded.
so far on land i love the sp350.

 

[rjsimp]

The thing is i wanna buy the pt030 instead of the ikelite since it's too costly. n i don't wanna have the camera flooded.
so far on land i love the sp350.

Well from everything I have seen on the PT-030 I don't see any reason not to buy that housing. It looks solid and it performs well. My wife has had it on several dives and not a bit of problems. The TTL adapter works great if you decide to get that option. The layout of the controls is very nice and everything works without issues.

As far as flooding or any issues, that can happen with any housing if not maintained and set up properly. I can say with the PT-030, it is fast to set up and we have never had any issues with flooding.

 

[gert7to3]

Most of the PT030 housing issues have involved the little cords used to retain the lens cap and the LCD shade. It is easy to get part of one pinched across the "O"ring resulting in a leak.

If you use an external strobe in slave mode, it would be a good idea to mask the SP-350's strobe so as to reduce backscatter. Black electrical tape might be the best solution, but I wouldn't store the camera with tape on it.

The fiber optic cables all have mounts which position the cable in front of the camera's flash and mask it to the front of the camera.

You can make your own fiber optic. It's available from science and surplus stores.

American Science and Surplus is one source: www.sciplus.com

 

[gert7to3]

Here's a strobe comparison chart:

http://www.digitaldiver.net/strobes.php

 

[sunkarm]

Well from everything I have seen on the PT-030 I don't see any reason not to buy that housing. It looks solid and it performs well. My wife has had it on several dives and not a bit of problems. The TTL adapter works great if you decide to get that option. The layout of the controls is very nice and everything works without issues.

As far as flooding or any issues, that can happen with any housing if not maintained and set up properly. I can say with the PT-030, it is fast to set up and we have never had any issues with flooding.

That's all i need to know. Thanka for your prompt reply