Sealife SL960D vs Bonica Neon

[f3nikon]

Actually its just plain common sense… you have a NANO strobe case at an affordable $120, that does not have a “watertight” seal/ battery cover because the entire flashhead is in a single sealed container! The $700 designer strobe is open to leakage because of the greater amount of sealing areas ie the battery compartment.

http://www.fantasea.com/email/nano_flash_press_release_done.asp

Plus the fact that the NANO is a clear plastic container, just like the some of the clear camera housings, slow leaks can be seen before any damage to the flashhead.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...047&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

And since the NANO is much thinner than other strobes it is well suited for tight angle marco photography. A couple of NANOs could light up macro subjects this:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=185337

 

[gary-ramey]

I've used the sunpak G-flash for about a year now. I love the dual strobe approach but its really hard to get the sunpak to fire unless I use a cable. The cable I had to custom to my housed FL20 flat port. I hate the battery cover on the Sunpak but I've followed the instructions carefully and its yet to flood. With that said, I just picked up a Sea&Sea YS27DX with base, arm and fiber optic cable for $365 including the shipping. A deal I couldn't pass up. I've never seen any postings on it so don't know how well its going to work. It seems like a well built little unit though. I'll post some pictures when I get to use it in May.

 

[gary-ramey]

I have the FL20 which is a similar concept to the Nano except it is hardwired. My only problem with the Nano would be how you fire them underwater. With a flat port, you'd have to custom a cable or put up with them going off in shallow water with the flash of the sun or not firing with your flash. Unless they have a place to connect a fiber optic I'd go with something different.

 

[herman]

The major problem with the Bonica is the lack of a fiber link. Without one, the only way to fire your strobe is with your camera flash exposed. This is going to make avoiding backscatter very difficult. Go with a strobe that at least has a fiber control available, you will end up wanting one.

 

[DougNR]

The major problem with the Bonica is the lack of a fiber link. Without one, the only way to fire your strobe is with your camera flash exposed. This is going to make avoiding backscatter very difficult. Go with a strobe that at least has a fiber control available, you will end up wanting one.

No FO link is one of the issues I'm struggling with. With my Fantasea housing, there are a set of pins that hold a plastic card in front of the camera flash. I assume the purpose is to allow enough light to escape around the sides to trigger a strobe with a built in sensor, while still preventing backscatter. How well that might work is what bothers me.

Thanks for your input Herman, I'm leaning towrd the SL960 over the Bonica, but I'm also considering investing a bit more and getting a better unit to start with.

 

[DesertEagle]

Epoque has a new versions of their strobes. Anyone tried:

ES-150 DS-Alpha
$221 at Marine Camera

It's supposed to have a new battery compartment.