Strobe for Canon G10 in WPDC28 housing?

[NickOzard]

Hi there,

I have a Canon G10 in a WP DC28 housing and have used it for some years taking more than satisfactory photographs but only under good light conditions, the shape of the housing affects the built in flash and the diffuser made no difference to this, I'm about to embark on a long diving trip and wanted to purchase a decent strobe before departing.

I was recommended the Ikelite Autoflash AF35 Slave Strobe however I do not feel the flex arm will provide the range of positioning options I would ideally like.

What alternative strobes might I consider that will operate with this housing with a more flexible arm setup? I was hoping to spend up to £450.

Hope you can help

Nick

 

[KeithG]

the strobe and arm are "normally" not a combined unit. a few strobes (af35 and some sealife ones) come as a single unit. others come as multiple piece kits with separate strobe, arm, tray & mounting hardware from potentially different manufacturers. some kits are sold as packages.

your issue appears to be with the AF35 arm system. this indicates you likely will want a multi piece setup. which means more decision points and likely more money. you will have to choose a tray, an arm system and a strobe. this gives you the ability to grow your system by adding on instead of replacing.

there are also 2 different types of arm systems
- flexible multi joint
- ball arm
be aware that the balls can be different sizes. i prefer ball arms, others prefer flex arms.

i believe most current model optical slave strobes should work with your camera, but this is an area to do some research. some strobes have better TTL support. you should be able to find strobe / camera compatibility charts online.

if you consider purchasing older used gear, then be careful to make sure the strobe is "digital ready" - it needs to be able to handle the camera preflash.

 

[Hawkwood]

I have a G12 with the Canon housing.

I use an Ikelite DS51 strobe with the fibre optic connection and the ball arms.

I found that that I had to use clear silicon to attach the fibre optic adapter to the housing. Too many compound curves for the adhesive patch to stick securely.

 

[Herb-alaska]

I asked this very question two days ago to so great folks at blue water photo. My new strobe is on the way and I can give you a report in a couple of days. Here is what I got back from them

Hi Herb,

With the Canon housing you'll need to use either a fiber optic cable that ends in a velcro piece or use the fiber optic cable mask that Sea & Sea offers. I personally like the velcro cable, as its easier to attach. It can allow for some light leakage though. Here are two options I recommend for you:

Sea & Sea YS-03 Universal Lighting Package - this option is the most basic, very easy to use strobe. Its still a nice strobe, made by Sea & Sea who makes some of the best strobes out there. It comes as a full package with flex arm & tray that will attach to your Canon housing. The fiber optic cable included is a standard one, so you would also need to purchase the $35 strobe mask kit. This strobe is auto only, so you don't have to adjust anything, making it a very easy to set up, introductory strobe.

If you want to get something a little nicer which gives you controls and a better tray / handle system I recommend the Sea & Sea YS-01 strobe package with the Ultralight Control System components. This strobe is the same size as the YS-03, but is a little more powerful. It also has both TTL (auto) controls, as well as manual controls, so you can set the strobe to manual mode and adjust the flash power yourself. This is important if you shoot in Manual mode on your G10 at all. The Canon G10's flash does not adjust power when shooting in manual mode, it fires at full flash only, so with an external strobe you will also get full power every time, unless using a strobe like the YS-01 that allows for manual control and adjustment. (Hopefully this makes sense). The ULCS components are excellent, and the ball & clamp arms allow for more articulation and they are also customizable so you can add or change out components to get the exact system you like. These are also great as they can be used with just about any housing, so if you upgrade your camera you can take these pieces (and the strobe) with you to the next. If you do purchase this kit, in the order comments just ask for the VELCRO cable and we'll switch it out for you.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Depending on which strobe you end up purchasing we can send over instructions and information that will be helpful to setting up and using the strobe. Thanks so much, hope this helps you make your strobe purchase, please let us know if you have any further questions, thanks! -Kelli
Bluewater Photo
310-633-5052
www.bluewaterphotostore.com

 

[thewigster]

I have a canon s100 in an ikelite housing and did some reading on here before buying a strobe for the first time (especially as uk diving). Ended up with the sea and sea ys-01 and found it really good. So much so i have just bought another one last week (yet to use it). They are reasonably priced now at £302 delivered on Amazon with import taxes to UK which then leaves just enough money to spend on a tray and arm (i originally had the cheap flex arm - which works well for starting out) but now upgraded to the ultralight version. I can mention any other strobes as only had the ys-01 but very happy indeed with the results and how it performs! keep reading here and lots of people will gladly provide advice so you can make your own decision. Enjoy