Strobe on top of housing

[sbl212]

I recently got a olympus epm1 and housing. I wanted to get a strobe but wanted something a bit compact so no tray with long arms.
I was thinking I could just mount a strobe on top of my housing. Something like this.

I understand there will be some limitation in positioning the strobe but I was wondering if it'll there are any other limitation of this setup.

Anyone else have this kind of setup? Pics will be appreciated.

 

[Ran Mozaik]

It's good idea for keeping your rig compact.
For better positioning you can get a small flex arm like this: BTS - Locline Flex Arm for mounting video light / strobe on Cold Shoe
I would recommend using it with a small strobe such as YS-01 or Inon S2000.
It holds up great and keeps everything simple.

 

[diversteve]

Keeping the strobe in the same plane as the lens increases backscatter. So at least mount it slightly off-axis in relation to the plane of the lens. That more than any other reason is why people mount them on arms away from the camera. Anyone who has shot a p&s thru a mfr' supplied housing will attest to that. Happened to my buddy until he bought a simple arm/tray/flash system.

 

[DENLASCUBA]

You can still get compact and light weight trays and strobe arms, you will find very quickly that the current mount is very restrictive, also you will be able to handle your camera a but easier. If you still do not want to go with a trau you can still mount arms to your hot shoe adapter to give you more flexibility. I like the i-Das arms or ULCS products both very leightweight and great aluminum construction. I wuld recommend at least one 3" segment and one segment 5"-9".

Also you shouldnt need that red filter with the camera you are using, if you are using photo editing software you can use Auto WB and adjust on the PC, or if I have good ambient light and do not want to use the strobe I will manualy WB.

 

[sbl212]

First, thank you all for the response.

To clarify,the pic is not of my current setup.
I do intend on going with this setup using an arm about 5" long and looking at the YS-01.
I think I could adjust it so that the flash isn't on the same plane as the lens.

I figure if I don't like the setup I can just use the parts towards arm/tray setup.

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

Personally I would not mount it on top, and I would not go with a flex-arm system, because they limit your motion. Spend the money on a good tray, arm & clamp setup and you will be very happy you did, imho. The setup will be just as compact / easy to use underwater, and easier to shoot with. Good luck!

Scott Gietler

 

[bvanant]

I think that if you have only one strobe, shooting it top down is not a bad idea. The sun after all is mostly overhead and that means that the shadows look more natural that way. On the other hand shooting from the side can give you great results.
I am not sure what "in the same plane as the lens" means.
Bill

 

[KeithG]

backscatter?

I believe that using the mount on top of the housing with a very short arm will likely contribute to strobe positions that will increase backscatter. If you have a stinking long arm, then you can avoid the problem.

I am not an expert (although i slept in a holiday inn last night) but tend to use long strobe arms that allow me to light my subjects as much as possible from a side angle (not directly from the front).

google "backscatter" and you should get some useful hits about strobe positioning.

Having the strobe light up all of the crap suspended in the water between your subject and the camera is generally bad. unless you like photos with lots of white dots in them...

 

[deeper thoughts]

good info

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

I think that if you have only one strobe, shooting it top down is not a bad idea. The sun after all is mostly overhead and that means that the shadows look more natural that way. On the other hand shooting from the side can give you great results.
I am not sure what "in the same plane as the lens" means.
Bill

Just to clarify what I wrote, I agree with Bill that shooting top down is not a bad idea, but I would still mount it on a handle, off to the side of the housing with an arm/clamp setup. - Scott Gietler