Strobe setup for PT-10 Housing

[peterjmaerz]

Dear Dr. Dee or any other shutterbugs,

Getting ready to add a strobe to my PT-10 housing (and Olympus 3040 camera). Can you tell me what I need in terms of individual components, what brands/models are the least expensive and from whom I could obtain them? I've done a bit of searching on the board and the web in general (including snooping around Underwater Digital's site) but have not been able to come up with the details I seek.
Thanks very much,

 

[marpacifica]

At a minimum you'll need a tray, a strobe arm, strobe and a fiber optic cable. You can get all of these from a guy named Yuzo in Japan, whom many on this board have dealt with successfully. His website is http://www.uwdigitalcamera.com/English/euwdigitalindex.htm

Many here use the Fish Eye tray, which comes standard with one arm, but you'll probably want one with two arms for stability underwater and in case you want to upgrade to two strobes in the future. There's also a less expensive tray/arm on the website if you click on the Trays/Arms link. The least expensive, compatible strobe (one with a pre-flash cancellation) is Epoque, which he sells for around $250 last time I checked. The fiber optic cable is required so that the strobe fires when the internal camera flash fires.

He has the least expensive prices I've seen on the web, and ships insured through Japanese postal express mail. My order arrived in 3 days, and he usually mails the package within a day of your order. The ordering form on the website doesn't seem to work for some reason, so to order from him, email him (info@naturephoto.com, I think, but check the website to make sure) with the exact items you want and he'll get back you with a price quote. His English is pretty good and he returns emails very quickly. Payment is through Paypal or direct bank account transfer. Prices are in yen, but to do a quick conversion just drop two zeroes and you'll get an approximate dollar amount.

 

[Dee]

peterjmaerz once bubbled...
Dear Dr. Dee or any other shutterbugs,

Getting ready to add a strobe to my PT-10 housing (and Olympus 3040 camera). Can you tell me what I need in terms of individual components, what brands/models are the least expensive and from whom I could obtain them? I've done a bit of searching on the board and the web in general (including snooping around Underwater Digital's site) but have not been able to come up with the details I seek.
Thanks very much,

Mar's right...you'll need a strobe arm to hold the strobe and a tray to attach the arm and secure the camera. There are so many choices here! And each one has it's fans. I really like my Fisheye Tray and Infinity flexible arm. Yuzo in Japan is the only place I've found it since Underwater Digital quit answering emails. I like the small size of the Fisheye tray and single strobe. The flexible arm is strong and holds my S&S YS90DX strobe very well. But if I was buying right now, I would probably buy an Inon D-180, mostly because of the size. It has most of the same features that my YS90 has, including fiber optic cable connection, in a smaller package. If you think you'd like a second handle for stability you can easily add one with the Fisheye, and if you decide to add a second strobe later, all you'll need is another arm. This is also probably your least expensive choice.

Alot of folks like ULCS arms and trays but to me it's not worth the $250+ price but to each their own. You can get them at Underwater Camera Pros. Ryan or Jim will be glad to answer any of your questions. And since this sytem uses quite a few pieces, they can help you figure out which components you need.

 

[peterjmaerz]

Viva Scuba Board!

And thanks Mar and Dee...now, in keeping with my dunce status in photography...can I ask, where does one plug in the aforementioned fiber optic cable? Can't find any suitable opening on my housing. BTW, the PT-10 did come with a heavy, vinyl-coated bar that screws into the bottom of the housing. Is that the "tray" you're referring to and would accomodate the other equipment you've mentioned?
Thanks again for your information and links..I'll be sure to contact Yuzo for further advice.

Best,

 

[marpacifica]

Pete,

Check out this thread for photos of the Fisheye tray.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37930&highlight=yuzo

The purple plastic-coated bar that attaches to the PT-010 is just a counterweight so that the housing and camera are close to neutrally bouyant. If you can attach an arm to that weight, patent it and make tons of money! But where the weight attaches to the base of the PT-010 is where the tray screws in. The tray is essentially a base. There's no place to attach an arm or strobe directly to the housing, so the tray serves as a sturdy platform where you can screw in an arm. The strobe attaches to the arm, and the "arm" for the Fisheye is a padded grip, to which you attach a flexible or articulating arm that attaches to the strobe. The fiber optic cable "attaches" to the flash diffuser on the housing by a piece of Velcro, which comes with the cable package. You have to custom cut the Velcro according to a pattern that's also provided. I found that the pattern was a bit too short on the top end, so you may need to adjust accordingly. You get enough Velcro though so if you don't get it right the first time, you can make another piece. The other end of the cable fits into a plastic ring that fits over the strobe. When your internal flash fires, it shoots a light signal via the cable to the sensor on the strobe, which fires simultaneously. Because the Oly series 2000-4040 have preflashes, you have to have a strobe that fires on the second flash, not the preflash.

I'm with Dee -- I like the YS-90DX, but I think I'd like to upgrade to the Inon. It's smaller, lighter, and one model has a focusing beam that's really useful in adjusting the direction the strobe fires.

Oh, and advice on this board isn't free -- you have to post your first photos for everyone to enjoy. Don't worry, we don't bite.

 

[peterjmaerz]

here's one with internal strobe from St Vincent. Thanks again for your help...

 

[peterjmaerz]

...and heavily downsized as the previous...

 

[marpacifica]

Peterj, are you sure you need a strobe? Looks like you're getting excellent results with just the internal flash.

 

[Gilligan]

I'll second that marpacifica.

 

[peterjmaerz]

Thanks guys...

Yes, the internal strobe's done very well at close range. My desire is to extend the camera's effective range beyond two or three feet. As it stands now, colors start to dramatically fade when I shoot from farther away than that. Am I correct at assuming that a strobe would correct that? (See attached for example of color washout)