Hopefully someone here knows the answer to this, so I don't have to do a boatload of research over what I've already done:
Does anyone make a wide angle lens that will work with my SD550/WP-DC80 combo? I'd like to reduce that water column a bit. I've seen that Inon makes them for the S80's and their cases, but the documentation I've seen has been fairly impenetrable to figure out, at least for me. I've been pretty happy with the built-in macro capabilities, but it would be nice to be able to take better wide area shots as well, and everything I've read so far points to a WAL being a big part of the answer.
Second, any recommendations for a good starter strobe? I'd like to avoid spending upwards of $800... cheaper is better, as I'm still paying off a lot of dive gear.
My LDS is great, but they keep pushing these $800 strobes, and I'm just not ready to spend that just yet. I read good things about the Inon D-180 in this article (see below), and I've also seen some pretty nice other stuff they make, but it's been tough to determine what would work best, and of course, that article is outdated since the D-180 has been replaced by the D-2000. I seem to recall reading some good reports on a DS50 (can't recall the make) on these boards. Basically, I just want more flexibility than the built-in flash offers... by moving the flash to the side (or straight down, sometimes) I should have a lot more shot opportunities than the built-in flash will ever afford me.
At some point I'm sure I'll be overly-frustrated by the limited manual capabilities of my camera, but I'm not ready to abandon it just yet. I'm hoping to buy stuff that will come with me as I eventually upgrade, however. (the WAL adapter might not, but I hope the lens itself might with a different adapter plate, and I would hope the flash would as well)
Good review of the D-180 I mentioned: http://www.digitaldiver.net/images/strobearticle/strobearticlescrn2.pdf
-CD
Does anyone make a wide angle lens that will work with my SD550/WP-DC80 combo? I'd like to reduce that water column a bit. I've seen that Inon makes them for the S80's and their cases, but the documentation I've seen has been fairly impenetrable to figure out, at least for me. I've been pretty happy with the built-in macro capabilities, but it would be nice to be able to take better wide area shots as well, and everything I've read so far points to a WAL being a big part of the answer.
Second, any recommendations for a good starter strobe? I'd like to avoid spending upwards of $800... cheaper is better, as I'm still paying off a lot of dive gear.
My LDS is great, but they keep pushing these $800 strobes, and I'm just not ready to spend that just yet. I read good things about the Inon D-180 in this article (see below), and I've also seen some pretty nice other stuff they make, but it's been tough to determine what would work best, and of course, that article is outdated since the D-180 has been replaced by the D-2000. I seem to recall reading some good reports on a DS50 (can't recall the make) on these boards. Basically, I just want more flexibility than the built-in flash offers... by moving the flash to the side (or straight down, sometimes) I should have a lot more shot opportunities than the built-in flash will ever afford me.At some point I'm sure I'll be overly-frustrated by the limited manual capabilities of my camera, but I'm not ready to abandon it just yet. I'm hoping to buy stuff that will come with me as I eventually upgrade, however. (the WAL adapter might not, but I hope the lens itself might with a different adapter plate, and I would hope the flash would as well)
Good review of the D-180 I mentioned: http://www.digitaldiver.net/images/strobearticle/strobearticlescrn2.pdf
-CD
