Strobes!! Help

[LJinFLA]

I am thinking about getting a Canon A620 with and Ikelite housing. I just can't seem to get enough info on Strobes. TTL, Fiber optic, manual, versus auto, ...

What are the real difference between one that costs $250 and one that costs $1000?

What ones would work best for an amateur, point and shoot kind of photographer, that will ensure great pictures without a lot of fuss? I don't need or want a lot of professional features. i want it to be smart enough to take the right picture without a lot of thought. i know this is asking alot but there just doesn't seem to be a lot of specific advice about this on the right one for a specific camera. I don't know a lot about underwater photography, or photograpy in general, but I will learn over time and want something that i can grow into for the better features, not one that I will have to replace in the future if i get more sophisticated.

any suggestions?

LJ

 

[HowardE]

There are many differences between strobes.

I would suggest looking at the strobe finder on digital diver.net http://www.digitaldiver.net/strobes.php

You can compare and contrast any of the strobes that they have listed.

If you ask a broad question like this one here on SB... you'll get a million different answers, and people will tell you how great their strobe is.

You have a P&S Camera, so you'll either need a strobe that has an optical trigger, or you'd have to get something like the ikelite manual controller which triggers the strobe for you.

You probably should also look for strobes that can ignore the "pre-flash"

 

[dbh]

What are the real difference between one that costs $250 and one that costs $1000?
LJ

I don't know of very many that go as high as $1,000....but $500 - $900 is pretty common. With these strobes (I personally would only consider Inon, Ikelite or Sea&Sea), they will give you:

Better light
More consistant output
Less recharge time between shots
Way better battery compartments (ie: no leaks)

Like Howarde said, you need one fired optically for a P&S and one fired by a sync cord if you ever move up to a DSLR. My Inon Z220's can do both but are discontinued. Inon just announced a new strobe that will do both (Z240). Ike's with the controller can do both. I know thw Sea & Sea YS90-DX will do both because I used to own a pair. Ikelite and Sea & Sea are both releasing new model in the next month or two. What is best for one person might not be best for you.

HTH,
Dave

 

[RonFrank]

I am thinking about getting a Canon A620 with and Ikelite housing. I just can't seem to get enough info on Strobes. TTL, Fiber optic, manual, versus auto, ...

What are the real difference between one that costs $250 and one that costs $1000?

What's your budget, what are you trying to achieve, and what is the likelyhood that you will someday get into a DSLR (IOW's a much more serious camera system).

I can absolutely tell you the major difference between a stobe that costs $250, and one that costs $1000. That would be....

$750

IMO if you are just wanting to improve your PnS images, and help avoid backscatter, than the Sunpak G Flash, or the Sea&Sea digital flash at $180, and $299 respectively work great.

If you look at this as an investment that you can grow into a system in the future, than the Ikelite, the Inon, the Sea&Sea more expensive lines, and a few others may make a better long term solution.

For me I think I'm going all Ike!!! Their TTL really works, and that is a system I can grow with. Their housing are also much less expensive vs. others, and that is something worthwhile in times where my D1x (at $4500 just four years ago) is about to become a backup!

Fortunately the D1x shoots as well today as it did four years ago, and I think the D200 that I'm about to purchase will last over a decade! So digital is FINALLY slowing down...I think eyebrow