Tg-6 Build advice needed

[unwantedsn]

Hello SB photo guru’s,

Can someone double check my thinking / logic and let me know if I’m doing something wrong or perhaps money could be spent more wisely? I’ve recently been thinking on upgrading from a gopro to a compact camera (mainly the TG-6) so here is my build out / wish list. Please keep in mind that I am a novice photographer so I’m not expecting to get National Geographic results. I think I’d find myself mostly doing photography with just a touch of video.

Camera: Olympus TG-6

Housing: Olympus PT-059

Strobes: Dual Sea & Sea YS-01’s (already purchased)

Video Light: BigBlue’s CB6500p (6500 lumen)

Focus Light: BigBlue’s AL1100RAFO-II (1100 lumen with auto flash off)

Camera tray with 5” and 8” arms, a flexible cold shoe to ball mount adaptor. My thought is to put the video light and strobe on one 3 clamp ball setup. I’d then put the focus light on the cold shoe adaptor.

Lens: This is the issue that I’m really struggling with… I really like the look of the Backscatter M52 120° but it doesn’t offer zoom through. (I’m not even sure if I need that or not) So then I started looking at the Kraken KRL-02 which does offer zoom through and is even wider at 145°.

Sorry for the long winded post, but I’m trying to learn as much as I can before I throw down a chunk of change for an entry level setup. Thank you for taking the time to review my post.

 

[JackConnick]

We'd be happy to help, just give us a call.

Jack

 

[Blackcrusader]

I bought the TG6 and the PT059 housing and two Big Blue VL4200P lights. I also have my own DIY tray.

I will also still have my Hero4 in 2.7k for wide angle video and plan to use the TG6 for macro and super macro.
Picture of my setup below. One thing with this setup is that I can leave the camera on the sand or elsewhere and let it record video for say a nudi that is moving. Or even just to film some damsels on a hard coral.

 

[FezUSA]

I'm going to suggest that you're putting too much lighting gear on that set up, and would also take Jack up on his offer to call and chat about how best to meet your requirements. I would think either two strobes on the arms with a smaller video/focus light on the cold shoe (small flex arm or 3-5" arm/ball); or a single strobe on one arm and larger video light on the other arm, with focus light on the cold shoe.

I have the TG-4 and had the YS-03 kit. I now have a 2-handle tray with 2 x Inon S2000's and a 1000 lumen focus light on the cold shoe that I bought used on the forums here. I'm trying to decide whether to upgrade the focus light to a more powerful (2500 or 3500) light. I like the 3500 light as it does the fluorescent light for night dives as well as red, while providing considerable more light for video work. However my videos are few and far between, and some of them are of passing rays or marine life etc that are more than a few feet away, so not sure any of those lights are really going to help. The size of those bigger lights will also make the rig quite unwieldy which quite defeats one of the advantages of it over a mirrorless or DSLR rig.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Skip the focus light if you already have or are getting a video light. The strobes will usually outpower the light anyway and it won’t make a difference if it turns off when it auto flashes. You can use the video light mounted on the shoe as your night dive light if you carry your camera on night dives. It can then be your focus light. I haven’t used a focus light and have not needed one.

 

[Chris Ross]

I tend to agree about too much gear on the rig, particularly as you are talking about an occasional video. Also I've never used a triple clamp but I've seen other posts on here about them not working all that well. I'd also ask someone knowledgeable about how much power you need for a video light, wide open the TG-6 is f2 or f2.8, so quite fast so you don't need a lot of light, though in shallow water you might need to go f8 (achieved with an ND filter) to get shutter speed down.

You seem to be talking wide rather than macro, so the need for a focus light is questionable unless you are getting deep into overhangs or caves or at night. Combining a video and focus light may make sense?

 

[Lewis88]

Also I've never used a triple clamp but I've seen other posts on here about them not working all that well.

FWIW, I used to use a triple clamp for my focus light, and got tired of it and moved it to a cold shoe mount. It was annoying to move my strobes around and have the light move as well.