Adding a strobe to a Canon G11 with a broken flash

[sbertout]

Hi guys !

First post on this website for me !

I have Canon G11 camera (pretty awesome device) but unfortunately the housing leaked (cannon one) during our last dive..
Unfortunately the flash doesn't work anymore.. but except that the camera works perfectly..
So I was thinking I could maybe just add a strobe to replace the broken internal flash..
I'm not really an expert in underwater photography so I prefer to ask you guys
Do you think it would work ? How would the external flash be activated ? Manually ?
Any models you'd recommend ?
Worst case scenario.. do you think I should get rid of it a buy a brandly new G12 ?

Thanks in advance !
Stephane

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

I had a customer flood their canon G10 in a canon housing the other day. To make matters worse, I was holding the housing at the moment!

If the flash is broke, you have no way to activate the strobe using the canon housing.

I'd get an S95 or G12, and a better housing like an Ikelite or a Recsea. Good luck! - Scott

 

[sbertout]

thanks for your answer.. I guess buying a new one would be the solution but before going into this way
what about using an external light or flash but with manual triggering if that makes sense ?
is that possible or too hard to use ?
chrs

 

[snowdog61]

An external strobe needs a signal to fire - that signal is the cameras internal flash. You are relegated to using ambient light and adjusting the white balance. sorry but you are screwed.

 

[PatW]

Most strobes are activated by a your camera's strobe light going up a fiber optic line. Ikelite has housings that allow for an electrical signal to your strobe so that your camera strobe does not have to fire. Now I don't know. It might be that whatever fried your camera's in body strobe also fried the part of the camera that would send the electrical impulse. Even so, you would have to buy the Ikelite housing and unless you were planning to anyway, it would cost more than your camera.

You may try to see if it is possible to get the in body strobe on your camera repaired. Canon might do it or an independant repair shop may do it. However, it might be cheaper to buy a new camera.

 

[HerraduraDivers]

sbertout,
you may be able to trigger a electrically connected strobe if the hotshoe connector on the G11 is still working.
But this will lead you to buy a new housing with a electrical bulkhead liek the Patima housing and this will be much
more expensive than a new camera, but a better housing may avoid further floodings.
From my long, long (and expensive) experience with flooded electrical devices,(never cameras, mostly cell phones),
sometimes the worked for some weeks but on the end thes died suddenly as the corrosive salt water corrode the electrical
contacts and will provocate short circuits.

Chris

 

[farsidefan1]

Sounds like you have a nice daylight surface camera - or with a new housing a wideangle shallow underwater camera, with a secndary use as a paperweight at depth or darkness. When I killed my old camera I went with the canon g12, recsea housing and ys-01 strobe. I have trouble putting kid puzzles together so the shop I got it from put it all together for me and shipped it to me pre assembled. Whew, most feared words in the English language = "some assembly required" (thanks bluewater). My other camera was donated to the photo center at Cocoview. He needed a paperweight.

 

[sbertout]

Thanks to all of you for your answers

I think I'm gonna buy a new G12 (I can have a pretty good price as I have friend working there) and maybe an Ikelite housing..

Similarly to the G12 I can have the cannon housing to a very good price then what should I buy if I want to add a stobe ? (want to go to the next step of underwater photography)
Any model in particular ?

Also, do you think I should just go for the Ikelite ? But then a strobe (looks like it's a must buy with an Ikelite housing because the internal flash seems to not be as efficient because of the housing ?) would make the all thing even more expensive.. what do you suggest ? any models / price ?

Thanks

 

[cardog]

Thanks to all of you for your answers

I think I'm gonna buy a new G12 (I can have a pretty good price as I have friend working there) and maybe an Ikelite housing..

Similarly to the G12 I can have the cannon housing to a very good price then what should I buy if I want to add a stobe ? (want to go to the next step of underwater photography)
Any model in particular ?

Also, do you think I should just go for the Ikelite ? But then a strobe (looks like it's a must buy with an Ikelite housing because the internal flash seems to not be as efficient because of the housing ?) would make the all thing even more expensive.. what do you suggest ? any models / price ?

Thanks

Pick up an Oly XZ-1 or an Oly E-PL2, either with the OEM housing and a Inon S2000 strobe.