fuji f31fd + ike housing or fuji and Inon strobe

[szeytinoglu]

I'm new to UW photography and planning to buy fuji f31fd bucause of low light performance.
I want to prefere fuji housing but I'm not sure I will able to find wide angle lens for fuji housing. therefore will go for Ike.
I will buy Inon z-240. ıs it really superior than 2000?

my set-up will be
fuji f31fd
ikelite housing
inon z-240
wide angle lens.(which?)
mabe a macro lens.(which?)
ultralight arm system.

Is this set-up good? does it propvide a good TTL system. Will be fuji housing compatible with the lighting system regarding TTL and wide angle lens. Will I need any adpaters.

I am inexperienced (actually no experience for UW phtography). Could you write the complete set-up for me (I don't want to forget the small parts and adapters and I dont know them very well) I will order them from the internet and will be in US only for a couple weeks.
thanks...

 

[DesertEagle]

I just got an F31fd. Great camera! Did you know there is a $50 rebate?

The D-2000 and Z-240 are very similar. I think the difference is that the Z-240 has a built-in optical converter. That allows it to work with an electrical synch cord. This doesn't apply to the F31fd, so the D-2000 would be fine. You would just need the clear photo fiberoptic cord. If you decided to upgrade your camera, the D-2000 has an optional conveter to use electrical synch cords.

Inon makes an adapter for the Fuji WP-FXF30.
http://inonamerica.com/products.php?product_id=310&prodcat=10&subcat=1

This link shows you the configuration:
http://inonamerica.com/news.php?news_id=55&pagenum=2&newscat=0

You can use their AD-mount lenses. That includes the macro, wide and fisheye lenses. I would probably start with the UWL-105AD. This lens is pretty wide, and it's easier to fill the frame thant the fisheye lens. Actually it does work as a fishseye on land. I would look at the UFL165 fisheye lens. As for the Fuji vs Ikelite housings, Ike's are built for heavy use. I will probably purchase the Ikelite housing. You can still get a full choice of lenses.

 

[Larry C]

The big difference between the D2000 and the Z-240 is that the Z-240 is WAAAAY more powerful. If you decide to upgrade later, the Z-240 will make a terrific strobe with a DSLR. It is probably more lighting than you need for the P & S, but more is good, right. It also has an S-ttl feature that allows the strobe to determine the correct lighting and a built in focus light. The downside is that they recommend pointing the strobe directly at the subject for S-ttl use. With the power available though, you'll probably be fine just setting the strobe manually on minimum power for close up work and putting it far away with a full blast for wide shots.

 

[szeytinoglu]

Thank you very much Desert Eagle. If I buy Ike housing will I need any adapter? can I use UWL-105AD or will I need an other wide angle.Are the AD mount lenses for fuji housing and lenses mounted to Ike's are the same mount? If will need to pay extra $60 for AD mount and if it's not necessary for Ike housing then I will goo for Ike.

 

[szeytinoglu]

thanks Larry. If I would buy Ike housing, Is DS-125 a better choise than Inon Z-240.

At the beginning I was planing to buy canon a710 but ended up buying this fuji f31fd. I was looking for a strobe. I was considering ds-125 but Inon group is recomended. here are the replies.
The Ikelite housing for the Canon A710 IS does not supply Ikelite's TTL Conversion Circuitry. (BUT I HAVE NOW FUJI NOT CANON A710)You can slave a DS-125 optically via the Manual EV Controller, but you'll adjust the output manually (10 power settings in 1/2 f-stop increments).


If you want automatic "TTL" Flash with this camera, the only strobes we've been able to make work reliably are Inon's D-2000s, D-2000, or Z-240. Inon's S-TTL doesn't miss. The deluxe packages listed on our site have a drop down option for Ikelite compact housings
--------------------------------------------
WHAT IS YOUR RECOMENDATIONS...

 

[DesertEagle]

You can use the 105AD on the Ikelite housing. It is extra. You need adapter made by Ikelite 9306.80. It is different from the Inon adapter made for Fuji housings.

 

[lukeROB]

It also has an S-ttl feature that allows the strobe to determine the correct lighting and a built in focus light. The downside is that they recommend pointing the strobe directly at the subject for S-ttl use.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I am pretty sure S-TTL in effect mimics true TTL. The strobe is used much like the internal flash. The stobe is only quenched when the camera sensor has detected the correct exposure. This means it should not matter where the strobe head is pointed.

The D-2000 has a focus light as well. I would say if money is no issue than buy the Z-240, but the D2000 or D2000S are more than capable with this setup and quite a bit cheaper.

 

[alo100]

The original housing, WP-FXF30 for F30/F31fd, works pretty well for me:
http://www.amazon.com/Fuji-WP-FXF30-Underwater-Housing-Digital/dp/B000G644IM

In terms of power, I think Z-240 is comparable to D200
and D-2000 is comparable to D125.
http://www.digitaldiver.net/strobes.php

e.g. look at the GN between 240 and 2000, one is GN24 and the other is GN20 the price difference is about $240

Please also read the related threads in forums for more opinion.






Coincidentally, I am using UWL-105AD (AD -- AD mount) and I am using the AD mount base by Inon for the WP-FXF30.
When you start to use the AD mount, the internal flash and the focus light would be partially blocked by the mount. The mount comes with a diffuser of which you can use right the way on the mount. Then if you buy Z-240 or 2000, there is a mask looks almost exlactly like the diffuser, except it's back in color and you can buy a fiber optic to link between the mask and the strobe.

http://www.inon.co.jp/product/recommended/d_set_allround.htm#finepixf30

Look at the WP-FXF30 housing with Z-2000 and the Inon arms.

**** Please make sure that you do have the available mount base for the Fuji camera, in terms of the particular housing you choose, e.g. WP-FXF30:
http://inonamerica.com/products.php?prodcat=10

You can also look at the cartoon to see how the strobe works:
http://www.inon.co.jp/product/strobe/d2000_pre.html

.

 

[alo100]

You can use the 105AD on the Ikelite housing. It is extra. You need adapter made by Ikelite 9306.80. It is different from the Inon adapter made for Fuji housings.

Here's the link:
http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/camfujichart.html

 

[sipadiver]

The original housing, WP-FXF30 for F30/F31fd, works pretty well for me:
Amazon.com: Fuji WP-FXF30 Underwater Housing for Fuji F30 Digital Camera: Camera & Photo


.

Hi,

sorry to jump into this old thread. but just a question. I just got the F31 and underwater housing today - and I'm heading off to dive at Dayang Malaysia this afternoon - I live in Singapore.

What sort of precautions should I take for the camera since this will be its first dip into the water.