Second Strobe or Focus Light
- Thread starter mjgoodman
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If you are shooting in any form of TTL (either hard wired or optical cable), then the light would still see a preflash from the UW strobe.
If shooting in manual strobe control, with the strobe set to either ignore a preflash or the camera does not even have one, well then the light would be trying to turn off as the strobe fires, and I don't have a clue how fast that would be and if it would leave any effect.
I think if that were the case, would suggest just getting a wide angle light, so that it does not show up as a spot.
Ardy
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My understanding, having seen guys use these things is that they auto off as the flash fires and as it is all done at the speed of light it makes no difference and there will be no hot spots on the photos.
Ardy, thanks...don't use one, but that is nice to know.
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Some thoughts, as a G10 user in the same waters as the OP.
I currently shoot a pair of strobes (YS-110a's) and a focus light (Big Blue 1x5). If I had to give up one light in the conditions I typically dive in, I'd give up a strobe, and keep the focus light. If I had to make the same choice in the more clear conditions that a lot of you dive in, I'd give up the focus light and keep the second strobe.
What I've found, through two years of taking well over 10,000 shots with various failures, is that having the focus light helps me "see" my picture better, making it easier to take a good shot. It reduces focus time on the camera, which makes it easier to get a moving subject, and unless you're taking wide-angle pictures, you can do nice things with a single strobe.
Having the second strobe opens up your lighting options quite a lot ... but for murky conditions, I think a focus light will do more to improve your pictures than a second strobe will.
As for the Nano focus light ... it's not adequate for local conditions ... you can barely see what you're shining it on. Perhaps it'll work better in tropical conditions, but for PNW waters, it's not enough light. Go with something a bit more powerful. I really like the Big Blue 1x5 ... it provides quite a lot of light for $160, and it does shut off for a couple seconds when it detects a flash ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I currently shoot a pair of strobes (YS-110a's) and a focus light (Big Blue 1x5). If I had to give up one light in the conditions I typically dive in, I'd give up a strobe, and keep the focus light. If I had to make the same choice in the more clear conditions that a lot of you dive in, I'd give up the focus light and keep the second strobe.
What I've found, through two years of taking well over 10,000 shots with various failures, is that having the focus light helps me "see" my picture better, making it easier to take a good shot. It reduces focus time on the camera, which makes it easier to get a moving subject, and unless you're taking wide-angle pictures, you can do nice things with a single strobe.
Having the second strobe opens up your lighting options quite a lot ... but for murky conditions, I think a focus light will do more to improve your pictures than a second strobe will.
As for the Nano focus light ... it's not adequate for local conditions ... you can barely see what you're shining it on. Perhaps it'll work better in tropical conditions, but for PNW waters, it's not enough light. Go with something a bit more powerful. I really like the Big Blue 1x5 ... it provides quite a lot of light for $160, and it does shut off for a couple seconds when it detects a flash ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
deeper thoughts
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good info
billgraham
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I do a lot of cave photography (total darkness) and I use a Sartek backup light mounted on a little ultralight arm on top of the housing as a focus light. If you're shooting wide angle, you're going to want two strobes most of the time. Two will give your photos more depth and dimension.
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I would go for a flash that has a built in focus light, personally.
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