TG-4 w/PT-056: To strobe, or not to strobe...

[pmspaul]

Hello everyone!

This is my first post on the scubaboards, so a little extra info is provided.

My wife and I have been diving since the early 90's. Since starting a family in '03 we have been out of it. Now that both of our boys are old enough to get certified, we are getting back into it. We have our first dive vacation planned for this October in Krabi, Thailand. We do a lot of photography now and would like to be able to get some nice pics on the dive trip of the kids and some of the things we see. We are not expecting pro results and don't want to spend the money (right now) to get housings or setups for any of our DSLR's.

We currently own a TG-4 and plan to buy a PT-056 housing before the trip. I expect most of our diving to be < 60ft. My questions for those in the know are: should we get a strobe for this setup, or will we get reasonable enough results with just the camera and housing? If we go for a strobe, which one? I have been looking at the YS-03 but am out of my depth with underwater photography equipment.

I've seen some great images posted here and online by TG-4 users at various depths, with and without housings strobes, etc. I'd like a setup that can produce decent results, (if we do our part) without being too bulky or expensive.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Skeptic14]

I was asking these same questions about 6 months back. I'd been using a TG-3 while snorkeling and that worked great and liked the idea of just getting a pt-056 case to handle the depth of diving and not having to worry about strobes etc. I ended up getting a tg-4, pt-056, ys-03 package and then added a wide angle lens and am happy with the purchase but others have posted photos that were very good with just the internal flash for macro shots. So it depends on what types of shooting you want to do, but the tg-4 is a nice little compact.

 

[pmspaul]

Thanks for the reply Skeptic. I've seen some of the pictures you've posted, so it is nice to see good results with the setup I am considering. I don't expect to be shooting macro primarily. I am leaning towards getting the strobe. Are you happy with the YS-03 setup? Or are there any others that you would consider now after spending time with it?

Thanks!
-Paul

 

[diver 85]

Skeptic-------good pics for (what) just over a thousand bucks......keep up the good works......I think the OP would do well going that route.......

 

[Skeptic14]

I'm glad I went the route I did, buying what basically is a beginner package. I've never done any real photography above water either, so I have a lot to learn in general. It's fairly compact as a whole even with the fisheye lens which is also good since I'm a new diver that's just starting to get my buoyancy somewhat dialed in.

That said, I am already considering adding a second strobe that's more powerful and versatile since wide angle shooting is what I enjoy. However, even with the single ys-03 right now I'm pretty happy with some of my first close focus wide angle shots.

All total tg-4, ys-03, pt-056 and uwl-04 lens I think was around $1,500. If you could see yourself really continuing with uw photography and not feeling overwhelmed by a strobe with more than an on/off switch at the onset it might make sense to start with a ys-d2 strobe, it's more powerful and more versatile but about twice as expensive as the ys-03.

Of course, skill and technique matter too, my wife took here tg-3 on our recent dives (they were all less than 45 ft) and produced some very good shots without a strobe, case, lens, etc, just the tg-3.

My wife took this at about 18ft depth with just her tg-3:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Gpd6r3][/URL]

At about the same time I took this with my tg-4, ys-03 fired and lens:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Gpnvar][/URL]

My angle is worse, shooting down is a no-no (i'm learning) but the color pops a little better in mine but how much? You decide if you can tell a difference between those. Granted, this was at 18ft, at 40ft I think the difference would be more noticeable.

These next two tell more of the story with strobes. I took both, back to back from roughly the same position, at around 25 ft deep. I turned off my strobe on the first one and turned it back on for the second one. Neither is a great shot because I was a little too far away still and my angle was slightly down. But look at the difference in color.

YS-03 off:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Hu8HGU][/URL]

YS-03 on:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/GpnuGT][/URL]

diver85, thanks I can see improvement in my photos over the past few months, it's exciting when a few things start to click

 

[mattia_v]

Strobes do add a degree of complexity (positioning, power, etc.) to shooting, so if it's shallow dives and lots of sunlight, a red filter will already go a very long way to giving you good photos. But if you want to take a step up, or get good/better pictures when the sun is hiding behind a cloud (or during a night dive), a strobe is your friend. I use one, with a housed Sony RX100, and would like a second for the wideangle stuff, eventually.

 

[pmspaul]

Skeptic, thanks for posting the pics. I think they're turning out great. I appreciate the comparison pics too. It's amazing that the little TG-4 as a "beginner" setup gives such good results. I imagine I'll wind up with the same setup that your are using, minus the wide angle lens to start. I think it will serve me well for what I'll be doing in the near future.

 

[Manneca]

Strobes help immensely. That said, I have some unrequested advice. You really don't say how much diving you've done recently, but diving with children under the age of 14 requires a lot of attention to them. And getting back in the water after a while out requires a lot of attention. On most of my first dives on a trip, I don't dive with a camera at all. I want to make sure all my equipment is working and get a feel for the place I'm diving. Adding a camera can be a huge distraction. I suggest you dive without a camera for at least a couple of days to see how everyone is faring in the water (you may already be planning to do this). Then take the camera in. I'd take it without a strobe at first too, to get used to simply using a camera underwater.

My dive buddy says I'm much too cautious and conservative when it comes to diving.

 

[diver 85]

Skeptic.......you'll not regret adding that 2nd strobe to go with the UWL-04 lens....I think of WA UW photography as cheating......you cannot go wrong....(that's about al I do lately---seems like)

 

[pmspaul]

...diving with children under the age of 14 requires a lot of attention to them. And getting back in the water after a while out requires a lot of attention. On most of my first dives on a trip, I don't dive with a camera at all. I want to make sure all my equipment is working and get a feel for the place I'm diving. Adding a camera can be a huge distraction. I suggest you dive without a camera for at least a couple of days to see how everyone is faring in the water (you may already be planning to do this)...

Manneca, that is certainly worthwhile advice. If all goes to plan, we will be in the water a few times this summer before taking the trip in October. My goal with the camera for the October trip is more to be able to photograph the wife and kids doing their thing underwater and maybe anything they find of interest along the way. I have no plans for this trip to be a photography adventure for me. We've been living as expats in China for the last year and still have at least a two more yet to go. While away we've been doing a "photoaday" documentation of our daily experiences and adventures overseas for our personal memories. My wife also shares them on her social media with family and friends. If I can come away with at least 4 decent pictures of this adventure, it will be mission accomplished.

Thanks for the advice!