Underwater flash question

[Rumpan]

Hey,
Been looking around the net and can't find all the info I want. After searching the forums I had more questions than before.

I'm not new to diving but don't have much experience with UWphoto. Bought a Fantasea UWhouse for my Nikon s210 a few months ago and are now looking to my flash, arms etc.

I also have a Nikon SLR but don't want to spend the big amount of money that SLRhouse costs so I'll wait with that a few years.

My issue right now is that I don't know what to choose 100%.

I have Fantasea Line Water Sports Photo Products & Accessories- FS-210 Underwater Housing for Nikon Coolpix S210 Camera and I'm thinking about getting Fantasea Line Water Sports Photo Products & Accessories- Nano Double Pro Set with Fantasea Line Water Sports Photo Products & Accessories- Macro Lens 46 .

Now, after reading on the forum some-one said that two flashes would be better to get, so rather than the focus light the pack comes with should I get a second Nano flash?

Fantasea will realse a new flash, Fantasea Line Water Sports Photo Products & Accessories- Remora Flash , should I wait and get this one instead?
And how much do you think it will cost? (as no price is yet listed on their page)

I dive a lot and will dive even more in a few months when I leave Oz to contiue my traveling and go to New Zealand to wreckdive, but I'm on a rather tight budget.

Thank you for any information!

Rumpan

 

[M_Bipartitus]

I think some of your choice should include your intended use. If you are more into macro, then I would suggest two smaller flashes and a focus light. The focus is critical in macro photography as there is a short depth of field. The focus light lets your camera focus faster and more accurately. Power is not as important since you are close to the subject. If you are more into wide angle shots, the focus light is less important and stronger strobes with a wide angle of coverage would be better. With wide angle stuff you normally have a large depth of field and focus is easier to achieve. Since you tend to be farther away from the subject, it is more important to have a powerful strobe.

I don't have any personal experience with Fantasea's strobes, but an initial read though of the specs indicate that these are a bit weak for an SLR system. The flashes you have listed all look to be slave-only strobes which can be difficult to trigger on some SLR systems. If you are thinking of upgrading your camera housing in the future, consider the Inon D-2000, or Ikelite DS series. These are more powerful and allow for better connections to the camera.

I would guess the Remora would be in the US$350-$450 range, based on the competition.

 

[Rumpan]

Thanks for the respons Bip!

I'm more into macro, at the moment, so the nano will do the job?
The 'kit' on fantasea don't have all I want, the flex arm is made of plastic - so I'm gonna put the same kit together but with arms of alu instead.
Plastic vs. Alu
Do I really need longer than 38 cm/15 inches for macro shooting?

 

[Rumpan]

Ended up ordering a nano flash, nano focus light, two 57cm (22.5 inch) alu arms (put in the order for the 38cm one and Fantasea came back to me saying they stoped selling it and gave me a 10% discount for taking the 57cm one instead) and macrofilter.

Thanks again for the help

 

[kevinl4270]

How do you like the Fantasea flash now that you have used it for a while? I am thinking of buying a similar set-up. Do you use a slave cable and have you had any issues with it. Thanks for the info!