Problem with Strobes Ikelite Olympus E3

Hi all,

I just came back from my first trip with my newly acquired Olympus E3 with the Ikelite housing and two Ikelite DS-200 strobes and like Steve2056
I have been having issues with the strobes not firing properly. Sometimes they fire properly some other times they fire after the camera, so images are obviously underexposed. Like Steve, I also have issues with the LED light on the back of the housing that set the power compensation, as sometimes it locks and you have to turn the flash off to start again.
The strobe serials are over 6000.

It gets more interesting. When I used only one strobe, it used to work OK but then after a couple of dives it started firing out of pace continously for both strobes used individually. When I use both strobes with the dual sync cord, both shot fire too late. But when i turn off one of the strobes, the other works fine, so I have been doing all my dives with two strobes but only one working.....

Anyone can help? Is it a Ikelite for Olympu E3 common fault as it also happens to Steve2056?

Many thanks.

Regards

The hotshoe in the E3 housing can be a little finicky as the camera is so tall, leaving a very short clearance between the hotshoe and the top of the case. It's crucial that the hotshoe is pushed onto completely, and that it does not slide out of place when the camera is inserted into the case.

Based on your description it may be a cord problem though... If you have a second sync cord (single or dual) you may try that and see if the problem persists. Also I recommend trying a little bit of tape or similar to secure the hotshoe in place.

As always, we are more than happy to evaluate your housing back and sync cord and correct any problems.

Regards,
Jean / Ikelite
IKELITE Underwater Systems

Hi Jean,

Many thanks for you quick reply.

I have tried playing around with the hot shoe, even without the front of the housing and it hasn't change anything.

I have also tried three different single cords and the double sync cord and nothing improves. The only way i got it to work properly (only one strobe) is to use two strobes with the double sync cord, with one of the strobes off. If i switch the second strobe, both fire but out of pace.

Do you have any more ideas that might work?

Many thanks.

Kind regards,

Pelayo

I am sorry, I just noticed that you said you were using DS200 Substrobes. If you refer to the instruction manual for the E3 housing, DS200 strobes below SN#7163 require an update to operate properly with TTL in the housing.

I apologize this information hasn't been included on the website. It is the same update required for the D2X iTTL adapter:
SubStrobe Requirements for Ikelite D2X TTL Adapter

Regards,
Jean / Ikelite
IKELITE Underwater Systems

Dear Jean,

Many thanks for your message.

I just have been through the Ikelite for Olympus E3 manual and it states that Ikelite Ds-200 strobes below #6499 (not #7163) require an update to operate properly. Can you confirm this for me please?

Kind regards,

Pelayo

OK, I've confirmed that our print instructions were not updated properly. 7163 is the correct serial number. I really apologize for the incorrect information, confusion and inconvenience....

Regards,
Jean / Ikelite
IKELITE Underwater Systems

Dear Jean,

Many thanks for your message.

I am very happy to finally have an explanation for the flash weird behaviour, yupiee!

However, I am also a little bit annoyed that It was all because the manual printing error... I acquired the camera and housing early this year and after reading the manual and checking that the strobes serial needed to be over #6500 I also acquired the two DS-200 second hand with serials around #6700. I am a marine biology PhD student and I have been saving for over 4 years for this set up and I got it because I had a field trip to Indonesia during March/April this year.

I just came back from the field trip. Can you imagine how disappointed/upset/angry I was when I took the kit for the first dive in Indonesia three weeks ago and it did not work? Finally after a couple of dives I got one flash to work, but carrying both strobes
I use this set up to take coral and ascidian photos that I need to ID, so you can image the importance of having the right light. In the end it worked out Ok as somehow i got one strobe to work but it could have ended in total disaster...

What could we do now?

Kind regards and many thanks again for your help,

Pelayo

With hundreds of possible camera and flash combinations supported, every once in a while something slips past us. I would be happy to upgrade your strobes at no charge if you return them along with a copy of this thread.

Regards,
Jean / Ikelite
IKELITE Underwater Systems

Hi there,

I sent you a private message.

Hopefully we can sort this out.

Regards

Ikelite Staff:

The hotshoe in the E3 housing can be a little finicky as the camera is so tall, leaving a very short clearance between the hotshoe and the top of the case. It's crucial that the hotshoe is pushed onto completely, and that it does not slide out of place when the camera is inserted into the case.
IKELITE Underwater Systems

Click to expand...

The hotshoe connector does come very close to the top of the housing and is very, very easily dislodged causing all sorts of problems which include the misoperation of the flash control LEDs on the rear. I carefully filed down to top of the connector to give another 2mm of clearance and then made up a spacer from a piece of 10mm diameter PVC tube. This spacer slides over the cable and wedges between the back of the housing and the back of the connector. When the tripod socket fixing screw pulls the camera in place the spacer is pressed gently in place and holds the connector firmly. So far all works fine.

Steve