DS-51 Strobe Issues

I have recently encountered an issue with my strobe firing. The strobe still fires but it appears to happen before or after the shutter from the camera (can't quite tell because it is so quick) because the shots have no light from the flash.

It was very strange because i used it on the first dive for the day then a hour surface interval then on the second dive the problem occured. I've check all camera functions incase I bumped some flash settings but got nothing.

If anyone can shed some light on this (exuse the pun) for ideas to fix or if anyone else has had the same issue.

Cheers
Bowlesy

Happy Diving

Reduce you aperture and decrease your speed on the camera take the picture in a dark room. This may help you determine if it is firing late. I am wondering if you have moisture / water in the strobe cable or strobe it's self causing the problem?

I am sure that Ikelite will have a better recommendation for you.

Bowlesy,

It is possible that the strobe is firing on the pre-flash only, or firing fully on the pre-flash which means that there is no energy left for the main flash. This can occur when there is a disruption in the communication between the camera and strobe such as a break in the cord, moisture bridging contact points, or an electronics issue in the strobe or housing.

If you are using a DSLR housing, make sure the housing hotshoe is pushed all the way forward on the camera and there are no stuck pins in the hotshoe. Also, make sure the camera's flash mode is not in a slave setting.

Check the cord ends and housing/strobe bulkheads to make sure no pins have been pushed down into the bulkhead grommets.

Taking pictures in a darkened room is a good way to check flash operation, as Bill said.

If you cannot narrow down the problem, send the housing, strobe, and cord to Ikelite for evaluation. Send to:

Ikelite Underwater Systems
Attn. Service Dept.
50 W. 33rd St.
Indpls., IN 46208

Normal turnaround time is approximately 2-3 weeks.

Regards,