Sea&Sea YS-60/90/120 flashes for E-PL5? (or any other cost-efficient TTL solution)

[tamas970]

Are these flashes good/working in TTL with an E-PL5 (or E-PL3)?
I saw recently a few of them on ebay, quite reasonably priced.

 

[BoltSnap]

How are you going to connect these strobes to the housing? They don't work with the fiber optic cable. I have the YS-30 and it is a pain the neck to get it to work as a slave to a YS-110 strobe. It doesn't fire most of the time.

It is made worse by the "pre-flash" from the Digital camera. The YS-30 fires on the pre-flash and not on the "real" flash so your pic comes out black.


The only way for these older strobes to work if you connect them via synch cord (not fiber optic cable) to the DSLR housing. And even if you do, I believe that the would only work in manual not TTL. The 60 and 90 will always fire full power since they don't have adjustment knob like the 120 does (IIRC).

The summary of it, I wouldn't bother buying them.

 

[tamas970]

Thanks for the advice! I did a little research in the meantime (a bit time & internet speed constrained though, I am on a diving holiday in Gran Canaria )

I found this comparison sheet:

Underwater Strobe Comparison Guide - Digital Diver Network -> Interesting, a lot of "good and powerful" flashes don't support the pre-flash.

However, I found this nice hot-shoe adapter:

DiverVision Hot-shoe Converter for Olympus TTL #DV-OLYTTLC

Costs 115$ and allows the YS-60 to connect via the hot shoe. The big question of compatibility remains, can I use such an adapter with a 10bar or nauticam housing for olympus PEN-s? Or at least with the PT-EP10? Can I duplicate the sync cord for 2 strobes?

...
The summary of it, I wouldn't bother buying them.

Edit: an other, interesting option is to use video lights (candidates: 2 Aqualite 90's):
http://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-techniques/article/still-photography-continuous-lighting/

 

[BoltSnap]

I have been looking at U/W photos where the photographer used video lights in place of strobes the last few days and although they seem to be good but I just get the feeling something is "wrong" with these photographs. Something about the LED light that doesn't feel right to me. Is it that it has too much "blue" in it or something else, I don't know.

 

[tamas970]

Colors can be/should be sorted out easily by either an orange filter or custom WB. The size/weight of these flashlights is also tempting...

Question is how critters (from the few mm nudi to a blue whale) react if you turn on a 2000+Lumen light... I guess I should post that question in the videography section .

I have been looking at U/W photos where the photographer used video lights in place of strobes the last few days and although they seem to be good but I just get the feeling something is "wrong" with these photographs. Something about the LED light that doesn't feel right to me. Is it that it has too much "blue" in it or something else, I don't know.

 

[BoltSnap]

The other big question mark around the use of LED lights in place of strobes I read was that these LED have about 60 minute run time on full power. Something that doesn't sound great for a 2 - 3 dive day.

I suppose that the "something is not quiet right" feeling about these photos can always be sorted out in Lightroom

The article in the link you provided talks about using two of the 4000 lumen video lights. They cost around $1500.00 each. for around $1200 you can get two of the new powerful S&S strobes.

Colors can be/should be sorted out easily by either an orange filter or custom WB. The size/weight of these flashlights is also tempting...

Question is how critters (from the few mm nudi to a blue whale) react if you turn on a 2000+Lumen light... I guess I should post that question in the videography section .

 

[tamas970]

That's right, the linked site talks about superexpensive lights - while you can buy simple 600Lumen diving lights for 70 bucks each: put four of them together, then you have plenty of light for ~300$ and you can shoot video - which you cannot with strobes.
Black Scuba Diving 44 LED Dive Camera Video Flash Light 40 meter Torch - UK Ship | eBay

The article in the link you provided talks about using two of the 4000 lumen video lights. They cost around $1500.00 each. for around $1200 you can get two of the new powerful S&S strobes.

 

[DSR-3]

I use 2 YS-90's with an E-PL1, using a HW Digital Adapter My final price for the strobes (Cragslist) was so low I could not resist, and I'm quite happy with everything. Unfortunately, I have only made 2 trips with this setup- the first only days after assembling it, the second 1 year later without touching it in-between. I tried working on possible TTL operation for a total of about 10 shots, but got some poor results, and gave up. Not because I don't think it will work, but the manual operation using Full & Half power settings on the strobes was working great, and the subjects to shoot ware just too good to miss. Pretty much all of the shots I have taken have been full manual, 1/2 power on the strobes.
Images from my to trips (both to Anilao)
Anilao 2011

Anilao 2012

 

[tamas970]

Thanks for the feedback!

An other solution crossed my mind: 2 FL36R or FL300R in otterbox cases, fired through optical cables:

Flickr: Discussing Fibre optic cable to trigger Nikon CLS underwater? (camera on the surface) in Strobist.com

I use 2 YS-90's with an E-PL1, using a HW Digital Adapter My final price for the strobes (Cragslist) was so low I could not resist, and I'm quite happy with everything. Unfortunately, I have only made 2 trips with this setup- the first only days after assembling it, the second 1 year later without touching it in-between. I tried working on possible TTL operation for a total of about 10 shots, but got some poor results, and gave up. Not because I don't think it will work, but the manual operation using Full & Half power settings on the strobes was working great, and the subjects to shoot ware just too good to miss. Pretty much all of the shots I have taken have been full manual, 1/2 power on the strobes.
Images from my to trips (both to Anilao)
Anilao 2011
Anilao 2012

 

[BoltSnap]

Did you make the cradle that is holding the adapter or did it come with the adapter?

I use 2 YS-90's with an E-PL1, using a HW Digital Adapter My final price for the strobes (Cragslist) was so low I could not resist, and I'm quite happy with everything. Unfortunately, I have only made 2 trips with this setup- the first only days after assembling it, the second 1 year later without touching it in-between. I tried working on possible TTL operation for a total of about 10 shots, but got some poor results, and gave up. Not because I don't think it will work, but the manual operation using Full & Half power settings on the strobes was working great, and the subjects to shoot ware just too good to miss. Pretty much all of the shots I have taken have been full manual, 1/2 power on the strobes.
Images from my to trips (both to Anilao)
Anilao 2011

Anilao 2012