Diving with new ikelite case and strobe for the first time, have a couple questions

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lnicolep

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8
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Location
Minnesota
# of dives
50 - 99
My husband bought me an Ikelite case and a DS51 strobe for Christmas....I have an older camera, but it works great...it is for my Canon G11. We only go diving once per year so this works well for me. I had a cheaper case that I bought several years ago that does not have a strobe and it has held up well.....it is very basic, so this Ikelite Case is a bit of a step up and the strobe adds a new complexity. I have some basic questions that I would love to get advice on:

1.) I am thinking about buying a pelican case to transport my camera in to and from the boat (also use for traveling to/from Mexico). Any thoughts on this?
2.) Should I buy a red filter?
3.) How and when do you get everything ready for your dive (camera set to go), on the boat, before you board? How do you store between dives?
4.) any other advice that you can offer for someone diving with a strobe for the first time?

Thanks so much for your help!
 
My husband bought me an Ikelite case and a DS51 strobe for Christmas....I have an older camera, but it works great...it is for my Canon G11. We only go diving once per year so this works well for me. I had a cheaper case that I bought several years ago that does not have a strobe and it has held up well.....it is very basic, so this Ikelite Case is a bit of a step up and the strobe adds a new complexity. I have some basic questions that I would love to get advice on:

1.) I am thinking about buying a pelican case to transport my camera in to and from the boat (also use for traveling to/from Mexico). Any thoughts on this?
pelican case too heavy. get a roller bag to transport on aircraft. Be sure it is acceptable size to fit overhead in cabin. It can travel as carry on, n addition to back pack that can be counted as personal bag. At resort simply carry assembled camera to boat.

2.) Should I buy a red filter?
No.. you have a strobe. leave white balance on auto.

3.) How and when do you get everything ready for your dive (camera set to go), on the boat, before you board? How do you store between dives?
in hotel room. between dive/going to dive site/going back to dock have system under your seat or inyour hhands. DO NOT leave in rinse tank with other peoples cameras. It will get damaged for sure. As long as it stays wet no damage from salt will occur. You can give it a quick dip in rinse tank after a dive but do not leave it there.

4.) any other advice that you can offer for someone diving with a strobe for the first time?
take a photo course from a u/w photo instructor who has experience and knows what he/she is doing..if you want to get good results and vastly shorten the learning curve.
You actually have a good system. perfect for macro and fishy images..can easily be upgraded for wide angle by getting dome and strobe with wider angle of coverage(ikelite 160)
Shoot on manual , set ds51 on ttl with attached sync cable.
 
I bought a soft-side cooler that is large enough to carry the camera to and from dive sites, plus you can fill it with water to rinse the camera if necessary. It was a "Polar Bear 24-pack soft cooler" for $55 canadian from amazon. Works great and the insulated soft sides really protect the camera.

In addition to auto-white balance, I recommend shooting raw+jpeg if the camera allows (I don't own a G11, I own a G16 and it allows it). Also I bought a set of really cheap all-plastic white/grey/black 'white balance' cards that I take underwater (the white & the grey cards). Lay them on a convenient spot while shooting and take a shot of them so you can adjust the white balance later (i.e. in Lightroom) if you want.

I also use a Sola1200 on a flex arm as a focus/video/back fill light. I find it really helps the flash and the focus on close-up and macro shots.
 
I bought a soft-side cooler that is large enough to carry the camera to and from dive sites, plus you can fill it with water to rinse the camera if necessary. It was a "Polar Bear 24-pack soft cooler" for $55 canadian from amazon. Works great and the insulated soft sides really protect the camera.

In addition to auto-white balance, I recommend shooting raw+jpeg if the camera allows (I don't own a G11, I own a G16 and it allows it). Also I bought a set of really cheap all-plastic white/grey/black 'white balance' cards that I take underwater (the white & the grey cards). Lay them on a convenient spot while shooting and take a shot of them so you can adjust the white balance later (i.e. in Lightroom) if you want.

I also use a Sola1200 on a flex arm as a focus/video/back fill light. I find it really helps the flash and the focus on close-up and macro shots.
settingwhite balance the way you describe will only work for available light images. No need to do so when using a strobe and have white balance on auto..also would need to reset white balance when ever deph or conditions change using this method.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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