Aruba-Strobe or no strobe?

[amajamar]

I think I know what you all are going to say, but I will ask the question anyway!!

I have a Canon A620 with Canon housing and the flash diffuser. I also have a YS-27DX and arm. I have never used the strobe as I got it at the end of dive season.

I am headed to Aruba in two weeks and my question is this:

Based on the relatively good vis and daylight diving, should I bring the strobe or use the flash on the camera? Since I don't have any experience with the strobe, I don't want to spend a lot of my dive time fooling around with improperly exposed shots. Is the learning curve to underwater strobe photography steep?

Should I save the travel weight and fuss of the strobe and live or die(ve) with the internal flash, or should I "suck it up" and lug it along!?

 

[Zeeman]

I'd take the strobe, doesn't take that long to figure it out. You have picture review... if it's nder/overexposed, just change the flash power or aperture on the camera. then retake the shot. Nothing that you wouldn't already do for a photo anyway...

Z...

 

[herman]

No doubt, take the strobe. Even in water as shallow as 10 ft the reds start to fade. The learning curve is not that bad. For practice, set up something at home and shoot photos of it. I prefer an outdoor scene in the late afternoon or early evening. That time does a better job of simulating UW light conditions. Your setting, (Fstop/shutter speed/flash settings) will not be the same as you will use underwater but the relationships between them will be. If your camera has a histogram, turn it on and learn to use it. Take a look at this thread for expamples of the kind of shots I make at home.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwater-photography/214500-help-manual-camera-settings.html

 

[Kukuisa]

It's not all reefs and sand there. Aruba has a number of wrecks. Not all are lying very deep, but shooting inside without external flash makes no sense to me.

-----
R22 (new to this forum)

 

[Larry C]

Remember, don't point your strobe straight at the subject. I think most single strobe users will generally set the strobe directly above the camera, about as high as it will be effective, and point it pretty much straight ahead, so that the bottom edge of the beam lights your subject, but nothing between it and the camera lens. Also, when shooting with a strobe, avoid great expanses of blue water behind the subject for the same reason. You'll tend to get backscatter if there's much particulate in the water.