Basic questions

[Deefstes]

Hi all, I've got some questions on strobes and I was hoping I could just get all of them (or the most at least) answered by the forumites.

I don't know the first thing about strobes but I know a fair bit of photography (topside). I do get the impression that those who use them get better results than those who don't - so I want one

1. I see the terms "flash" and "strobe" being bandied about. Are they the same thing? If not, what is the difference and what should I be looking at?

2. What are the important attributes of a strobe/flash that one should consider before buying? I can imagine the brightness and battery life would be important aspects? How is it typically measured?

3. I have a FujiFilm F30 camera and a FujiFilm WP-FXF30 Underwater Casing. The casing has a screw thread at the bottom so I would imagine that an arm for an external strobe can be screwed in there. How does the flash signal get from the camera to the strobe though? I mean, there is no provision for cabling (optical or electronic) through the casing.

4. Are there any particular strobes that you could recommend?

5. I will be in the States in May of this year (looking forward to some diving in the Florida Keys inter alia) and I can imagine that I'd get a better price there than I would here. Could anyone point me towards a good online shop that would deliver to New Orleans?

Thanks in advance.

 

[fisheyeview]

1. Most people use the word flash when referring to the internal flash in the camera. A strobe is an external flash.
2. It depends on how much you will be using it, and what type of photography you will be doing. For some people it is the $$$, for some it is the power output (you will need more power if you are shooting super macro at high f-stops), for some it is the coverage area of the strobe (are you shooting super wide-angle, or macro mainly), for some it is the type of light the strobe puts out (strobes temperatures vary, and the light can either be bright or soothing depending on the color temperature).
3. You will probably need to put a mount base on the bottom of the camera. The strobe arms attach to the mount base. If there are no bulkhead connections on your housing where a strobe sync cord can connect then you will have to control the strobe through a fiber optic cable. The strobe will work as a slave to the internal flash in the camera. In other words when you take a picture using the internal flash a diffuser mounted on the outside of the housing blocks the internal flash so that it is picked up through the fiber optic cable which then fires the strobe. The strobe will start and stop with the internal flash.
4. The INON D2000 would be the likely choice. IMO
5. I would try Reef Photo & Video. They are great. www.reefphoto.com

I hope this helps.

Scott

Hi all, I've got some questions on strobes and I was hoping I could just get all of them (or the most at least) answered by the forumites.

I don't know the first thing about strobes but I know a fair bit of photography (topside). I do get the impression that those who use them get better results than those who don't - so I want one

1. I see the terms "flash" and "strobe" being bandied about. Are they the same thing? If not, what is the difference and what should I be looking at?

2. What are the important attributes of a strobe/flash that one should consider before buying? I can imagine the brightness and battery life would be important aspects? How is it typically measured?

3. I have a FujiFilm F30 camera and a FujiFilm WP-FXF30 Underwater Casing. The casing has a screw thread at the bottom so I would imagine that an arm for an external strobe can be screwed in there. How does the flash signal get from the camera to the strobe though? I mean, there is no provision for cabling (optical or electronic) through the casing.

4. Are there any particular strobes that you could recommend?

5. I will be in the States in May of this year (looking forward to some diving in the Florida Keys inter alia) and I can imagine that I'd get a better price there than I would here. Could anyone point me towards a good online shop that would deliver to New Orleans?

Thanks in advance.

 

[AndyT]

Ditto Scott on Reef Photo - I have bought from them and had stuff shipped over here no problem.

I would personally go for an Inon Z 240 - if you eventually move to a dSLR it will be a great match. I fire mine with a fibre optic cable, cost me R 20-00 to make. It's esay enougH to attach it to your housing with a bit of DIY.

 

[Hatul]

That's a nice camera and I miss mine. Had mine stolen in my travels last year. (You did not buy yours from someone in the Middle East used, by any chance?)

One solution is the Ikelite AF35 autoflash, which is totally wireless and detects the camera's flash to fire as a slave. One issue I've encountered with this is that you have to gerry-rig a focus light onto the strobe arm.

Adam

 

[Nemrod]

"Flash" as far as I know is a holdover term from the days of flash bulbs. I had a Nikonos flash bulb unit. It fired these huge bulbs, wow, it was a blast. Nowadays most people use the term "flash" as slang for an electronic strobe.

An electronic strobe has a much, much faster pulse than a flash bulb allwoing it to freeze action and also helps eliminate ghosting etc.

The answer to the OPS question, all else being equal, based simply on my own research that led to a strobe purchase, there is only one choice, the Inon D2000, that is my opinion, nothing more. It has a combination of quality, power, wide area and operating modes coupled with small and compact size that is unmatched.

N

 

[Hatul]

Ditto Scott on Reef Photo - I have bought from them and had stuff shipped over here no problem.

I would personally go for an Inon Z 240 - if you eventually move to a dSLR it will be a great match. I fire mine with a fibre optic cable, cost me R 20-00 to make. It's esay enougH to attach it to your housing with a bit of DIY.

Tha Inon Z 240 does look like a nice flash, though it's quite a bit more expensive than my Ikelite AF35 (more than twice). One nice thing I see in the specs is the focusing light is built into the flash, which means it shows exactly where the flash is aiming. In my flash I can only guess it's aimed right in the center of the field.

Inon Z-240 Strobe Type 3 [ino.512] - $749.00 : Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros

Adam

 

[Deefstes]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all of your help and I think you pretty much answered all of my questions.

*EDIT* Just had a look at the options and... ouch! Seems like I'm looking at roughly twice the price that I paid for my camera AND underwater casing together (and I didn't even buy it second hand or in the Middle East).

 

[fisheyeview]

*EDIT* Just had a look at the options and... ouch! Seems like I'm looking at roughly twice the price that I paid for my camera AND underwater casing together (and I didn't even buy it second hand or in the Middle East).

That is the problem that most people face when looking at their first strobe purchase. STICKER SHOCK!

You have to look at it as an investment. It is something tou can take with you from camera to camera. If you go with the Z240, you will able to use it if you decide to move up to a housed DSLR. It is a tool like anything else.

 

[Nemrod]

Many dSLR housing also have optical links for optical syncing. Ikelite does not because they claim that optical cables are "foolishness" on their web page so you will not find optical sync on a dSLR housing from Ikelite as a result but most other quality housings have the feature and it works very well regardless of Ikelite's misinformed opinion. I think you can optically sync the D2000 to the Z240 as a slave as well. Money aside, the Z240 is the most versatile because ti allows hard wire sync. N