Canon S400 Powershot

[Sooner1]

I bought my wife the S400 Powershot for Christmas with the underwater housing. I've been using a Sealife Reefmaster for the last few years. I don't have a strobe and haven't been very successful below 40' with good color pictures. However, that may be my fault. My wife is not a diver but an avid snorkeler and wants to use the Canon for pictures while snorkeling. Just for travel convenience should I ditch the Reefmaster and just use her Canon or is it worth investing in a strobe? Also, I haven't found any strobes for the Canon. I am on a budget and would rather buy 1 strobe if that's all I need. Is that an option with the Canon?

 

[Gilligan]

Here is my

If I am not mistaken your Canon housing has a flash diffuser on it. This should allow you to take good photos at less than 3 feet. However, an external strobe will always enhance the photos but not give you much more distance.
I am a firm believer in knowing ones camera/housing inside and out so as to get the most out of it. This includes using manual F stops and shutter speeds, manual white balance when not using the strobe etc.
An external strobe will cost in the area of $600. You will also need a tray and arm setup for an additional $100 to $200. Your camera/housing will require a slave strobe setup similar to the one I am using on my Olympus camera/housing. I have an Inon D-180 which uses a fiber optic cable to transmit the light from the cameras flash to the strobe. I believe it also will work for your camera/housing. The part that attaches to the housing's flash diffuser is what varies from brand to brand. Check out if one is available for your housing.
Personally, I would master using the camera w/o an external strobe before adding the task loading of the strobe. I used my camera/housing for over a year before adding a strobe.

 

[SimonJ]

Personally I would take things in slow steps. The Canon is a great little camera, and very convenient in size. My first dive trip with my S400 I did not have a strobe but was still very pleased with the results. I have subsequently added a small strobe, which if positioned well and if you are nice and close to your subject makes a difference. IMHO you should start by buying the housing and using it a few times, and then if you really feel a strobe would make a great deal of difference, save up and buy the best one you can afford.