D80 Strobe Set-up and Housing

[tortuga diver]

I'm looking for recommendations for a strobe set-up to go with my D80 and Ikelite housing. Also is it important that the set-up be iTTL compatable?
Your inputs are appreciated.

 

[fisheyeview]

Since you are using an Ikelite housing I would go with Ikelite strobes. The DS125's are great strobes. As far as I know, the only way to get TTL with the Ikelite housing is to use Ikelite strobes.

 

[tortuga diver]

I was leaning toward Ikelite because of the housing and Ittl compatibility. Then I read a post in the Nikon niche about trouble syncing between non-Nikon strobes and the Nikon Camera.

 

[fisheyeview]

I was leaning toward Ikelite because of the housing and Ittl compatibility. Then I read a post in the Nikon niche about trouble syncing between non-Nikon strobes and the Nikon Camera.

Hmm, sounds like a question for the gang at Reef Photo. They are an Ikelite dealer, and I use them a lot. Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros

 

[Warren_L]

I would stick with the Ike strobes if you want TTL with your D80. The DS-125s are excellent strobes and should provide full iTTL support. I used to use TTL on occasion, but it's not something I use anymore. I found that for me, it worked well some of the time and not so well other times, so I just stick with manual control.

 

[tortuga diver]

Thanks , I'm wondering whether it might be more useful to ignore the ittl and just go with a manual setup. Also, don't know if you're familiar but looking at the single arm/strobe DS125 system 7544.77 for manual or 7544.75 for sync cord. The manual setup is $50 more. Is it worth the extra? Is there an advantage to going manual over a sync cord? thoughts?
And, I know what Ittl stands for but can you tell me what it does?

 

[tortuga diver]

One more thought... Considering the discussion about high speed sync issueswith nikon and ikelite (as being discussed in the Niche section). Is there a better strobe set-up than the DS-125?

 

[Warren_L]

Thanks , I'm wondering whether it might be more useful to ignore the ittl and just go with a manual setup. Also, don't know if you're familiar but looking at the single arm/strobe DS125 system 7544.77 for manual or 7544.75 for sync cord. The manual setup is $50 more. Is it worth the extra? Is there an advantage to going manual over a sync cord? thoughts?
And, I know what Ittl stands for but can you tell me what it does?

I'm not sure what you mean by manual vs. sync cord? A sync cord is just a wired connection between your strobes and your camera, which you can use in either TTL or manual mode.

If you have a slave sensor which relies on an onboard flash, that will generally be manual mode since there is no direct signal back to the camera to quench the output of the strobes at the right moment. For the D80, you want a sync cord connection as you cannot really rely on the onboard flash to trigger your strobes.

As far as your high speed sync question is concerned, I'm not aware of any issues, at least as far as my setup is concerned (Nikon D200 and twin Ikelite DS-125s running manual mode). I have shot at maximum sync without any issues.

Keep in mind that shooting high speed sync may not be something that you need to do too often - for me, I tend to shoot at relatively slow shutter speeds for the type of photography I do - which is wreck photography in lower viz, cold water conditions, so my shutter speeds are usually around 1/30th sec or slower (sometimes as slow as 1/8th sec). When I am shooting in clearer waters, I rarely need to go that fast with the shutter. For macro, I tend to stop down the aperature (f/11 - f/16 or thereabouts) and shoot within the proper sync speed range.

 

[tortuga diver]

Thanks again Warren, I visited your site. Incredible setup... I'm jeolous of the rebreather.... Excellent Pics.