Do I really need a $500 strobe?

[Larry C]

No, you don't NEED a $500 strobe. Frankly, you don't NEED to take pictures underwater. Many salient points have already been made. I'll add my two cents. I started with a P&S (SP-350) using the built in flash. Gaaaak! In the green Monterey water, I got underexposed pictures covered with little white blobs (major backscatter). I managed a couple of decent pics using my dive light, but generally, they were blurred, green and backscattered. Scored a great price on a cheap strobe-Oly FL-20 and housing for about $200. Wow-ttl for $200. GREATLY improved my photography, but frustrating-blown out pictures because the weak, narrow beamed strobe was too close. Underlit pics because it was too far away. As long as I took fish portraits, with rock backgrounds, from 18" I got great pictures. Everything else sucked. Added a cheapie Sunpak slave strobe for another $179. Wow! Great pictures, when the sync worked, when the optical slave worked, when the strobe wasn't flooded or didn't just quit. It's been replaced twice now. Once again it doesn't work. Finally broke down and spent the big bucks. Bought a HW ttl converter and YS-110 with a hardwired electrical cable. Now my only lighting issues are from my own inexperience in strobe placement and the limitation of one strobe. Finally, a second YS-110 that my wife just got me for my birthday. OK, I now have $1500 worth of lighting on a $500 camera/housing set-up. Did I NEED it? Absolutely. Could I have saved $500 and a year's worth of frustration by starting out with better lighting? You be the judge.

 

[clgsamson]

nice story Larry

 

[kapula]

Welcome to the board!
Most propably everything is already said but let me add my opinion. I didn't have an external strobe for good three years. Got some decent shots though. But then again I dived only tropical waters. You can check my photos listed in my signature. Only flickr shots have been taken with an external strobe. You can get good results with manual white balance if you have enough light (that is clear water and don't dive deeper than 15m or so). The deeper you go the less color you'll have as light won't penetrate water.

BTW does your signature point to your profession? If so welcome again fellow trader

 

[Diver Dennis]

Nicely said Larry. I bought 2 Ikelite DS-125s when I started U/W photography about 18 months ago and after almost 500 dives they still work great. They are built to take abuse. I plan to use them for at least another 500 dives so the cost per dive is well worth it for me.

 

[Warren_L]

Yeah, I went with dual DS-125s from the first day I got my dSLR setup and haven't had any issues since. Mine have taken quite a beating too, but they work great.

 

[ce4jesus]

"Bought a HW ttl converter and YS-110 with a hardwired electrical cable. Now my only lighting issues are from my own inexperience in strobe placement and the limitation of one strobe. Finally, a second YS-110 that my wife just got me for my birthday. " :11:

No wonder Larry is smiling in his Avatar

Nice coup larry. The dual 110 setup!

BTW - I just learned the official dates of the meeting are falling on 15th-17th. I'll probably do and afternoon solo dive in the park Thursday morning at Catalina but have to head home on Friday.

 

[azcaddman]

Heh, my version is "how many $500 strobes do I need" (currently 3 ss-200's, could have used a 4th last trip).

Art

 

[alo100]

Welcome to the board.
In short, yea you do if you want to take colorful photos in water more than a couple of meters deep. The internal flash on some cameras will do a good job on some macro shots but otherwise they cause more problems than they solve.
There are $200 strobes but the question is will you be happy with their performance. The less expensive strobes don't provide a lot of the functions I feel are necessary, variable power setting for example. They are also lacking in output power and beam angle. UW lights do not provide to necessary light to be very much use in photography. High power HID lights have some use in macro photography but even they are limited in use.

Can you elaborate more about the usage of high power HID such as:
http://www.salvodiving.com/video_lights
with video reflector
http://www.salvodiving.com/inc/sdetail/1462

After two decent strobes, such as Inon Z240 or DS-125 and so on,
if we decide to go for shooting video also, it means there will be another video light.
Then if it is a nigh dive another flash light with 2 backup's....

The whole story about using strobes and focus light is because of lacking sun light,
if a single big video light, say 24w to 30w can light up the environment, would it then solve the photography, shooting video, + night dive illumination issue?

Is it because of the angle coverage/output power comparing to the strobes?

 

[jghflash]

Depending on the camera, you don't NEED an external flash to to shoot "good" pictures. You do need to pay attention to the distance to your subject because the internal flash will have it's limits. I did about 80 dives with my Oly 5060 using only the internal flash (all the shots in my gallery) and learned a lot about how to make the camera work.

I've now got 30 dives with an Inon D180 and am learning all over again.....but it's worth it. You have the ability to do a lot more with the external flash but it does add to the task loading on your dives. getting up front or later is just a choice of cubic dollars. If you go silly over photography like most folks here, it's only a matter of time! Good luck.

 

[alo100]

Depending on the camera, you don't NEED an external flash to to shoot "good" pictures. You do need to pay attention to the distance to your subject because the internal flash will have it's limits. I did about 80 dives with my Oly 5060 using only the internal flash (all the shots in my gallery) and learned a lot about how to make the camera work.

I've now got 30 dives with an Inon D180 and am learning all over again.....but it's worth it. You have the ability to do a lot more with the external flash but it does add to the task loading on your dives. getting up front or later is just a choice of cubic dollars. If you go silly over photography like most folks here, it's only a matter of time! Good luck.

I guess after the Inon WA, the internal flash and search light could be blocked and it falls naturally to the next step.

Thanks for the all info from this thread.