Inexpensive strobe for Canon S100 system

[rickthompson]

I have a Canon S100 and Ikelite housing and am trying to just start out in u/w photography. I'm a fairly confident photographer on land and I choose the S100 as a cheaper alternative to getting a u/w setup for my dslr. I was looking at Ikelite's AF-35 but heard some bad things about it. I don't have much experience with artificial lighting so I'm hoping some of you will be able to give me some advice. Also, since the S100 obviously doesn't have a sync port or hot shoe, is the external strobe just syncing via slave? Would the initial on camera flash cause any negative effect on the image (backscatter?). Also, I'm hoping to find a strobe that is good enough that I'll still be able to use (and want to use) once I hopefully become a better photographer and maybe upgrade and get a housing for my dslr.

 

[Ardy]

Cameras and housings come and go the flashes live for many years. I just got rid of an old SnS 50 on ebay for $50 and I had it for more than 10 years.

If you want to start with flash and don't want to invest get yourself an old SnS they are just about bullet proof you can flood the battery compartment and it survives as I did, I dived with it for 3 years before I realised there was another click to fully lock the back. You can rig up an optical cable and blank off the old cable as I did. For less than $100 you have a flash, learning in manual will teach you a lot about flash work. It ain't easy but the results are more than worth the effort.

 

[flareside]

Inexpensive strobe ?

There are good ones and there are cheap ones but there is no such thing as an inexpensive one (other than used ones but even those can still be pricey). The good ones will last you forever and the cheap ones are poor investment. If you want new, consider the Inon S-2000 or the S&S YS-01. Both of these are at the low end of the good strobes and are solid investments. Both also require an optical connection cable.

For an explanation of the internal flash masking ref: INON Technical Guide [Clear Photo System]. With the pop-up flash of the S100, it is best to stick the masking on the inside surface of the housing rather than trying to attach it to the camera. Ref: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/st...lash-canon-s95-inon-s-2000-a.html#post6238156

 

[mjh]

You have a Very capable camera and the others are 100% right about strobes and cameras. Lighting is really what makes the difference!!!!!! You could argue better to save money on a housing then lighting. In fact you may want to consider buying the strobe that you would want to pair with your "next" housing. Go with the best strobe your budget can handle. Here is a very basic primer on strobe positioning.

http://opticaloceansales.com/files/Strobe Positioning-sm.pdf

 

[rickthompson]

So I have the Ikelite housing for the S100 (Underwater Housing for Canon Digital Cameras) and I'm a little confused on how the optical cables work for slaving the strobe. I was looking at Inon's optical cable package (INON Optical D Cable Type L / Cap Set) and can see there are multiple options as far as attaching it to the housing. It appears that some housings have ports you can attach the cable to, while others might just attach to the diffuser on the housing. My housing doesn't appear to have any sort of ports near where the built in flash is, so would I have to go the route of attaching the optical cable to the diffuser?

 

[Interceptor121]

You need a strobe mask such as what Sea and Sea do Sea & Sea Strobe Mask Set [ss.50109] - $35.00 : Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros
The inon set only works with Inon lens adapter I guess in this case you have a 67mm so that does not apply
What strobe have you got?

 

[rickthompson]

I don't have any strobe, I'm trying to find one that will be compatable with my Ikelite housing for S100...

 

[Interceptor121]

At the bottom of the sea and sea range the YS 02 is a good manual strobe. Will require either the mask set I mentioned or something like a 10bar sticky patch
The sea and sea mask can be tailored to any housing the 10bar or the inon ones need checking at the shop as might not stick

 

[mjh]

Just about any strobe will work as long as it can be optically fired. You want a sync cord that has one end which will attach to the outside of your housing directly over where the camera flash sticks up. Usually this is done with a sticky velcro system, see links. Once it is in place you can simply use black electrical tape to Mask the inside of the housing so the light from the camera flash does not cause backscatter. Hope that helps.

Sync Cord for a Sea&Sea type strobe:
10Bar Sea & Sea 2M F/O Sync Cord - Sync Cords - Strobes & Accessories - Optical Ocean Sales Underwater Photo - 800-359-1295!

Sync Cord for an Inon type:
Inon 2M F/O Sync Cord - Sync Cords - Strobes & Accessories - Optical Ocean Sales Underwater Photo - 800-359-1295!

 

[Indigo Scuba Africa]

Hello!

I am using a Canon S95 with Ikelite housing, with Sea and Sea YS17 (yep!) strobe, optical fibre cable connected to the housing with a Sea&Sea Mask Set. It works just fine. I haven't put any tape on the inside of the housing and don't need to (I also don't use the diffusers provided with the housing).

And before anyone comments about the strobe I am looking to upgrade, which is why I am following this thread!

Enjoy your camera! Hoping for some more strobe suggestions....