Pixtreme flash
- Thread starter Izu
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Can't help with this at all, but I would be leary of an external strobe for $100! My guess is that it would have a narrow beam and not be very powerful. Which means you'll be limited to shooting very close to your subject anyway. And the narrow beam means that it may cause hot spots in your frame.
Looking forward to hearing what those who have actually used this set-up think. Can never have too many options!
I don't see it listed on the Strobe Finder, so guessing it isn't hugely popular.
Looking forward to hearing what those who have actually used this set-up think. Can never have too many options!
I don't see it listed on the Strobe Finder, so guessing it isn't hugely popular.
shugar
Contributor
pxtreme has a strobe now????Izu:
i used to have a pixtreme... VERY inexpensive 3MP digital camera with housing = $200
BUT although the housing was sound and the u/w pix acceptable (for a purely recreational purpose) i found the topside quality sucked and the response time was very slow - i ended up losing a lot of opportunities for decent shots.
the housing also offered VERY little in controlling the camera - basically just on/off and the flash
i just checked http://www.snapsights.com/products_pdsc.html (the manufacturers) looks like there's a PX2 now! the housing seems to offer full (or much more) control of the camera and hopefully quality has improved tremendously
if you just want to take photos to have memories of your dives then this one can't be beat for price... and if there are no external strobes, the housing should (it could in the PX1) accept a 3rd party tray-and-arm and a strobe like a S&S YS25 that can be triggered by a fiberoptic cable
hope this is of some use... if you get a PX2 please do post photos, would love to comapre them with my PX1 ones from last year
Jag
ninja edit: just continued browsing the above site... they apparently have a newer product the IC600... i don't know how much this is but at 6MP and macro/ manual settings this looks to be a better purchase overall...
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The PX2 and the new flash have been greatly improved. The flash has 3 preflash settings, 3 power settings and comes with 3 diffusers.
the optional fiber optic cable is a must since without it the cameras internal flash will still create backstatter.
the cheapest and most useful accessory is the lens set which includes a close-up lens ( most useful) a color correction filter and a thirt attachment with only a diffuser.
this is a great camer for folks who want to try UW shooting without much expense but it will not produce results anything close to what a camera with better optics would.
I sell these in Guam. But ebay may be your best bet!
Pixtreame will announce a new camera at DEMA that will blow your socks off for the price
the optional fiber optic cable is a must since without it the cameras internal flash will still create backstatter.
the cheapest and most useful accessory is the lens set which includes a close-up lens ( most useful) a color correction filter and a thirt attachment with only a diffuser.
this is a great camer for folks who want to try UW shooting without much expense but it will not produce results anything close to what a camera with better optics would.
I sell these in Guam. But ebay may be your best bet!
Pixtreame will announce a new camera at DEMA that will blow your socks off for the price
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One note- the downfall of both the camera and strobe is that they only use 2 AAA batteries. this results in slow recycle times and limited use.
buy hey! its a $100 UW camera!
CB
buy hey! its a $100 UW camera!
CB
Mphill9929
Registered
http://www.underwatercameras.com.au/ss-pixtreme-external-flash.html
I believe the flash in question is a housed land based strobe, very similar in appearance to others on the market.
The StrobeFinder does not list any strobes in the housed land based strobe category, including the Nikon SB-800 or the Canon 580EX for instance.
Beyond that, inclusion or exclusion in the StrobeFinder database does not imply quality or lack thereof. If a strobe is not listed, chances are it is due to a lack of published, accessible data.
All specs posted in the database are harvested from literature (online or print) made available to the public by the Strobe Manufacturer.
Thanks, Bob. It's nice to know more about how the Strobe Finder came into existance!
I didn't mean any slur on those not listed
I didn't mean any slur on those not listed
alcina:Thanks, Bob. It's nice to know more about how the Strobe Finder came into existance!
I didn't mean any slur on those not listed
I am so 100% sure you didn't mean to
..........and you didn't.....................and I hope I didn't imply otherwise...........I just took the opportunity explain the basic foundation of the StrobeFinder.
The fundamental responsibility in compiling the data found within the StrobeFinder was to be as objective as possible. To achieve that goal we rely upon the integrity of the manufacturers. They do have better testing equipment than most of us. Unfortunately though their testing procedures may not always be consistent.
Therefore it is always important to restate that comparisons within a strobe manufacturers offerings might be more accurate than attempting to compare say beam angles or Guide Numbers across manufacturing lines.
btw, there are similar strobes to the Pixtreme offering:
http://www.watershotonline.com/products/uw-dsc120.html
http://www.fantasea.com/product_details.asp?id=227
hth,
b
tie
Registered
The Pixtreme, Watershot (UW-DCS120) and Fantasea (Nano) strobes appear to be identical. I noticed ReefPhoto is now stocking the Watershot version. As I see it,
1. A five-second recycle time is quite fast enough for me (faster than my F810's RAW writing time).
2. Guide number of 12 is more powerful than my camera's flash, so should be more than sufficient for macro. My aperture only goes down to f/8 so I can't really use much light. The camera's flash in fact is sufficient for true macro, except it is blocked by the lens port at close distances.
However,
3. I downloaded the manual off Fantasea's site and couldn't figure out how the strobe's output is determined. Does it really have three manual control levels or are these adjustments to some kind of auto-exposure guess? (I think, hopefully the former -- but the manual says "Set the camera lens aperture F value to '2.8' or closest to this value.")
Would a dual setup of these units be a good match for a pure-closeup/macro setup, with a closeup attachment lens? Has anyone tried these? I am very tempted, but the limited manual controls (?) might be a deal-killer. I understand that for wide-angle an Inon or Ikelite would be better, but I currently shoot almost entirely closeups and macro and wouldn't mind compromising wide-angle capabilities.
[Edit: Links to Fantasea's pdf manuals for the housing and strobe.]
Examples:
1. A five-second recycle time is quite fast enough for me (faster than my F810's RAW writing time).
2. Guide number of 12 is more powerful than my camera's flash, so should be more than sufficient for macro. My aperture only goes down to f/8 so I can't really use much light. The camera's flash in fact is sufficient for true macro, except it is blocked by the lens port at close distances.
However,
3. I downloaded the manual off Fantasea's site and couldn't figure out how the strobe's output is determined. Does it really have three manual control levels or are these adjustments to some kind of auto-exposure guess? (I think, hopefully the former -- but the manual says "Set the camera lens aperture F value to '2.8' or closest to this value.")
Would a dual setup of these units be a good match for a pure-closeup/macro setup, with a closeup attachment lens? Has anyone tried these? I am very tempted, but the limited manual controls (?) might be a deal-killer. I understand that for wide-angle an Inon or Ikelite would be better, but I currently shoot almost entirely closeups and macro and wouldn't mind compromising wide-angle capabilities.
[Edit: Links to Fantasea's pdf manuals for the housing and strobe.]
Examples:
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