S&S YS-D2 with Olympus PT-EP10 housing

[Steyr]

Hi all,

I have an Olympus E-PL5 in the PT-EP10 housing and have been shooting for a couple of years with either no light or a 2500 lumens video light. I've taken what I think are some good shots, but I'm really starting to feel the limitations of weak light. I've finally decided to fork out for a strobe.

I don't really know a lot about strobes, so can someone please sanity check my plans and see if this is a suitable setup.

All I plan to get is a single YS-D2 strobe, an optical cable, and an arm for it. Does the strobe come with an optical cable in the box? If not, is there a standard fitting for optical cables or do I need a specific type for that strobe and my housing? Are there any reasons why that strobe would not be suitable for my camera?

As thanks for any advice, here are a few of my no-strobe photos.

 

[Hoag]

@Steyr, IMHO I think that you will find that once you get a strobe, there will be a bit of a learning curve, but very quickly you will wonder why you waited so long. Strobe placement is critical. It needs to be close enough to the subject to be effective, but far enough away from the camera's lens that you minimize backscatter. Here is an article that might help you get started in understanding strobe placement.

Now, to address your specific concerns. A single strobe is a good start, but eventually, you will likely find that you will want a second strobe. Imagine a swim through. A single strobe would not be able to light up both sides of the swim through. Similarly, on wide angle shots, a single strobe will limit your options and will give a somewhat more directional feel to the light rather than a balanced light. This can be used to achieve a dramatic effect and can give incredible good photos, but if you only have one strobe, then that is your only option. So, do you need two strobes? No, but you will likely soon want a second strobe. (FWIW, I did a trip last October and a strobe had a catastrophic failure on the very first dive of the trip. I did the rest of the trip with a single strobe and got some great shots.)

You ask if there is any reason why that strobe would not be suitable for your camera. The YS-02 can only be triggered fiber optically. This means that your camera flash must fire to activate the strobe. IIRC, the E-PL5 uses an external strobe not a "pop-up" flash. You will need to ensure that this is mounted, that it is turned on.

Finally, you ask about the fiber optic cables. They do not come with the strobe (unless you are buying the strobe second hand and the seller is including them). It is possible to DIY them for a very low cost, but in general, most people will use either Sea&Sea or Nauticam F/O cables.

I hope this helps. Please keep in mind that have been known to make mistakes, so take anything here with a grain of salt and double check what I have said.

 

[Steyr]

Thanks for your reply Hoag. I would love to get two strobes, but limited finances mean I can't get them both immediately.

Yes, I have the flash attachment for my camera, and was expecting to use that to fire the strobe.

Thanks for the link re strobe positioning.

I just learned that the Chinese manufactured YS-D2 is now replaced by the Japanese manufactured YS-D2J... so now I need to wait for that to become available here in Australia (if I want to buy locally).

 

[bvanant]

I think he suggested the D2 not the YS-o2. In any case you will have to buy or make an optical cable for it.
Cheers
Bill

 

[Hoag]

I think he suggested the D2 not the YS-o2. In any case you will have to buy or make an optical cable for it.
Cheers
Bill

My mistake. Thanks for keeping me honest.

 

[Chris Ross]

There's seems to be a few threads floating around on reliability problems with S&S strobes. The new J models are supposed to fix that, but that is not known as yet. The INON s seem to have a good reliability record.

I would suggest the new INON Z330 or failing that a lot of Z-240's are likely tp come up for sale as people upgrade to the new Z330 or retra strobes., Another option that is very compact is the S-2000 INON, smaller and less powerful but cheaper, you could get two to start with maybe?