Sea&Sea TTL vs Ikelite and other newbie questions

[PriusDrIVER]

Alright, so I am trying to merge my hobbies of photography and diving. I mean, I have such economical hobbies it is good to merge them. Cheap diving gear and cheap camera stuff galore, my significant other just loves it! Ok, perhaps none of it is cheap...but then neither is the r/c heli hobby.

So, I was strongly leaning towards going for the P&S camera in a housing to get comfortable with and then upgrading with a housing for my existing dSLR at a later time. My thoughts were to invest in strobes now that will grow with me, not something to toss or sell for a big loss to upgrade later. Same reason I bought high quality dive gear to begin with, buy right and buy once.

With that said, I had purchased a Sea&Sea setup with dual YS-110 strobes with arms and all needed to attach them to a Canon P&S housing...then things go wrong. I found a good deal on a housing from an old friend for my 20D, but its Ikelite and has a built in TTL converter. I too was tempted to upgrade to a 40D, but I don't need the bling as much as he does.

Now to the actual question, will a YS-110 setup from Sea&Sea play nicely with the TTL from a Ikelite? Or do I need to push the issue with the dive shop on returning the YS-110 setup that they didn't have in stock when I "bought" it to take advantage of a big sale? I couldn't seem to find anything that says if the TTL between these setups is compatible, but it appears that its proprietary to each brand.

I know I'll be happier with a dSLR, and if I can get into a housing and lens port for only slightly more than a new P&S + housing then its a no brainer.

Help!?!

 

[PriusDrIVER]

Ok, I spent more time with Google and elsewhere and it seems my fears are somewhat confirmed. They are each proprietary, I guess its a way to force you into buying everything from a single vendor. I guess they are afraid of competition, I mean I can mix different brands of glass and flashes on my camera in the dry...but as soon as you want to get wet, if you want TTL its all proprietary along with ports, etc.

So, is it fact that if I want TTL and have a Ikelite housing I have to buy Ikelite strobes? Thats going to up the price a bit, but I guess if I look at the price for a Sea&Sea housing then it all evens out.

Ugh, why can't they play nicely with each other. The dive shop states that they charge a 20% re-stock fee and for in store credit only. I don't think they carry Ikelite, so this could test our relationship.

 

[scubapatton]

I have had to research the same thing. And I found the same answer. What kills me is that Canon makes the cameras AND the housing, but does not allow easy compatibility with strobes and filters if you opt for the Canon housing. I am going Ikelite housing, Ikelite DS-125 strobe. All TTL and no compat. issues.

I would probably get the shop to waive some of the re-stock fee if possible. You can always apply the credit to some non-camera dive gear...

Have fun with your camera though!

 

[PriusDrIVER]

Thanks for the info. I stopped by the shop today, they will work with me. They were able to confirm that it wasn't compatible, but are much bigger fans of Sea&Sea strobes even though they are a dealer for the other brands.

The big thing I don't like about the DS-125 is, well, its big and bulky...and tests show the YS-110 is just as bright in a lot smaller/lighter package. The DS-125 is also spendy, I can get 2 YS-110 for the price of a single DS-125....with the money saved, I can buy a Sea&Sea TTL converter.

Now the challenge is converting the Ike housing to support a TTL converter from another company, such as Sea&Sea. I'm not sure if it would require changing bulk heads or just removing the Ike circuitry and having the housing just transfer the hot shoe to the outside for the other TTL converter.

Its only money, right?

 

[randini]

I think I recall reading smoewhere that the guys at reef photo LINK can do "special" projects like this using the H-W eTTL adapter & bulkhead by HeinrichsWeikamp (LINK), but don't hold me to it.

 

[scubapatton]

You can't take it with you, and make the kids earn theirs...

I like the Sea&Sea a lot for pricing and such as well. The DS125 is bulky, but what I have read and heard is that they are hard to beat. 1 sec cycle time, the life of a charge on the proprietary batteries go a while, and the non-compat issue being nil... The housing also is much pricier. I am looking at the Canon G9. The Canon housing is ~200, while the Ikelite is ~600. Ikelite is still building the G9 housing, but I am HOPING (and have heard rumors) that they may set it up so that a flat port is not needed on it to add the WA lens. If that is the case, I am going hands down with Ikelite. The other option for me is to go Canon housing, Sea&Sea 110 strobe and just use the fiber-optic option for connectivity.

 

[PriusDrIVER]

randini, thanks for the links. I tried to get in touch with Reef earlier today but wasn't able to talk to anyone that could discuss options for this housing.

I am guessing all I really need is to modify the housing such that the hotshoe passes directly to the bulk head as it would on a Sea&Sea housing...then the Sea&Sea eTTL converter would work just like on their housing. Does anyone have a wiring diagram for Sea&Sea housings? I can't imagine its overly difficult, since its just passing a connection to the TTL converter.

I dunno, I will hopefully hear back from Reef soon enough.

I have read that the Ikelite strobes are ok, but I am still hesitant. I would be pretty upset if I missed photos due to dead batteries in a strobe and not having spares...and I don't see any reason to invest in more batteries that have limited lifespans. I have enough camera gear to travel with, I don't need to add more batteries and chargers to the mix.

Cost isn't an issue, as $800 each for DS-125s vs $1000 for 2 YS-110 leaves me $600 for TTL converters. It just seems that the Sea&Sea strobes are higher tech, more compact and just as bright. Size isn't a primary concern, but it is something to be considered. I don't have the most streamlined setup as is, diving with a pony, argon for the dry suit and other safety gear...add 2 honking strobes and I'll get even more of a work out

 

[alcina]

The other thing is you don't actually NEED ttl

 

[PriusDrIVER]

The other thing is you don't actually NEED ttl

That is another thing I am wondering about. I haven't worked much with manual flash exposure, but I would imagine that its not rocket science. It seems a lot of people talk about TTL for macro shots, but I would think macro may be the easiest shot to expose manually. The distance to your subject is pretty similar every time in macro, and that distance is heavily dependent on the working distance lens you are using. I would imagine you wouldn't have to make too many adjustments from composition to composition...but then again, I've never done it.

 

[alcina]

Try it, you'll like it I never use ttl so you're right, manual isn't rocket science. It can be a bit of trial and correction, but it usually doesn't take too long to figure out if you've way overexposed or way underexposed.

I know people think it's a lot of futzing about while you're underwater, but once you get the hang of it, it's not a drama at all.

Personally, I think the word "manual" just freaks people out.

Especially with digital there's no problem for most to shoot manual everything because things can be tweaked on the spot. In the film days manual was a bit tougher coz you didn't know if you screwed up, but now, a couple of test shots when you descend and Bob's you Uncle, you're ready to roll.