strobe arms and placement

[DavidHickey]

Ok, really dumb question from a newby want to be photographer. I have a Fuji E900 camera with an Ikelite housing. I just purchased a Inon D2000 strobe for it with an ultralight tray and arms. I got an 8 inch and a 3" arm. I've never dealt with strobes before is it best to have the longer or shorter arm mounted to the Tray grip? I currently have the longer arm attached to the grip. Just feels kinda bulky and seems like it would be hard change positions. Or does it get easier in the water because of the bouyancy of the strobe and camera? Any suggestions or maybe even sites that offer advice on strobes would be appreciated.
Thanks
David

 

[Warren_L]

I would suggest using both arm segments. If you're shooting wide angle shots, you're going to want your strobe to be a decent distance off the camera body. With the 8" and 3" inch arm segment, and the length of 3 knuckles (one at the strobe, one between the two arms, and one at the housing tray) total extension is going to be about 15-16" or so. And when you're shooting macro, you want to be able to reposition it to various places, and having 2 arm segments is going to give you more flexibility than one.

How your camera rig feels on land is not relevant compared to how it feels in water, as chances are, your setup will be much closer to neutral than you would think by holding your rig out of the water. Plus if your strobe and arms are weighty on land, you would only extend and position the strobe and arms while underwater.

 

[gert7to3]

The bulky feeling of your rig will decrease in the water.

Here's a strobe light positioning site Bobof posted a while back:

http://www.kelpfish.net/strobe.swf

 

[tx51210]

The bulky feeling of your rig will decrease in the water.

Here's a strobe light positioning site Bobof posted a while back:

http://www.kelpfish.net/strobe.swf

Great site/schematics, thanks for posting.