Pavel Kolpakov

Canon R5 II

UWTechnics External TTL converters (for Sony, Canon, Nikon and Olympus) are available in two thread options for Ikelite housings - 1/2"UNF20 and M16. Below are photos of an example of installation of External TTL Converter 18042-UNF-IK (version for 1/2"UNF20 thread) into Ikelite housing 200DLM/D for Canon EOS R7. Product has the following features: - Optical TTL, M and HSS synchronization for underwater strobes, - Switching TTL/M/HSS modes underwater by camera menu, - Flash synchronization at 1-st / 2-nd curtain by menu, - TTL flash exposure compensation (+/-) adjustment by menu, - Manual flash power adjustment by menu 1/125...Full (in M mode), - HSS ultra fast shutter speeds up to 1/8000s, - Continuos fast shooting, - Battery life: 3 years of continuous work, - Automatic ON/OFF. No any mechanical switch is needed. - Supported strobes: Inon, Marelux, Retra, Underwater Technics, Sea&Sea, - Strobe profile switching - by onboard rotary switch. - TTL converter is fully controllable underwater via the camera menu. It provides intelligent two-way communication protocol with the camera and supports Canon's graphic menu. - TTL Converter automatically stores your last flash menu settings for underwater usage in its non-volatile memory. When you connect the camera again, it loads these settings into the camera, which is very convenient.

Classic Ikelite strobes have only electrical input controlled by a sync cord, If don't use any input adapters/converters. Here we talk about Optical TTL/M/HSS Trigger. It works with strobes with optical input, by fiber optical cables. The list of supported strobes you can see in the product 18041-UNF-IK specifications on the UWTechnics website: uwtechnics.com The new Ikelite strobe #40101 ("Ecko Fiber Underwater Strobe") can work with it, by fiber optical cable. We are currently developing a combined version of the External converter with two outputs (optical and electrical) on the top. It will support strobes via fiber optic cable and via electrical sync cord (including, of course, Ikelite strobes).

Yes, TTL and HSS, both are compatible with Retra Pro MAX II.

External TTL Converter is available in 7 versions of the thread: M16 Nauticam, Marelux; M24 Nauticam, Marelux, Sea&Sea, Aquatica, Seafrogs (aluminum), Isotta; 1.2"UNF20 Ikelite M16 Ikelite M16 Isotta M12 Seafrogs (polycarbonate) M14 Seafrogs (aluminum)

The External TTL Converter has a special 6-pin connector for firmware update, shown in the picture below. Updating usually means adding a new strobe profile (if new strobe appears on the market). User can update the firmware at the exhibition, or send the product to our office for update. The strobes profiles existing in the current firmware are listed in the product page of UWTechnics website. External TTL Converter has a rotary switch for the strobe profile selection (picture below), the same switch as on our Internal TTL boards. But if the user needs to switch between different strobe profiles very frequently, he needs an internal TTL board (not External) with a quick access switch.

The color of optical inputs was changed to silver.

One more compatible strobe is the UWTechnics OPTIMA, which will be in mass production in October: https://uwtechnics.com/product/optima-10000/ It will be added to Specification of the trigger 11078-HSS starting October.

Battery compartment has 2 o-rings, placed in 2 different diameters. This is for the best cover sealing. Also, the battery compartment is hermetically sealed from the strobe. Electronics inside the strobe is protected by this way.

Internal TTL Converters will be still in production (old, new etc, - all versions), together with External Converters. Because Internal units have their own advantages. But if you mean OPTIMA strobe support, this version of Internal TTL Converter will have a new hardwire, not only the firmware. External TTL Converters already have this new hardwire onboard, they are specially prepared for some innovative features of OPTIMA strobe. Those new features will be published closer to the strobe release in August. Please wait for some time, we will complete it soon.

OPTIMA strobe TTL/HSS profile will be included into the newest External TTL-Converters firmware

Sorry for some information delay. UWTechnics updated the OPTIMA strobe specifications for the serial production, including 16,000 lumen video-light, battery options, optional silver color for the strobe, etc. Pre-orders are also opened now. Here are some more details about the update: 1) Optional SILVER strobe body color is available now. 2) New battery options: Standard battery: 4-cell x 18650, it goes with the standard strobe kit. It uses standard length cover. Extended battery: 8-cell x 18650, it is optional product. It uses a long length cover. 3) Safety pressure valve (on the battery cover), - protection for Li-ion battery usage. 4) Video-light 16 000 lumen, CRI 92, Color Temperature 5000K. Adjustment range: 0 ... 16000 Lumen (8 steps). 5) Video-light working time (at maximum flux 16000 Lm): 54 minutes with Extended Battery, 21 minutes with Standard Battery. 6) Strobe serial production starts in July-August 2025. So, the product is expected to go on sale in September. 7) Optical Snoot with internal adjustable aperture, and External Reflector, - both attachments are in work now and will be announced soon.

There are currently 7 manufacturers on the market that produce TTL triggers: UWTechnics, Nauticam, TRT, Ikelite, AOI, Inon, Backscatter. But only 1 of these 7 manufacturers uses online updating. This is not accidental. But if online updating is the main criterion for you among all the characteristics and functions, you can choose it, why not. This is quite normal. Other people have other, more important criteria. And that's okay too.

Of course not. It does not work this way. Our TTL-Converter has 9 different type ttl-profiles in the firmware, each profile can be set by the rotary switch. Totally for Sony, Canon, Nikon and Olympus there are 36 different ttl-profiles in our firmware. Those profiles includes almost all varieties of ttl-profiles which are in use nowadays among the underwater strobes. Most of new strobes appear on the market have the same or very similar ttl-profiles as existing in the firmware. So, In most of cases client does not need to update the firmware when a new strobe appears on the market. He just need to ask us about the information, - what ttl-profile should be set by the onboard rotary switch. We update the firmware now only if actually a new ttl-profile strobe has appeared, for example in 2025 it may be 1-2 times or so. Or may be not at all in 2025, unless a fundamentally new ttl-profile appears.

We issue the firmware update only if we add a new strobe model which did not exist before on the market. And there is no any other reason for our TTL-Converter update. Currently it is necessary to send the product to the factory. In future we plan to make an online update too.