Ike D70 ITTL w/ 2 DS125. Now what?

Hi all,

If you had the chance to do it all over again, which arm set up, tray, and grips would you do for an all in one macro (60,105mm) and wide angle (10.5 FE) setup. I have the Ike D70 ITTL housing with one Ds125 w/ IKE quick release arm w/ only one 6" arm. It was OK for macro but now just bought 10.5 FE and now ready to buy a second DS125 for wide angle and a fisheye focus light. I want the best and easiest setup for wide and macro w/ focus light. Should I add on to my existing Ike quick release or should I start from scratch and do ULCS? Light or bouyancy arms? Which arm lengths? I could easily add on another Ike 6" arm for wide angle but see that a lot of you are using 2 8" arms. Sorry for all the questions but I enjoy a lot of your galleries and just want to do it right the first time. What do ya think?

Thanks in advance,

Gianni

I see you discussing focus light options already in the DSLR/housings forum.

I use two 8" segments (and seldom a combination of one 8" and one 12") per strobe. Personally I wouldn't go for shorter segments for wideangle/fisheye shots. I find two 8" are still usable for macro as well.

Julian

for the 10.5 longer is better, two 8" sections will work but you may find yourself having to position the strobes facing slightly outward to avoid a "hot" spot in the center of the frame where the beams overlap.

If you plan to use the same arms for both Macro and wide angle I suggest that arm sections of equal length be used.

In regard to what type of arms there are pros and cone to both types.

ULCS and TLC are easier to reposition without having to loosen the clamps, but when used in long lengths these tend to move out of position while swimming or in a current while "hooked in" like in Palau. Also, If you over tighten these type there is a chance you will distort the clamp.

The Ike's on the other hand are not as supple to move because the tend to either quite tight or quite loose therefore the clamps usually need to be loosened and tightened for adjustment, but when locked in place they dot not move and there is no way you will bend one of Ike's clamps.

I use TLC arms for my macro setup and often for wide angle as well. I use the Ike arms for Palau and other locations where currents are probable

Thanks for the replies.

I have heard from some people that with the 10.5 fisheye it is better to actually have the strobes closer in vs. wide because you have to get so close to the subject for good images. That is why I am having a hard time trying to decide on what arm lengths to purchase. I will be shooting with 60 & 105mm and 10.5mm I know I could always add and remove, which I probably will but I just want a good starting point. Seems like standard Ike arms that comes with the housing would do the trick but rig would be heavier than i'd like with 2 arms and strobes. Ryan from reefphoto suggests 5" and 8" if shooting wide and macro on the same trip which sounds good too if nobody here convinces me to do otherwise. I have also heard that ulcs tray and handles will not allow me to open and close the housing because the handles are too close to the side of the housing to operate the side latches. Is that true? Sorry for the pain in the a-- postings this is driving me crazy as I am needing to purchase asap.

Thanks,

Gianni

I use 2X8'' ULCS arms for both wide (not as wide as the 10.5 ) and for macro and find it quit comfortable although for macro only there are better options.

If you already have the Ikelite tray and handles that usually cames with the housing you don't have to replace them to use the ULCS arms, all you need is the BA-IK base adapter (see here)

I use two Ikelite 6" arms and they work fine for me.

http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gall...uipment_d70.htm

I shoot CFWA w/ the 10.5, and am rarely more than 1 ft from my subjects. Usually I'll set up 2x 5" segments...

Many of my customers use a 5"/8" combo and are happy, the eights can be buoyancy arms if your rig needs the diet.

In my opinion, I don't ever need anything loger than a 5/8 w/ any lens unless I want to backlight something, then longer is useful.

I use 2x8" ULCS bouyancy segments and it works fine for me. You won't always need them that far apart but you can always bring the strobes in if you want them shorter. Having longer bouyancy segments also makes the rig a wee bit lighter. The Ikelite housing itself isn't bad though.

One more thing to consider. On the left side I added an 8" Ikelite detachable handle rather than an ULCS 8" segment. This way if I want to say backlight a coral head I can easially remove and hand-hold that strobe. For this you will need one 8" detachable handle and an extra BA-IK adapter to connect between the ball clamp and the handle. I got the Ikelite handle with the strobe adapter on the end to save a few parts. If I had it to do over I would have gotten the removable handle with the ball on the end, an extra clamp and strobe ball adapter instead. What I have is ok but its definately easier to position the strobe with the ball adapter.

Good luck

One thing to keep in mind is that just because you have long strobe arms doesn't mean you can't bring your strobes in tight to the houseing for CFWA shots. I use 2 x 8" arms on each side and when I shoot the fisheye, I just pull the strobes in so that the arms fold up and the rig looks like a "bat" like in Peter's photo. Then I point the strobes out a bit.

The ultralight handles can be slid in and out on the handle base, so I just slide them out until the latches will clear, then lock them in place there. No problem. This means that they're not that close to the housing though.

Cheers

James