Help me choise the the right strobe & arms for WA

To beginn with...I have never use a strobe!!!

I shot and I will shot most of my photos in available light.

I just like to have one strobe fos some special contitions.

I use 16mm & 10,5mm lenses and Alexs Magic Filter is always on. (I have glue it on my lenses) and always Manual white balance

Most of my Photos are WA and close , full body, diver portaits and for the diver portaits I need the strobe.

I like to have:

1. more contrast

2. Fill in light (together with the abient light) to overcome problems like in the photos that I show you beloe

3. More vivid colors

4. Control the bacgound BLue color

5. Using in Pools where light soemtimes is not enough

6. Using in scenes where I am under a reef /Coral and the abient light is absende

7. I dont whant to illuminate the scene just the subject

8. Most of my photos are taken in about 5-15m

So do you think guys that a strobe will help me? Off cource I like to use it manual so that I learn to use a strobe.

For those that know me I dont need to tell that I freedive but sometimes I like to scuba to :-) I know about the drag problem but for Freediver portaits I have more time and dont see it as a big problem..

I have found folow setup is a great great price

Strobe:

INON D-2000W

Sea&Sea strobe cable N

Arm:

ULCS DB-arm L

INON clamps

ULCS T-base adapter

T-base plate

YS strobe adapter

Z adapter for INON

The lengh of the ULCS Arm are

L = 50 cm with clamps or other parts

M= 35 cm

Take a look on follow link to see what photos i like to do better

Some Photos

Lambis

Lambis, for the UWA shooting you do especially with the 10.5, you are really going to need 2 strobes to get proper coverage.

I think you are on the right track with the Inon stobes for their small size.

One SS200 would probably be adequate to cover freedivers with the 10.5, but then that is a really big strobe too.

Cheers

James

James it is a big and expensive strobe.

But with a difuser will be the inon more a fill light that a strobe.

If I place the strobe a little behind of port base line iwll ti help me to use the 10.5 mm lens?

I know Placement is they key but how.. how long arms wich position..

If you see my photos on the above link how you have use the strobe(s) to illuminate them?

Lambis, I think you need two strobes to avoid harsh shadows in people shots. However, your strobe arms don't have to be very large e.g. I usually set my strobes out about a foot and back about 6" to light people and other central subjects.

Nice to see you in this topic Peter

You shoot to really much divers portraits so you mush have a big experience .

With a 16mm lens a a difuser can I dont do it?

You say a foot out and 6 inces back. That is 30cm out and 8 cm back right?

My problem is that I dont wnant to pay a lot off money for something that i will use sometimes... Still most off the time I will use the 10,5 with available light..

Lambis

Lambis, strobes are fine if you are on scuba photographing freediving, but if you are freediving you will find that the strobes and strobe arms are far too much of a drag in the water.

Here are a couple of my strobe lit freediver shots. Not my most artistic. But show the technique! The first one is Mandy-Rae's world record free immersion dive in April:

And this one is Martin Stepanek on the sledge:

I presume this is the style of shot you want strobes for? although hopefully you will be more artistic than these!

If you are going to light large subjects like these freedivers you will need powerful strobes on long arms. Basically the bigger the subject you want to light (and hence the further from it you are) the longer your strobe arms will need to be. This means the drag will be even more.

If you are going to scuba dive then use strobes, absolutely. If not I think you will be wasting your energy and your money!

Alex

Lambis,

you don’t shoot macro. You do wideangle. Probably you would want a wideangle strobe. Good characteristics for wideangle strobes are a warm colour temperature, wider and more even beam pattern (no bright centre which falls of sooner to the edges), typically achieved with a ring type tube.

If you just want to use one strobe, I would recommend one with decent wideangle performance.

There is an interesting strobe test providing results how some strobes compare in terms of coverage:

http://www.scubacam.com.sg/pages/Strobe%20Test.pdf

Maybe a good point to start with.

Julian

Alex

Yes you are right.. it is exaclty the style of shots that i like to use strobes.

And yes I will use them with scuba diving to but not just.

My idea is to shoot my frediving WA photos but also to make some scuba dives and shoot the freedivers like you have done. I miss this kind off Photos on my collection.

Then it is always a good idea to beginn to use strobes.

Please tell me Alex for this kind off Photos what lens and strobes have u use and more importand arms and arms position

Julian

Thanks man I will take a look att your link...

Lambis

I would guess Alex has used his two Subtronic Alphas (each has 160Ws).

Julian

Julian most import for me is the arm s & position on this kind of photos...

I know that Alex have this killer strobes