SB800s underwater

So I am really liking using multiple SB800s with above water photography. Setting the on camera flash as the master and having several slave units fire in the background etc is fantastic. I am wondering if anyone has attempted to do this underwater with the subal housing for sb800s. Can you set up multiple subal housings, say in a cave and have them light up the background while the primary on the housing lights up the subject? Will it work underwater? If so I may be out some serious cash for 4 Subal sb800 flash housings.

I think I remember hearing that some people think they aren't as good as an UW strobe for main lighting. Also I don't think the slave sensor/wireless control would function under water.

However, none of this may be true. I am interested in opinions on just using 2 sb-800s as main lighting though if you could keep TTL function.

Take a look in these discussions:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10928

And for multiple SB-800 underwater, look here:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9439

I hope this helps.

Luiz

P.S.: I am moving this topic to the strobe area.

As well as the problems of getting infra-red through seawater, I would also imagine that it would be quite fiddly to try and control the different groups of flashes while UW.

Alex

yeah bummer....guess i will have to stick to placing light canons for background light.

No, they can’t be used wireless underwater the same way that we use it topside.

But it would be really great if they could do such thing. I’ve recently did a job in a cave and used 4 strobes, and had a hard time swimming back and forward to adjust them all.

Best regards,

Marcelo.

The Ikelite EV Manual Controller and the Ikelite wireless TTL Slave Sensor should fire dependably at 100 foot distances in cave photography.

Yes, use the Ikelite sensor (quite sensitive if you set-it to max). I sometimes take 1 of the strobes with the sensor so that I can leave the strobe behind soft corals and the like or just use it as a normal strobe attached to the housing.

Yes, the slave Ikelite sensor was what I used (and a SS200). Worked great!!!