Ikelite SS strobes with DSLR

Just wanted to open up this thread to a wider audience.:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16016

Just to recap on the previous post - I am thinking about moving across from wet film to digital, but as a student on a limited budget, I can afford the housing and camera and maybe a new lens or two, but the expense of having to replace my strobes is holding me back - I have been told by Cameras Underwater that in order to use my twin ikelite SS100a strobes with an Ikelite Eos 350D housing, I would have to get the housing specially modified in order for it to work with the strobes at all - even in manual mode.

Some posters on the previous thread have disputed this, so I was hoping for a definitive answer - does anyone here actually successfully use older Ike SS strobes with either an ike 350D or D70 housing?

would I need to change the sync cables to the newer DS compatible model numbers or are my older models ok?

I have been recommeded to get some diffusers to allow me to play with strobe output a little more than the rather limited settings on the 100a's - wasn't aware of a diffuser ever being available for that strobe - is there one that will fit or should I be using the old "white plastic carrier bag and an elastic band technique"?

Cutting circles from plastic milk cartons is a time honored method for making diffusers.

Just wanted to open up this thread to a wider audience.:

 

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16016

Just to recap on the previous post - I am thinking about moving across from wet film to digital, but as a student on a limited budget, I can afford the housing and camera and maybe a new lens or two, but the expense of having to replace my strobes is holding me back - I have been told by Cameras Underwater that in order to use my twin ikelite SS100a strobes with an Ikelite Eos 350D housing, I would have to get the housing specially modified in order for it to work with the strobes at all - even in manual mode.

 

Some posters on the previous thread have disputed this, so I was hoping for a definitive answer - does anyone here actually successfully use older Ike SS strobes with either an ike 350D or D70 housing?

 

would I need to change the sync cables to the newer DS compatible model numbers or are my older models ok?

 

I have been recommeded to get some diffusers to allow me to play with strobe output a little more than the rather limited settings on the 100a's - wasn't aware of a diffuser ever being available for that strobe - is there one that will fit or should I be using the old "white plastic carrier bag and an elastic band technique"?

Well, I 'm using a Canon 400D on an Ikeite 350D housing (slightly modififed) and two Ikelite strobes: a DS125 and a SS200. I'm using this with an special T-connector from Ikelite housing to 2 Nikonos strobes. Obviously the strobes are connected trough two Ikelite-Nikonos sync cords. You can use the strobes ONLY in manual mode because eTTL converter is not powered (it does trough the DS strobes and DS special sync cords).

With a proper sync cord (new digital ones) and only with the DS125 straight to the housing the e-ttl converter works flawlessly and you can use TTL.

You don't need new sync cords for this strobes (only for DS series).

All the Tokina 10-17 test photos were shot with this set-up.

Rai

I am using my two SS100A's with my D70, works great. No (i)TTL though, but who needs that.

The modifications are that you probably have to cut some wires from the synccable in the housing, so that the camera doesn't see the strobes anymore and only the "ground"(black) and "trigger"(white) wires are connected. (see: http://www.ikelite.com/faq/faq_syncwiring.html)

The only strobesettings are now Full and Half since these are the only options availible on the strobes.

To have more controll you can install the eTTL-convertor (I did) from Matthias: http://www.heinrichsweikamp.net/blitz/inde...?itz/ittl_e.htm

Still no full (i)TTL-control, but at least you have more powersettings, you can control the strobepower in-camera from -3 ev to 0 in steps of 1/3 ev

For more info about the convertor you can email Matthias directly.

This setup works so good for me that I see reason to buy other strobes. In fact, when I heard that the SS100A's are no longer produced, I bought a secondhanded 100A as a spare.