Strobe recommendation

I am in the market for my first u/w strobe(s) for my C3000's in the Olympus housing. I have the Inon w/a lens.

Being on a budget, what would be a recommended setup for what I have for camera gear?

TIA,

The most budget strobes in market are:

1. Epoque ES-150 DS

2. Sea&Sea YS-25DX

I have the YS 25 and for now I'm quit satisfied with him, it wont be good (as the Epoque also) for WA shots but for macro and not too far object its works OK.

YS25DX - there's time for a short nap while you wait for it to recycle ... whether that's a problem depends on you. I don't know about the Epoque.

There have been a few people reporting some problems with the YS25DX - I was one of them. My problems were (1) battery contacts were zero-tolerance, and with some kinds of batteries the contacts cease to make contact underwater (presumably because the unit flexes imperceptibly in response to the pressure); and (2) fiber optic cable didn't seem to trigger it except in very dark conditions.

Recently I persuaded the Sea&Sea agent here in HK to replace the whole insides of the unit and that fixed problem (2) - which means that I had a dud unit before; but problem (1) still remains and I have to pad the battery terminals with a conducting pad to endure the contact is reliable during the dive.

Before my last trip I bought an Ikelite DS50. After my experience using each, I won't be taking the YS25DX on the next trip. That's because after I had used the Ikelite, the Sea&Sea seemed sooooo slooooow. Of course there is a big difference in price.

If the recycle time were faster on the Sea&Sea I would now regard it as an excellent flash for macro and close range. It's very easy to use. Also the diffuser is 100x easier than the Ikelite one to put on and take off.

One additional consideration for me in choosing gear is trying to make sure everything uses the same type of battery. Again, I don't know what the Epoque uses.

-David

How about using 2 Epoque strobes with the Inon W/A lens - would there be sufficient coverage using two of them?

Cliff, my experience with the Epoque was less than wonderful.

It is just too darn small. I also had sync issues, but that was a long time ago. They may have that worked out.

One Sea & Sea YS-90DX or one Ikelite DS-50 would be a better choice than 2 Epoque's, IMO. Then you could add another as budget allows.

Thanks for the feedback...

Have been mainly shooting available light and then converting to B/W in Photoshop, but wanted to see about shooting more color and wasn't sure the best strobe setup for my needs.

So which strobe would anyone recommend for shoting with the Inon W/A lens? What about synch? With the Olympus housing, what is the best method for getting a reliable external strobe to synch correctly?

TIA,

I have the same lens and shoot with a 90DX and get good coverage. AS far as sync is concerned use a sync cord, simple enough, works every time.

I have the same lens and shoot with a 90DX and get good coverage. AS far as sync is concerned use a sync cord, simple enough, works every time.

Ok - Even though I have been a land photographer for over 20 years, I am still a little vague in your response - you said use a synch cord. The Olympus housing doesn't have a place to plug in a synch cord - so how would you use one except for drilling a hole in the housing (YIKES!)

Sorry for the n00bness of my questions - I would understand this if I were shooting a Digital SLR in a housing or a film based Nik V...

Freediver, with the C3000 in an Olympus housing your options are to use strobes with a fibre optic cable or a remote slave sensor. Examples of the former are the Inon DS180, Z220s and the Sea and Sea YS90DX. You will only be able to use these strobes in manual. Examples of the latter are the Ikelite DS50 and DS125. With the Ikelites you have the choice of a manual remote slave sensor - you can only use the strobes in manual with 10 steps of output control - and the TTL remote slave sensor - this sensor will allow you to use the strobes in TTL and 3 manual settings of 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 power.

Note: the strobes mentioned here are not a direct comparison of their capabilities (power, angle of coverage etc.), only as a list of options available.