CANON G9, but which strobe???help

Hi, I'm getting a canon G9, with Ikelite housing, but I'm not really sure which Strobe to go for, can you help me Guys and Girls??

thanks,

Dave

You'll never regret getting a Z-240 or two...

I've been through the same thing recently and I chose the DS-125 due to the TTL capabilities of the Ikelite - Ikelite link.

Those 240s look very nice though, they appear smaller, and I think they use regular AA batteries rather than the proprietary ones Ikelite use.

Brian

Thanks for the help with the strobe choice guys. How do you find the DS125 Brian?

Dave.

I you don't travel a lot, then go the Ikelite strobes, as they do offer TTL with the Ikelite Housing. But the battery pack can be a real hassle (if/when they go wrong). The Z240 Inon's are smaller/lighter and use AA batteries. In the event of battery failure, you can always buy AA's almost anywhere.

Power wise the Z240's have an edge over the Ikelite DS125's.

You could also look at the D2000 Inon's (about the same power as the DS125 Ikelite's) and use optic fibre triggering? No need for sync cords then.

Thanks for the heads up Jeff, I'll look into what you've recommended.

Dave.

Found a good article on various strobes compared:

http://www.digitaldiver.net/images/strobea...rticlescrn2.pdf

I just got started and got remarkable results w the DS125..

I might try a Z240 on the other side since it uses AA batts...

Thanks for the suggestions guys..

Hi, I'm getting a canon G9, with Ikelite housing, but I'm not really sure which Strobe to go for, can you help me Guys and Girls??

 

thanks,

Dave

I purchased the DS51 package with the G9/Ikelite last month. I think it depends on portability and power. The DS 51 uses AA batteries (rechargable or not). It travels well since it is small. Having just upgraded from point-and-shoot film for the last 20 years, the G9 is great. Unfortunately the one trip I have taken it on so far was to St. Martin. Heavy winds prevented dive boats form going out a few days and stirred things up pretty bad. I did take about 400 shots snorkeling though.

I've recently purchased the Ikelite G9 housing and DS125 and just come back from a trip, it worked superbly! the smartcharger battery pack is excellent, a lot less hassle than anything else IMO

I've recently purchased the Ikelite G9 housing and DS125 and just come back from a trip, it worked superbly! the smartcharger battery pack is excellent, a lot less hassle than anything else IMO

Any updates on how you like the G9 with the DS125? Got any photos to show us?

Also would like updates on how the G9 works with the DS51.

Thanks!

I purchased the DS51 package with the G9/Ikelite last month. I think it depends on portability and power. The DS 51 uses AA batteries (rechargable or not). It travels well since it is small. Having just upgraded from point-and-shoot film for the last 20 years, the G9 is great. Unfortunately the one trip I have taken it on so far was to St. Martin. Heavy winds prevented dive boats form going out a few days and stirred things up pretty bad. I did take about 400 shots snorkeling though.

Hi,

I have the Canon G9 & Ikelite housing + IKe DS125 strobe.

I chose the DS125 as its coverage is good for use with inon w/a

some pictures here..

Dougie

I've recently purchased the Ikelite G9 housing and DS125 and just come back from a trip, it worked superbly! the smartcharger battery pack is excellent, a lot less hassle than anything else IMO

some pictures with the G9 & DS 125 here

Hi,

 

I have the Canon G9 & Ikelite housing + IKe DS125 strobe.

 

I chose the DS125 as its coverage is good for use with inon w/a

 

some pictures here..

 

Dougie

some pictures with the G9 & DS 125 here

Very nice photos Doug!! Are they shot in RAW? On the TTL setting? Thanks!

Greg

I also have a G9 + Ike Houseing + 2*DS125's. I got the 125's for the TTL and the price (I got them used here in the classifies for better than 1/2 price). If money were not an object I would probably go Inon in retrospect because of size/weight. A managable issue but an issue... I shoot manual now so the TTL is not as big an issue, although you still have to figure out a way to sync. But if money were no object I would go DSLR - which is the main reason I say I would go Inon... with a DLSR I think the Inon is a better solution. If you are truly staying G9/Ike the DS125's are just as good. I see MANY people shooting DS125's. Both are VERY good strobes. Just if you go DS125 I might add a little boyancy (Styx) to it to help balance out the weight.

I am pretty happy with my setup. I am "upgrading" to ULCS arms from the Ike Deluxe Kit arms, so PM me if you want a deal on some arms I kinda wish I just went straight DSLR (for ~3X the cost, so thats why I didnt) but for a P&S it is a great rig, if not a little bulky.

Jeremy

Very nice photos Doug!! Are they shot in RAW? On the TTL setting? Thanks!

Greg

Hi Greg,

thanks. Yes photos were shot in raw in TTL. Minor adjustments in lightroom for exposure and curves and export as full size JPEG

Dougie

I shoot a G9 in full manual mode with a Sea & Sea YS-110 and a YS-27DX.

Here's my my recent stuff ... Link to Flickr

Hi everybody...I am new to the forum. I have been diving for the past 2 years based in Indonesia and taking UW photos since the first time I dive (using a p&s Canon ixus 800), I just bought a G9 recently with Canon housing..and thinking about getting a strobe for the set up...

I am actually considering getting a sea&sea strobe. I have being recommended to get either a YS-27DX or YS-110...

I have seen Jeremy's pix using both strobes and they are amazing!! Anyway, what if I just want to get one strobe at the moment, which one should I get??

And btw what about the YS-90 TTL Duo...looks likes another option??? A better one??

Anyway do appreciate all the help...

Cheers..

Jd

Hi JD,

An excellent choice of camera. IMO, you couldn't have chosen a better compact...

All the Sea & Sea strobes you have mentioned will do the job, especially as you have a Canon housing which will mean that you'll be unable to fit wide angle glass.

However, consider that if you were to upgrade your housing in the future to a Ikelite or Patima (which will allow wide angle glass) the beam angle of say a YS-27 (105 x 84) will be a little shy of what will be needed if you were using a 100 or 130 degree lens.

Also, as you are presently limited to a 35mm (equivalent) lens, for wide angle shots you'll have a tendancy to back off from subjects so make sure your strobes have plenty of power. Compare strobe guide numbers for this.

Frankly, with the Canon housing, I'd equip with a M67mm adaptor and some INON close up glass - UWL-165 and UWL-330 and concentrate on macro and portrait shots.

Jeremy uses a pair of stacked 165's for his macro work and his results are superb. Presently, I stack a 165 and a 330 and I do not quite achieve the magnification that Jeremy does. However I like the 330 on its own which I find useful for portraits.

HTH, Tim

Hi,

I am using a canon G7 and two strobes one DS51 and a DS50. But i would recommend going for either the DS125 or Inon a for wide angle they are a bit lacking. You can check out the link below for both wide angl and macro to get a rough idea

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14232146@N08/...57605406848800/

Cheers,

Diggy

Hi JD,

 

An excellent choice of camera. IMO, you couldn't have chosen a better compact...

 

All the Sea & Sea strobes you have mentioned will do the job, especially as you have a Canon housing which will mean that you'll be unable to fit wide angle glass.

 

However, consider that if you were to upgrade your housing in the future to a Ikelite or Patima (which will allow wide angle glass) the beam angle of say a YS-27 (105 x 84) will be a little shy of what will be needed if you were using a 100 or 130 degree lens.

 

Also, as you are presently limited to a 35mm (equivalent) lens, for wide angle shots you'll have a tendancy to back off from subjects so make sure your strobes have plenty of power. Compare strobe guide numbers for this.

 

Frankly, with the Canon housing, I'd equip with a M67mm adaptor and some INON close up glass - UWL-165 and UWL-330 and concentrate on macro and portrait shots.

 

Jeremy uses a pair of stacked 165's for his macro work and his results are superb. Presently, I stack a 165 and a 330 and I do not quite achieve the magnification that Jeremy does. However I like the 330 on its own which I find useful for portraits.

 

HTH, Tim

Hi JD,

I use the G9 in a Patima housing w/ dual Inon Strobes and Inon wide angle and close up lenses.

I second Tim's advice. If you can't find a way of cleanly attaching some wet lenses, I'd definitely consider upgrading your housing. Furthermore, if and when you do apply a wide angle lens, you difinitely want to have powerful strobe(s) that will give you adequate coverage, especially if you ever consider going to the domed semi-fisheye Inon lens (130 degree coverage). Also, I may be a bit biased b/c I use them, but I'm a big fan of Inon strobes, because they're lite weight, powerful and use rechargeable AA batteries.

Even though I've only been shooting my G9 with the full setup for approximately 4 weeks, and even though the visibility has not been spectacular on my recent dives, I'm really happy with my initial results. These attached shots that I've taken over the past 4 weeks using the Inon wide angle lens and dual strobes, should give you an idea why I recommend you make sure whatever setup you use should has the ability to use a wide angle lens and has at least one poweful strobe, preferably two.

HTH,

Adrian