TTL- with 2 Ikelite Strobes?

:freak: I'm really getting perplexed...

I'm shooting a Nikon CP5K in an Ikelite Housing with 2 Ikelite DS-125 strobes on UL arms. Great system...but Ikelite tells me I will get more consistent results direct wiring my dual strobe cord to the housing.

OK, but I can't hand this system to my wife and tell her to have fun.

I want to run TTL strobe control. I thinking that if I could find an adapter for the Ikelite TTL Slave that would connect the end of the double strobe cord, then one TTL Slave could control both strobes.

Does such an adapter exist?

The other option is to plug one strobe into the camera housing and run it manual while running the other strobe in TTL with the slave unit.

This is getting really confusing! HELP!

I don't understand why Ike would have said that? What would be the big advantage?

On my old g2, which did not have a hard wire option, you could but a digital sensor on both arms, aim one at the blocked flash and one at the other strobe.

Is that not an accetpable possibility?

Thanks Bob...Yes, that would work but then I will have to buy another TTL slave. I wanted to use the one that I had to control both.

It was not "Ike Hisself" but one of his people.

Thanks for the quick reply.

Ron

Correct me if I'm wrong but with the CP5K, Ike housing and dual DS-125s can't you just add a dual cord (#4103.2) and connect the housing directly to both strobes and have both strobes in TTL. No messing around with slave sensors and subsequently, as Ike said, give you more consistant results?

Yes, get a dual Ike to Ike cord and you are good to do. You will get excellent TTL results that way.

In fact, I have done exactly what you want to do - handed it to my dive buddy and she has gotten great results. (Coolpix and dual DS125's)

Cheers

James

Boy...am I getting confused.

I was running it with a single DS-125 in the housing port with the strobe on TTL. Terrible blown out pix.

Ikelite told me to shoot manually and forget the TTL function UNLESS one is going to use the slave sensor.

I bought the second strobe AND the dual cable and intended to shoot in manual this season but want the option to use the Ikelite ttL sensor.

James, Am I to understand you are telling me that the CP5K will control the 2 strobes when plugged into the back housing port, and with the strobes set to TTL? That would be great IF it worked that way.

HELP!.....and Big Thanks!

Ron

Terrible blown out pix.

This is from someone who has a similar setup but single DS-125:

Dial the speedlight output to -2 in the camera settings. An explanation for why you have to dial the flash output to -2 is to compensate for the fact that the Nikon CP5000 TTL sensor is not actually inside the camera lens, it is located beside it. When the camera is preparing to shoot, not as much light hits the TTL sensor as it should, therefore the camera doesn't think the flash output is going to be powerful enough - hence it increases it's output. It means that many of your images will be blown away and over exposed. The negative flash compensation in the CP5000 menu system fixes this problem.

You can see the article here

You know, I never was able to get my old CP990 to TTL well with a single hard-wired Ike Substrobe 200. The results were always blown out. I had to underexpose by approx 2 stops to get well-exposed TTL images.

And MAN was the Substrobe 200 WAY overkill for the 990.

I thought 2 x DS125's was just the ticket for the 990 and the wideangle lens. Not sure about Macro though.

ReyeR - thanks for the "props" in your article. I'm glad this clod could teach someone something of value!

Cheers

James

ReyeR - thanks for the "props" in your article. I'm glad this clod could teach someone something of value!

Sorry, guess it wasn't clear in my post - the article is by Dave Harasti.

Above advice recommending the hard wired dual sync cord is correct. The TTL Sensor must be thought of as an optical sync cord. It has nothing to do with providing TTL other than to communicate what it sees the camera strobe do.

Another thing to consider is that other photographers shooting near you will set off your strobes if you use an optical TTL sensor.

Another thing to consider is that other photographers shooting near you will set off your strobes if you use an optical TTL sensor.

Not if you do this B) . Only one strobe shown, but the cables are there for two . . .

Mike

ReyeR,

No problem. The only reason it was confusing is that you left the last sentence off of the quote from Dave H's article:

An explanation for why you have to dial the flash output to -2 is to compensate for the fact that the Nikon CP5000 TTL sensor is not actually inside the camera lens, it is located beside it. When the camera is preparing to shoot, not as much light hits the TTL sensor as it should, therefore the camera doesn't think the flash output is going to be powerful enough - hence it increases it's output. It means that many of your images will be blown away and over exposed. The negative flash compensation in the CP5000 menu system fixes this problem. A big thanks to James on Wetpixel who provided this explanation!

Cheers

James Wiseman