Moving on from basic compact - What Strobe?

Hi There,

My first foray into u/w photography has been with my Olympus MJU-400 with a PT-015 housing. I've had reasonable success so far, and am happy that i've got to grips with basics like correct framing, composure and use of available light. Virtually all of my diving is in the UK, so there are the challenges of correct lighting and a lot of backscatter to deal with.

I've been considering buying a strobe, to improve both general scene lighting, blurred images, and back-scatter. Unfortunately, the camera is very basic in terms of the adjustments you can make, and does not allow for aperture, or proper exposure manual settings. Often, lack of available light does produce nasty blurred images, due to long exposure time.

So my question is, will a strobe give me significant improvement in my images (assuming correct usage!), especially considering I have no real control over aperture and exposure? Or would I be better served looking at a newer camera with these controls?

I'd like to take my u/w photgraphy much further, and in the future will be looking at moving to DSLR's, but at the moment, I just can't justify the expense. If I were to go down the strobe route, is there one that anyone would recommend as suitable for both compacts and DSLR's?

Thanks for any advice

Rob

Hi Rob,

If I may suggest, I expect you are where I perhaps was a couple of years ago using a Pentax Optio 5i P&S. I put a YS-25 and some wide angle glass on it and my photos improved immeasurably...

But quickly I became frustrated with the lack of manual control so I invested in a Sea & Sea DX 8000G and another YS-25. Again, the quality of my photographic results leapt forward on the back of the improved equipment and no doubt, some learning too...

Now I run a Canon G9 and a couple of INON Z-240s and of course I'm seeing the immediate leap in results. But I'm aready toying with the idea of a DSLR to pair with my INON's...

So the old adage is true. Buy it right first time. Its the cheapest option.

Hi Rob,

There are some things you can do to "trick" your point and shoot compact into making better photos when using a strobe. I've given a few talks and workshops about this.

First off - you need to work with the EV or Exposure Compensation. Try bringing it down by one or two stops to give you a rich blue water, instead of a cyan water. Next, see if you can set the white balance manually, or to "flash" which is usually 5000k.

I would say - get a good strobe - one that you can grow into if you get a new camera/housing. If the camera still isn't "doing it for you" then you can always upgrade the cam/housing later. I recommend looking at an Ikelite DS51 w/ sensor, or an Inon Z240 or the new D/S2000 model.

Cheers

James

As we all march down the path of continuous improvement (or attempting improvement), I am halfway between where you are and where Timmoranuk is.

Started with less capable P/S cameras and no strobe.

Upgraded the P/S and added a YS-25 and results got a LOT better but not enough power all the time. Felt I needed 2 strobes for the angle of coverage.

Recently bought a Inon Z-240 and a Canon G9. Have only pool results so far so I cannot attest to better results yet. Lke the setup in pool testing a lot.

I could not imagine myself dropping $600 for a strobe when I bought the YS-25. After having it for awhile, I realized I was about 1/2 to where I wanted. SO I had to decide, another YS-25 to match the first...Or step up. I went with the Z-240 and plan for a second Z-240 - wish I had started there initially.

when selecting the strobe, do watch the size. The DS-51 suggeted above and Inon strobes are small enough to match what you have now comfortably. I had an Ikelite 150 for a time and it was too large and too heavy for me to want to use. I like the small size of the YS-25, just wish it had more power and a wider angle.

You will need to learn how to illuminate your subject, and not the water between the lens and subject. Lighting the water between lens and subject is where backscatter gets to be a bigger problem. It seems that 2 strobes do this better than one but I have only experience with one so far.

Try doing a search on 'backscatter' and similar searches for methods used by others. I am quite the beginner compared to nearly everyone here.

You might consider software like Lightroom. It can provide some nice color correction for non-strobe pictures quite easily. I have it and like it a lot. You can also remove backscatter with it nicely. If you have enough scatter, it takes time to remove it...if you have too much, it does have some residual effects.

Hope that is of some assistance.

Dave

Hi Everyone,

Thanks very much for all your replies. I will have a look into all those strobes that have been suggested. It would be nice to avoid spending out on equipment I find to be too limiting and so I fully take onboard the comemnts about spending more for it to be useful longer.

Thanks Again,

Rob Smith

Hi Everyone,

 

Thanks very much for all your replies. I will have a look into all those strobes that have been suggested. It would be nice to avoid spending out on equipment I find to be too limiting and so I fully take onboard the comemnts about spending more for it to be useful longer.

 

Thanks Again,

 

Rob Smith

I definitely second much of the previously delivered advice. I too started off with a small Sony p&s camera in its factory housing. Fortunately, I had a bit of experience with some underwater photography back in the mid-eighties, so I knew enough to buy a strobe that I could grow with, which is exactly what I initially did. I bought an Inon Z-240. About 6 months later, I realized I was not satisfied with the limitations that I had with one strobe, and knew if I wanted to really improve my shots, a second strobe was the way to go - I bought a second Z-240, always keeping in mind that those strobes were versatile and powerful enough to use them with whatever camera/housing combination I eventually upgraded to.

After careful consederation, I recently made the decision to upgrade my camera and housing, but I was not ready to make the full leap to an slr based system, because of the enormous cost involved in having all the required lenses and ports to truly have a versatile system. I ended up buying a very powerful advanced p&s, the Canon G9, and combined it with the new aluminum Patima G9 Housing and several Inon external lenses.

I'm extremely happy with the decisions I have made over time and with the state of my current setup, but it would not have been possible to get to this point, had I not bought a much better strobe(s) at the beginning of this process than what I actually needed at the time.

If you know you're serious about the underwater photography thing, as is done in chess, think several moves ahead each time you make a purchase!