Canon g9....Ikelite internal flash diffuser??

Today my ikelite housing for my new canon G9 came today. I do not have a strobe at this time...I need to get adjusted to the size of the housing without one first i reckon...it's rather large! Anyway i read all instructions on care and using etc... but there wasn't much said about the diffuser, just to use it with the internal flash and a deflector when using external strobes. I do understand that the diffuser is semi transparent but what is the purpose of diffusing the flash that is needed for taking the photos...Please help me out if y'all can!

Today my ikelite housing for my new canon G9 came today. I do not have a strobe at this time...I need to get adjusted to the size of the housing without one first i reckon...it's rather large! Anyway i read all instructions on care and using etc... but there wasn't much said about the diffuser, just to use it with the internal flash and a deflector when using external strobes. I do understand that the diffuser is semi transparent but what is the purpose of diffusing the flash that is needed for taking the photos...Please help me out if y'all can!

Two reasons ...

1) The port casts a shadow and the diffuser spreads the light around ameliorating this effect (a little bit of zooming also helps)

2) Irrespective of any shadowing, the softer light from behind the diffuser is often more pleasant than the harsh direct light of a flash placed directly on the lens axis (like the internal one)

You need to be pretty close to your subject for the internal strobe to be useful ... I'd say the absolute maximun you should be from your subjects is 18-24 inches ... and 24 is probably pushing it.

External strobes - particularly with a camera that doesn't perform well at higher ISOs like the G9 - are really key underwater. You are gonna want one ... and probably two at some point.

Have fun - play around ... and don't be afraid to ask questions! If you are like me and you only dive a couple times a year, this forum can literally save you YEARS of trial and error.

Today my ikelite housing for my new canon G9 came today. I do not have a strobe at this time...I need to get adjusted to the size of the housing without one first i reckon...it's rather large! Anyway i read all instructions on care and using etc... but there wasn't much said about the diffuser, just to use it with the internal flash and a deflector when using external strobes. I do understand that the diffuser is semi transparent but what is the purpose of diffusing the flash that is needed for taking the photos...Please help me out if y'all can!

Congratulations on the new camera and housing, I'm sure you'll love it!

I've been shooting mine for about a month now and been very pleased with the results. I use the Patima Housing, instead of the Ikelite, and I have dual strobes, but I'm really starting to get the hang of my setup.

Even though the visibility was only about 40 to 45 feet this weekend, here's a few shots I took with the G9:

Adrian

Congratulations on the new camera and housing, I'm sure you'll love it!

 

I've been shooting mine for about a month now and been very pleased with the results. I use the Patima Housing, instead of the Ikelite, and I have dual strobes, but I'm really starting to get the hang of my setup.

 

Even though the visibility was only about 40 to 45 feet this weekend, here's a few shots I took with the G9:

 

 

 

 

Adrian

Nice shots! These are using your strobes i will assume...are these also taken using your wide angle lens? I am trying to figure out what I will need in the near future for quality shots!

Nice shots! These are using your strobes i will assume...are these also taken using your wide angle lens? I am trying to figure out what I will need in the near future for quality shots!

Yes, these were taken with dual Inon Z-240 strobes and the Inon UWL-100 Wide Angle Lens.

Heres a few more pics from this weekend, including the one that got removed from my original post above.

Adrian