Strobe Combos for D700

I'm nearing a decision to house my D700 in an Aquatica housing. I plan to shoot wide with a 17-35 and macro with a 105 VR.

I have an SB105, which some posters say they use successfully. I'd like to use it if practical. The Aquatica has dual Nikonos connectors. My choices seem to be:

1. Use the SB105 by itself.

2. Combine the SB 105 with either a Sea&Sea YS110a or an Ikelite DS160.

3. Use single or double S&S or Ikes.

I do understand that these configurations assume manual only, not TTL.

Any opinions out there on what configuration I might be happiest with?

I personally think you'd be happiest with any configuration that uses two strobes instead of one. Using two strobes gives you more flexibility for lighting subjects and with less chance for shadows that you may not want in your images. That's especially true for wide angle images using your 17-35. You'll ideally want strobes to light both sides of the image. For that reason, I wouldn't use the SB105 by itself. I have, however, used the SB 105 by itself as well as in combination with other strobes. When I used the SB 105 by itself, it was generally for macro images. Used in combination with other strobes, you may want to consider the color cast (i.e. how warm or cool the strobe is) of the SB 105 and the color cast of the other strobe you are using. Other issues would be recycle times. I have heard that the SB 105 recycles more slowly than other strobes. It hasn't affected me in a negative way, but it's something to think about.

Another suggestion would be to take a look at the Inon Z240. It's a strobe that a lot of folks here use and are very happy with. The small size makes these strobes great for travel.

Here is an image I took in Cozumel. I was using two strobes when I took the shot but for some reason only one of them was working. You can see how the right side is in shadow and the lack of even lighting in the image. I think the shot would have been a lot better had both strobes been working.

I'm not familiar with the YS110a or Ikelite DS 160 strobes so I'll let others comment on them.

Most of all, enjoy your D700 in your new housing!

Ellen

I think you will be able to get TTL if you use the DS160's and connect them to the Aquatica housing using the Ikelite iTTL converter.

Cheers

James

I think you will be able to get TTL if you use the DS160's and connect them to the Aquatica housing using the Ikelite iTTL converter.

 

Cheers

James

Second that. For sure you will have TTL with the ike bulkhead and converter.

Thanks, everybody for the responses. Here are a few follow up questions.

1. From the specs, it looks like the SB105 and the Ikelite are closest in color temp (4700-4800), so from a color matching viewpoint adding a single Ikelite to the 105 would probably make more sense than a single Sea & Sea or Inon, which are in the 5400 - 5500 range. Do I assume correctly that matching will make my life easier in postproduction?

2. The recycle time and capability of the 105 do look like they could be limitations. From the specs (and experience) you can get between 40 and 60 shots on the 105 before recycle times start to wear on you. Fine for 36 exp film, but not great for digital I imagine. Recycle times are also longer, on average: 4-5 seconds v. 1 or 2 after a full dump. Moreover, if I start doing more manual work (as opposed to TTL) the 3 manual power settings on the 105 are likely to be fairly limiting, when compared to the dozen plus on the others. Does that all sound right?

3. The Inon recommendation sounds like I ought to add that to my list. Frankly it does look like a contender and is in the same price ballpark as the YS-110a and the DS-160. (a) Should I be concerned about Inon Japan's dispute with Inon America, which no longer distributes Inon in the US? (b) What is the difference between the Z-240, type 3 and type 4. Later model? What advantages?

4. Now: TTL. Other posts on this board indicate TTL is basically useless for wide and OK for macro but that you can do just as well manually with a little practice and trial and error. I have adjusted my thinking accordingly and have focused mainly on manual capability. My impression is that Ikelite does quite well with it's TTL converter (you need an Ikelite strobe of course), but that others are either crapshoots or twice as expensive and crapshoots. One combination I am considering, however, is dual Ikes with the converter. If anybody is using that combination, I'd like to hear how they like it. It's the one solution that might push me toward the single Ike bulkhead available in the Aquatica.

5. Also, the limited info I have on the Inon suggests that it has built-in TTL circuitry. Is this the same claim as everyone else makes -- yes, but you need a converter -- or is this a plug and play TTL solution? I'd be surprised if the answer is "no converter needed," but I can't get much info on this (since Inon America is shut down).

Again, my thanks to all for their help.

Do I assume correctly that matching will make my life easier in postproduction?

That's really hard to answer without knowing what software you'll be using. I don't have enough experience in that area to answer intelligently. I do all my post processing with Nikon Capture NX2 and it's easy enough to do selective adjustments on certain areas of the image in that software. I really don't know whether it would make a whole lot of difference in the image.

The recycle time and capability of the 105 do look like they could be limitations. From the specs (and experience) you can get between 40 and 60 shots on the 105 before recycle times start to wear on you. Fine for 36 exp film, but not great for digital I imagine. Recycle times are also longer, on average: 4-5 seconds v. 1 or 2 after a full dump. Moreover, if I start doing more manual work (as opposed to TTL) the 3 manual power settings on the 105 are likely to be fairly limiting, when compared to the dozen plus on the others. Does that all sound right?

Your reasoning sounds good on the comparison between film and digital. With the larger cards that are being used, it's possible to hold a huge amount of images on one card and I could see that your recycle times might start to bother you if shooting in machine gun style. But I'm not so sure that the 3 manual power settings on the SB 105 would be so limiting. There are other things you can do to "increase" or "decrease" the power, for example by moving the strobe closer to or farther away from the subject.

The Inon recommendation sounds like I ought to add that to my list. Frankly it does look like a contender and is in the same price ballpark as the YS-110a and the DS-160. (a) Should I be concerned about Inon Japan's dispute with Inon America, which no longer distributes Inon in the US

There have been several threads on this topic. I personally don't think you should be concerned, although some others think differently.

What is the difference between the Z-240, type 3 and type 4. Later model? What advantages?

I once had a conversation about this with one of the US Inon distributors. If I remember correctly, Inon recommends using Eneloop (or similar) type batteries in Type 4, whereas with type 3 you're not limited to the slow discharge type of rechargeables. I think it had to do with heat build up in the strobe.

the limited info I have on the Inon suggests that it has built-in TTL circuitry. Is this the same claim as everyone else makes -- yes, but you need a converter -- or is this a plug and play TTL solution? I'd be surprised if the answer is "no converter needed," but I can't get much info on this (since Inon America is shut down).

It's a different kind of ttl. They call it sTTL. I always shoot manual though. I don't believe it accomplishes what true TTL, as you may be thinking of, can do.

Hope that helps.

Ellen

Ellen:

Tremendously helpful.

I'm currently using Photoshop Elements. I can imagine having to play way too much to decrease or increase the reds on only one side of a shot.

Number of shots per dive looks to be the greatest limitation. I may not take 300 (my current card holds about 2100), but more than 60 is not out of the question, particularly if half of them are experiments.

With the Type 3 vs Type 4 issue, I'll want to look closer. I've got a decent collection of Imedion low discharge batteries. I'd like to be able to continue to use them rather than buy new.

I'll want to get to the bottom of the TTL issue too. There is a difference in price to go TTL (and probably direction too--Ikelite seems to have it figured out, others not so much). I'm trying not to dwell on this issue because I know many (most?) shoot manual. But I'd still like to figure out what their "sTTL" is all about before I consider it a buying factor.

Thanks again for your time.