Strobes and cables for Nikon D90

After a lot of searching and budget decisions, I'm going with a Nikon D90 with a 60mm micro lens to start. I'm planning on adding a wide angle and dome port later.

Looking at housings I am planning on the Aquatica or Patina with the flat port to start. Is there any big difference between them?

Looking for a pair of strobes I get lost. I was looking at a pair of Ikelite DS-51's but can't find a TTL cable to go from the Aquatica housing to Ikelite strobes. I all ready have a Sea & Sea YS-27 strobe. Would it make better sense to get another Sea & Sea and find a cable hook up for that? Do strobes need to be TTL capable or are they all ready?

Thanks for your help. Dan

I'm not familiar with the Patima housing. I took a look at the pictures on Reef photo. I does not appear the have fiber optic cables. I know that the Aquatica does not have the fiber optic cabel connection. You can order the Aquatica hosung with either a Nikonos or Ikelite bulkhead to hook up a stobe. The only housing that I'm aware of that has both a fiber optic and a Nikonos bulkhead is the Nexus housing, but it is about a $1000 more than the other 2 housings you mentioned.

The YS-27 only has fiber optic hook up and not a nikonos bulkhead. You would either have the get the YS-100a or the YS-250PRO to work with the housings you mentioned. They have the the Nikonos hookup. Then you can run a fiber optic cable for one of those stobes to the YS-27 and run it as a slave.

As far as the Ikelite DS-51, I'm pretty sure they have a cable. You can always e-mail them directly, they are good about getting back with you. Here is there website with the cables. http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/sync_cords.html

I'm not sure, but you mention a TTL cable. I think TTL on Ikelite only works with a Ikelite housing. Ike people need to chime in on this one.

Kirk

After a lot of searching and budget decisions, I'm going with a Nikon D90 with a 60mm micro lens to start. I'm planning on adding a wide angle and dome port later.

 

Looking at housings I am planning on the Aquatica or Patina with the flat port to start. Is there any big difference between them?

 

Looking for a pair of strobes I get lost. I was looking at a pair of Ikelite DS-51's but can't find a TTL cable to go from the Aquatica housing to Ikelite strobes. I all ready have a Sea & Sea YS-27 strobe. Would it make better sense to get another Sea & Sea and find a cable hook up for that? Do strobes need to be TTL capable or are they all ready?

 

Thanks for your help. Dan

Cheaper setup is the take the Nexus housing D90T1F (standard viewfinder, optically fired, no bulkhead), 2 optical cables and 2 x Inon D2000 strobes. You can have TTL (in the form of S-TTL of the Inons strobes)

This setup is cheaper than those using electrical sync cords and Z240, YS110a etc that has the electrical sync connectors.

You will not run into the risks of having salt water into the bulkhead if you use electrical sync firing

Hope this helps

When considering a housing, price is not the definitive factor alone. The availability of ports and functions placements are also important.

For Patima housing, the price is good for a aluminium housing. But the lack of a focus knob on its body and the lacks of ports is a major minus point. Patima only have port for 60mm, 105mm, 10.5mm ports.

Aquatica is a good housing, decent price for their D90 housing and has ample configurations for most lens used underwater. Buttons/functions placements are good too. If only they have optic connectors, else I will go their way.

However, their prices will increase exponentially for their higher end models. Steeper increments than other housing.

Else another way to go is Ikelite housing. Bulkier but then lesser cost overall

Thanks for the replies.

I don't get the math on the Nexus housings with the Inon strobes... seems to be about $1,000 more expensive to go that route.

Kirk.. So an Aquatica with the Nikonos bulkhead to connect electrically to a YS-110a and then optical from the YS-110a to the YS-27. The YS-110a has both electrical and optical bulkheads? (Yes, less expensive to go this way as I need only one more strobe)

Or, Ikelite housing with two say, DS-51's, and they can both be optical?

Thanks for the replies.

 

I don't get the math on the Nexus housings with the Inon strobes... seems to be about $1,000 more expensive to go that route.

 

Kirk.. So an Aquatica with the Nikonos bulkhead to connect electrically to a YS-110a and then optical from the YS-110a to the YS-27. The YS-110a has both electrical and optical bulkheads? (Yes, less expensive to go this way as I need only one more strobe)

 

Or, Ikelite housing with two say, DS-51's, and they can both be optical?

The Ike housing for the D90 does not allow for the flash to be popped up, therefore, you can't go optical, you'd have to go hard wires (aka. electrical). You'd have to check with the guys who shoot the DS-51, but I think I have read posts that they may no be powerful enough to light wide angle shoots?? I think they'd be fine for Macro.

Kirk