Lightweight Wide-angle Strobe Alternatives

Great stuff Gudge! Could you share the approx depth and aperatures of these shots?

Thanks Liz, I'm a vic too, so nice to see results from temperate waters.

These are from a 8m dive at cottage by the sea with good water clarity. I think i used a SS400 and a SS200 on this shot, and it was just enough juice with a weak winter sun low in the sky. I'm not sure i'd have enough light against a strong summer midday sun in such shallow water, and i fear the Z240's might not cut it. But your and Gudges' photos give me hope. I'm working on lighting a 4m tall kelp forest at the moment..damn its tough...i think i'm going to have to get some off remote slaves going.

Great stuff Gudge! Could you share the approx depth and aperatures of these shots?

Jellyfish - f13, 1/250, ISO 200, less than 5m.

Soft Coral - f16, 1/250, ISO 200, less than 5m.

Turtle - f8, 1/250, ISO 200, 5-10m

Leopard Shark - f8, 1/250, ISO 200, 5-10m

......just enough juice with a weak winter sun low in the sky

These are from a 8m dive at cottage by the sea with good water clarity. I think i used a SS400 and a SS200 on this shot, and it was just enough juice with a weak winter sun low in the sky. I'm not sure i'd have enough light against a strong summer midday sun in such shallow water, and i fear the Z240's might not cut it. But your and Gudges' photos give me hope. I'm working on lighting a 4m tall kelp forest at the moment..damn its tough...i think i'm going to have to get some off remote slaves going.

What camera settings were you using? For shots into the sun, I use shutter speeds of 1/200 or 1/250 to reduce the sunlight, and then lower my f-stop to capture more strobe light if required. I rarely shoot below f8, and except for over/unders I haven't had power problems in Melbourne....yet. I think coverage is more of an issue, and more strobes is a great solution (with an associated increase in co-ordination required and difficulty level).

More importantly, where is the 4m kelp forest??

The settings for the two shots posted above are both 1/250 F9.0 at 200ISO (10mm focal length and 1.6x sensor) and i'm pretty sure both SS400 and a SS200 were at full power. I don't like opening any wider than F8, so that gives me a stop of aperature to work with and a stop of ISO, which i reckon the summer sun at midday will steal from me.

The angle of coverage and water penetration might be my main issues. Although Gudges shots are high ambient light, the first two are bordering on CFWA, so the smaller subjects and the closer distance will utilise the strobe light better. But with the traditional wide angle, shooting through more water and covering a larger subject area, i'm noticing the light fall off. It might be the nature of shallow temperate vegetation too. Kelp and algaes probably have a lower reflectivity index than sponges etc. and be 'stealing' some of my light. Ok..i'm probably over thinking this now ; )

Re: Kelp Forest - its an ephemeral stand just off Pt lonsdale. (a strictly slack water and low swell dive). Its been a bumper winter for Macrocystis...spectacular stuff..but just so damn hard to photograph!