Just bought t2i ikelite housing, strobes next?

I just bought my first underwater camera housing in the Ikelite Canon t2i with the 6 inch dome port. I'm curious what else I should buy for my setup. I'm assuming I should get some strobes and was curious what I should get that's the most reasonable/bang for your buck product. I'm definitely new at this so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I just bought my first underwater camera housing in the Ikelite Canon t2i with the 6 inch dome port. I'm curious what else I should buy for my setup. I'm assuming I should get some strobes and was curious what I should get that's the most reasonable/bang for your buck product. I'm definitely new at this so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Hello Emfish,

I have the same housing and camera, and I have been happy with them. I have also been happy with the Ikelite 160 strobes. I now have 2 strobes (one of them is a 161), but I started out with a single strobe. Having only one works well. It gives broad even coverage and I was usually I able to avoid harsh shadows - sometimes shadow is a good thing. Two strobes gives you more options, but I think having only one gives better bang for the buck. If you do get a 160 strobe, get one of the newer ones with lithium batteries. They weigh 800 grams less than mine which are equipped with NiMH batteries. That will spare you the expense and bother of using floatation to make it comfortable to use underwater.

Another good bang-for-the-buck purchase you might consider is Martin Edge's book on underwater photography.

I only recently purchased a good focus light because my camera had trouble locking onto the subject. Most of my macro shots are not at all crisp. I hope the new centre mounted light will fix that.

Sometimes I wished wished I had a fancier camera, with a more reliable focus, but even if I had a lot more money to devote to this, I would stick with an Ikelite housing. There are advantages to a transparent housing that help you avoid some issues that have baffled and even ruined trips for owners of aluminum housings.

John McCracken

Thank you John I appreciate your help. I haven't decided yet if I'm gonna do one ds160 or two cheaper strobes (ds51's)

I'll look into the book as well because I definitely have a lot to learn.

Eric

Thank you John I appreciate your help. I haven't decided yet if I'm gonna do one ds160 or two cheaper strobes (ds51's)

I'll look into the book as well because I definitely have a lot to learn.

Eric

Hello Eric.

Here are some photos from my first trip to the Red Sea since my old Nikonos days, 20 - 30 years ago. When artificial light was used, they were all shot with a single DS161 strobe in TTL mode. None of them are prize winners but they impressed me, my friends, and family. The DS161, or DS160, has more power, warmer light, and wider coverage than the DS51. Those are all god things, but I don't know if that trumps the versatility of having two strobes. From my recent experience with two strobes, I can't say I saw a whole lot of improvement. Maybe someone with more experience will post something to inform your decision.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pointymccracken/sets/72157634200011752/

John McCracken