Double or single ball arm?

I am using an ikelite housing with fisheye and wide angle lenses, and I'm looking to get some strobes and/or lamps.

Do I absolutely have to buy double ball arms or will single arms do?

I currently do not aim to shoot macro underwater, however I do want to do some close focus wide angle stuff.

Hi,
thats depending on what you want to do and how ;-))
You can shot macro as well as wide angle with one or two strobes.....
It makes a different in how you can work or your pics will look like.

Regards,
Wolfgang

I interpret the question of whether you need one arm per strobe, or two arms per strobe. If this is what you meant, then I suggest that yes you do need two arms. With one arm per side it is impossible to get the strobes in close to the port for CFWA work. With two arms per side it is possible to also get the strobes further away from the port which is necessary to maximize coverage and minimize backscatter with the fisheye lens. Finally, depending on your strobes, carrying the camera to and from the boat is awkward with only one arm per side, while two arms allow you to tuck them in close and compact. Arms and clamps are not expensive, and having two per side allows much greater flexibility in light placement, so why not have them?

Thanks to both of you!

I guess I'll buy two arms per strobe then.

Are strobe arms standardized across manufacturers (like the arca Swiss quick release clamps for example), or not?

Would I buy Inon arms or ikelite arms if I use an ikelite housing with Inon strobes, or does it not matter?

Are strobe arms standardized across manufacturers (like the arca Swiss quick release clamps for example), or not?

Would I buy Inon arms or ikelite arms if I use an ikelite housing with Inon strobes, or does it not matter?

The only thing that really matters is that the balls are the same diameter, typically 1 inch, so the clamps will fit. Lots of mfgs make arms and clamps. Some have little o-rings on the balls to give them more friction. Some attachments (like wet-lens holders or side-mount balls to place mid-length on an arm) will only fit that manufacturer's arms. Some clamps are longer or shorter, or a little easier to operate, especially with gloves on. Mostly, though, your big decision is just arm length....probably in the 6-12 inch range. The longer ones are nice for wide-angle, the shorter ones for macro. I have 4x8 inch arms. I might get 2 more that are 10 inch and replace my two outer arms.

Hi Istiophorus

As tursiops explains, it does't make much difference whose arms you buy as long as the ball at the end is the same diameter. 1 inch is common and covers, e.g., Inon, ULCS, Nauticam - and probably others.

tursiops uses all 8"arms which is a fair choice. It's also worth looking at, say a combination of a 5" plus 8" arm. I've found this works well for both macro and wide-angle. With macro you can fold the arms and they tuck together quite neatly to get the strobe close-ish to the port; and for wide-angle you can spread them or flip one side over to the other to fire both strobes to the same side.

So that is two two-piece arms each comprising 1x5" and 1x8".

Thanks again, tursiops and Tim!

Thanks again, tursiops and Tim!

Most rigs have rigid arms attached to the tray and often a very short arm at the strobe.

I have base balls mounted directly on the tray with a 10 inch arm and a 8 inch strobe mount. This means only 2 clamps per side. Less confusion. I normally orient them in an over under fashion for macro.

 

I agree with giffenk on the clamps. Maybe this photo helps show a possible layout and connections. Normally I have the 5" arm closest to the strobe and the 8" near the housing

 

You may have forgotten the photo ;-)

Can you (or anyone else) recommend me a book on the basics of underwater photography gear? As an experienced "over-water" photographer, I'm quite familiar with the act of photography itself (i.e. exposure, shutter speed and the like), but I have next to no knowledge about clamps, arms, balls and so on.

I have handles for both. I use the single when conditions are less than ideal. There are some I dive with whom think I specialize in single strobe shooting. I actually prefer two strobes as you have many more combinations of lighting. For macro in particular.

Oops, didn't read that closely. I always use two arm segments. You can adjust your lighting much better with two. I have a jumble of many different types of arms, but I believe they are all 1"

You may have forgotten the photo ;-)

Can you (or anyone else) recommend me a book on the basics of underwater photography gear? As an experienced "over-water" photographer, I'm quite familiar with the act of photography itself (i.e. exposure, shutter speed and the like), but I have next to no knowledge about clamps, arms, balls and so on.

Heaven knows what has happened to that pic! And now I can't find it... was it a dream? Am I losing it??

Will reload when I can find it!

As for a book, have a look at Martin Edge's book The Underwater Photographer which is up to it's ?4th edition. It's a very good source of reference

 

I agree with giffenk on the clamps. Maybe this photo helps show a possible layout and connections. Normally I have the 5" arm closest to the strobe and the 8" near the housing

 

Here's the photo... darned sure it was there a while ago!

Contrary to others it would seem... I'm shooting with a single arm segment each side. I don't currently do much CFWA. I haven't found a single arm segment to be too limiting and I shoot wide angle in caves. I love having less clamps to manipulate - I find they can be a real pain.

Finally, depending on your strobes, carrying the camera to and from the boat is awkward with only one arm per side, while two arms allow you to tuck them in close and compact.

I don't find this to be the case. I can tuck my strobes in quite nicely with a single arm segment.

I'm going to try my luck with a mixed setup: one strobe on 2 arms, the other on 1 arm.

I bought 2 Inon strobes and the arms used, and before I invest in a 4th arm, I'll check if I really need it. The seller said he never felt the need for a 4th arm, but then again he photographed shipwrecks and not CFWA.

What cable(s) would I need to connect the strobes to an RX100 in a nauticam housing?

The seller gave me his dual optical cable which he used with an Olympus housing, but I have no idea if that is going to work with the RX100.

On a somewhat related note: is there any housing for professional Canon DSLRs (5D and 1D series) without an internal flash that can provide TTL flash for Inon strobes?

Not looking to upgrade anytime soon, simply curious.