Strobes for D2x

I just ordered a D2x and now I am thinking about the best strobe setup.

I did not decide for a housing until now. So I am still open minded for any suggestions.

I have a very nice Hartenberger 125 strobe but unfortunately it does not go TTL with digital SLR.

Of course I could use that strobe manual, but I would like to use TTL.

I think a SB800 in a strobecase would be good, but if I use the Hartenberger as slave this would only work in manual mode.

(I suspect that in TTL-mode the SB800's preflash will fire the slave early)

Maybe the best solution would be to sell the Hartenberger strobe and get two SB800 in strobecases. This should work properly.

Does anybody know if the strobes have both to be connected by sync.-wire to two sockets on the housing? Or will only one SB800 be connected as a master and control the second one like a slave?

What do you think?

Thilo

Honestly, I would just forget about shooting TTL for a while. Monkeying around with multiple SB800's or one SB800 and one old-style-ttl strobe probably won't give you reliable results.

That's what we want from our flash exposures - reliable results and a proper strobe exposure every time. With your current suggestions, I don't think you will achieve that.

I suggest that you use two underwater strobes in manual. Sooner or later, a strobe or housing manufacturer will figure out iTTL and make a preflashing strobe that can do it. When that day comes, I would suggest getting some, but until then, MANUAL is your best bet to get reliable repeatable strobe exposures.

With that said, if you house one SB800, you will probably get good exposures, but the combo thing just doesn't work. I have a strobe housing and I've tested it.

Cheers

James

I suggest that you use two underwater strobes in manual. Sooner or later, a strobe or housing manufacturer will figure out iTTL and make a preflashing strobe that can do it. When that day comes, I would suggest getting some, but until then, MANUAL is your best bet to get reliable repeatable strobe exposures.

James

Thanks for your advice. Maybe it is a bit risky to buy another underwater strobe and wait for the manufacturers to solve the iTTL problem.

If I am lucky, e.g. Hartenberger will be able to beef up my old 125 in the future. In worst case I would need to get new ones if I want to have the benefit of iTTL somewhen in the future.

With that said, if you house one SB800, you will probably get good exposures, but the combo thing just doesn't work. I have a strobe housing and I've tested it.

It's hard to understand why the combo doesn't work.

On land it should work,- why not u/w?

Did you connect each SB800 to the camera/housing or did you use one strobe as a slave?

Thilo

Cheers

James

As someone who housed a land strobe and used DTTL underwater - I would plead with anyone to try manual strobes with a digital SLR before housing land strobes!

See this discussion:

http://www.wetpixel.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic...ic-t-6199.phtml

Since Nikon have not finished the D2X it is probably wise to wait for a housing. Nikon now state that all the D2Xs that have been knocking around at Photokina etc were D2Hs with D2X sensors. And while every nikon website around the world has D2X pictures that look identical to the D2H (and will therefore fit in D2H housings) there is no guarentee it will be.

Alex