Inon Z-330 vs circular tube strobes

23 hours ago, davehicks said:

Tell me if this helps!

 

 

All you're doing is getting me excited to get back into the water. I'm hoping to finish up my DM requirements in Oct then I will be getting back into diving for photography.  Thank for these photos.

 

Also, how close are you to these creatures I feel the octos would be skittish but I haven't dove with them

1 hour ago, Dann-Oh said:

All you're doing is getting me excited to get back into the water. I'm hoping to finish up my DM requirements in Oct then I will be getting back into diving for photography.  Thank for these photos.

 

Also, how close are you to these creatures I feel the octos would be skittish but I haven't dove with them

GPO's are not particularly skittish. 95% of the time when you see one, they are in a den, and they generally stay there. If you are lucky enough to see one in the open, they are not skittish, but they will only approach you if they are in the mood. Sometimes it seems like they don't even acknowledge your presence at all. Other times they are very curious and will reach out to touch you with a single tentacle. However, it's the divers should be skittish when encountering a really big one, as they can grab on to something like a camera or regulator and decide they want to keep it. I once saw a 20 foot GPO near God's Pocket and I was properly cautious around that monster.

Sometimes they are very curious and will give you a hug as did the one seen below. To get well-lit photos of a big GPO you need to be within 2-3 feet of the subject. The water in these parts is typically pretty full of particulate even on a good day, so proper strobe positioning to minimize backscatter has to be mastered.

 

I suspect part of the story is in how well parabolic optics are used in the strobe. That is, actual position of the light source inside the reflector.  See the diagram at the bottom of this page.

https://www.edmundoptics.in/f/precision-parabolic-reflectors/13727/T

The now over 50 year old Subsea strobes did this rather well with a flash tube that had a corkscrew shape but could be focused via a knob on the outside of the strobe (so could work under water).

I suspect part of the story is in how well parabolic optics are used in the strobe. That is, actual position of the light source inside the reflector.  See the diagram at the bottom of this page.
https://www.edmundoptics.in/f/precision-parabolic-reflectors/13727/T
The now over 50 year old Subsea strobes did this rather well with a flash tube that had a corkscrew shape but could be focused via a knob on the outside of the strobe (so could work under water).

That in the image is like a reflector of a mains powered studio light
The hole in the middle is for a modelling light and a circular bulb is mounted around it
The seacam strobes are very similar however as there is less space and the whole thing is inside a housing the effectiveness drops
Contrary to what most people think light is more even when you are close to a softbox
Once you are far away all lights starts to be more of a point source and the diffusion effects drops


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