ike strobes

Unlike a lot of people I generally evaluate all my images by eye on the LCD. I never used highlights on my D100 - although I did have it on quite a bit this week with the D70 - and liked it. I only use the histogram sparingly. I am happy with my exposures - and I rarely feel I need the histo to tell me so. Others find the histos very helpful so I wouldn't necessarily encourage people to do as I do in this area.

I'll do a D70 impressions post when I get a few minutes. I very much enjoyed shooting with the camera and am VERY VERY pleased with some of my images (particularly wide angle). They are under wraps for now, but I don't say "very very" that much!

My feeling on RAW files - I've updated ACR now - is that I think ACR is generally better/easier for correcting colour balance than Capture. If I was a land photographer shooting people I would definitely use Capture for people photography etc. But as an UW I prefer the colour control of ACR. With or without Ikelite strobes (just thought I'd keep to topic!).

Alex

thanks alex. when or if you get a chance and can compare a couple of images with a lot of red convert both with ACR in photoshop and Nikon Capture. I just could not get the same results with CS...maybe there is a newer version of ACR I should get...

Cant wait to read your review and see the WA.

M.

One comment about Ike 125 strobes: NEVER position it by grabbing the back of the strobe and wrenching it around. You will have a flood, unless you grab it by where the arm mounts to the strobe.

*UPDATE* Dave Haas wrote me:

"I talked to someone at Ikelite a while back (Steve Johnson in strobe repair, I think) and they said the plastic part which has a spring and tightens down the battery pack was changed to a different part. These breaking was the only resulting floods I'm aware of.....

"I don't personally know anyone who's had a flood due to grabbing the back. Myself along with another poster on Wetpixel stated we grab the strobe at teh back underwater all the time. Water pressure even at a few inches is likely too great for you to physically break the seal.... "

I dunno. Having flooded quite a few of the early Ike strobes, I'm still paranoid, and will never grab the back of one. No floods recently, though.

Alex,

Although your D70 WA images are "under wraps" for now, what WA lens did you use on the D70? I'm curious because I am making some lens decisions soon for my D70 and I would value your input.

And what what brand did you use?

Cheers,

Sieg

Lens choice depends on location. Here in Cayman I could live with just a 10.5mm FE and a 105mm macro. Once you have learned to shoot a full frame fisheye - no other lens will do for wide angle scenics.

If I was going to a big animal location I would prefer a 12-24mm DX Nikkor to the fisheye.

Here is a sneak peak at one of my pix from my last dive (on Friday). This is a nice shot but does not really compare with the really exciting stuff! This was taken with a 20mm but I was using the fisheye later in the dive and that is when the best pictures came!

I always visualised these images as black and whites - which I think is important because you then make different decisions about composition lighting etc.

Alex

Looks awesome in B&W

Karl

Thanks Alex, can't wait to see some of the other shots...........Sieg

I have to agree with most of the people who posted that the Ike DS125s have enough power settings, and the manual controller, while a nice product, may not be necessary in many scenarios.

Don't forget that the use of the diffuser on the strobes gives you another full stop or so of light reductions, giving you Full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and then with the diffuser, 1/16.

More than enough for most purposes, I'd suggest

I'm looking forward to getting an iTTL module....not so much for iTTL, but so I can eliminate the bulk of the manual controllers and use the convenient buttons to control the strobes manually that way

That's the problem I have. I don't wannt to wait the TTL fro Ike and I'm from Europe, so the sending the housing back to Ike is expensive and take to long.

Does the charger fit european wall plugs (uk, german/swedish) and or is just a matter of switching the cord?

Switch cords.

I think that Chris makes an important point - just because we can fix things afterwards - who has the time. Its much easier to get it right at the time!

It's always better to get it right the first time. But if you don't get it right the first time, your choice is either taking another shot (or shots) or fixing it later in PS. If I am within a half stop without blown highlights, then I have far more time afterwards than I do during the dive. Dive time is finite.

Unlike a lot of people I generally evaluate all my images by eye on the LCD

You are a braver man than I, Gunga Din. LCD accuracy can actually vary from unit to unit, plus ambient light can alter our ability to judge the exposure on the LCD. If I used the LCD, all my images would be underexposed. If it's dark on the LCD (underwater), then it's REALLY underexposed. I trust the histogram. It is far better than my perception of the LCD.

I first started using the manual controlers, and i went on a wetpixel trip, with 8 photographers shooting like mad. The controlers are fired by cord/and or by the built in light sensor... which always senses light, even if it's well covered.

Every time someone pressed his shutter close to me, my strobes were firing, ruining his picture (and getting discharged), ask eric or jimmy :roll:

now i'm back to a dual sync cord, and i'm very happy with the 4 settings (i almost never change them)

i wish for a manual controler that controls boths strobes, that is placed close to the housing, and doesn't have a light sensor

The manual controllers are not essential but they are nice to have. You can always play with aperture or shutter speed as many have suggested but this is NOT equivelent to changing strobe power.

2) Flip aperture dial, stopping down or opening up a 1/2 stop without moving my hand from the shutter release and while framing my subject.

One stop more or less might not make a big difference but if you change aperture you change your DOF and if you change shutter speed you change the background. I prefer to set these independantly and vary only the foreground exposure. The only way to set the foreground exposure while keeping other parameters constant is with strobe power. Tweaking in photoshop works to a point too, but the optimal photo is the one done right in the camera. For me (personal prefrence) I find it easier to read the big numbers on the manual controller close to my hands than to adjust strobe power at the end of 16 " arms and shutter speed. I can't easially read the exposure info in the framer.

Still, 4 steps is probably enough. If I were planning to go TTL when available I'd skip the controllers.

4 steps was not enough for the full auto Canon Digital elph. I often blew out pictures because 1/8 was too much. This was a completely different problem though. Here you needed to outsmart the camera which was trying to outsmart you at the same time :roll:

Switch cords.

Lovely - thanks!

just read this nice statement from ike website's nikon page:

"Ikelite is working diligently on conversion circuitry to provide iTTL compatibility for our SubStrobes"

I'll wait for you ike!!

Mostly deciphered now. We are getting very close............

Mostly deciphered now. We are getting very close............

Will I have to use an Ike housing to make this work, or will I be able to rig DS125s to my seacam housing and get iTTL?

Conversion circuitry installs only in the Ikelite housing.............

Ike,

Glad to hear that you are getting close on iTTL. How are you planning to implement it?

1) Will you provide FEC through the camera or through the iTTL converter like the dRebel? Where will the button be?

2) How do you control two strobes with the TTL circuitry? In manual mode I imagine both strobes fire with the prescribed duration? In iTTL does it work as well with one or two strobes?

I'll wait for you ike!!

Can't wait to try it myself!