Just bought a G2 and am confused about what flash to buy.

Hello

I'm new to the forums and have a couple of questions. I just purchased a Canon G2 and am going on a cruise on November 2-9 Grand Caymans etc. I was told buy someone at Ike that the DS-50 was only good for macro. Also no one has the DS-125 in stock so I almost have to go with the 50. They say 2 to three weeks the ds125 is backordered. Should I wait and get the 125 or will the 50 do ok for the first time out.

Dive RSQ,

I assume you have an Ikelite house for your G2...

I have been using my G2 for quite a while without the stobe for the same reason and I've been very happy with the pix. I just got the ds125 in the water for the first time this morning.

I didn't have the best viz to work with but the strobe with the sensor worked flawlessly in TTL. It will require some learning to get the aiming right so I'm glad I got used to the camera without the strobe first.

I got the DS125 from B&H Photo online just last week. They were out for a long time but may still have in stock now. Not sure about the DS50.

I'm no expert, but i decided that if I was going to get a strobe, I might as well get the more power.

Good luck!

Actually I haven't purchased a housing but liked what I have heard about the Ikelite housing for the G2. So I was going to go with the

#6142 Digital Housing for $629.95

and the

#3944.72 Substrobe DS-125 Digital Package for $892.50.

I just received my G2 about an hour so have to start getting used to that. Do you have any tips on the housing/flash setup for a newbie or anything else I may be missing.

Thanks

Jay

Jay

I paid 614.95 for the housing from B&H and $649.95 for the strobe kit. The housing is the same as you mentioned (#6142) but the stobe pkg I got was #3944.65. #3944.72 has the ball socket which I assume is better. I didn't know about that one.

My only disappointment is that the strobe system I got had a dumb charger. The smart one sounds much better but I didn't know about that til after the purchase either. You might want to look into that.

I mentioned a few things on the tips section of this forum that may be some help. I'll keep you informed as I learn more.

You can check out some of my pix at the address below. They are all without the stobe for now.

Have fun!

Hey Tuga,

Your pics look great. Makes me think I can get by with just the housing my first time out. Which will make my wife happy. Instead of spending 1500 I can get away with 600 and learn more about it.

Any tips with handing the G2, ISO focus mode that sort of thing. Again I wont be buying the flash setup till later so it will be the on camera flash.

Thanks

Jay

Jay,

I use AV for almost everything. I bracket the fstop + or- one for most shots that I think were worth it. Continuous focus is a must. I have a 256 card so I can shoot about 120 of the highest rez pix on one card. I usually do 2 shore dives a day and have no problem keeping a freshly charged battery up.

I went out on a boat a couple of weeks ago and did 3 dives for a total u/w time of 3 1/2 hrs. I had the camera powered up the whole time with no battery problem. The screen display sleeps once in a while but I usually wake it up quickly.

I haven't used the raw format yet but I plan to experiment with it later after I have mastered the new strobe.

Other than that, everything is pretty much auto. I was hoping to get in 5 or six dives today and tomorrow to play with the strobe but we got a major rain storm here and the water is like mud. Guess I'll have to play with photoshop until next week

Have fun!

Tuga

Hi Jay.

I've been using the G2 in Ike housing, with the ds50 and digital slave, for nearly a year, and am very happy. Several folks around here are doing so.

You can see a few results at my pbase site, below.

I plan to get a ds125 soon, to add to it. I often would shoot my n90s with an ike SS200 and SS50, for contrasting lighting...

I love the tiny travel weight, and form factor underwater, compared to a full size 35mm SLR and housing rig.

So far, none of the other strobe folks give TTL flash exposure control, with the G2, or any other P&S digi. Ike rocks.

Don