Strobes compatible with Olympus PT-015 Housing

I own the Olympus C5050 zoom with the PT-015 housing. I am in the market to purchase an underwater strobe. I know from reading these articles of some of the compatible strobes such as the Z-220, DS-125, DS-50, YS-90DX, D-180.

Is the Sunpak G flash compatible?

Is the new sl960D Sealife strobe compatible?

I want to try and spend less than $300.00 if at all possible.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi Johnny,

Tell us more about what kind of photography you wish to take. For some, a small flash like the Sealife or Sunpak may be enough, but for other situations, you'll want a wider and brighter strobe.

Any strobe that functions as an OPTICAL slave will work. The 5050 can be set up in slave mode, so that there is no preflash. So the camera's flash will trigger your amphibious optical slave.

Cheers

James

I take mostly macro pictures but when I go to Hawaii, I want a flash strong enough to back light the coral from 4 to 6 feet away. I know the Sunpak says it has a 70 guide at ISO 100, and the sealife says it is a 20 guide.

Also the sunpak doesn't have a sync cord but the sealife does. Will the sunpak work in slave mode without a sync cord?

If you had $300.00 which strobe would you buy for the C5050 Zoom?

I hate to say this, but if it were me, the answer is neither.

Since you have a transparent housing, you can use the internal flash for macro, especially in clean water. However, if you intend to light ANYTHING 6 feet away, your $300 will be wasted.

Stick with internal for Macro, ambient for Wide, and save up for a strobe with a much higher rating, like the Ds-125 or the Z-220