p&s (no preflash) macro strobes

I'm looking at purchasing a strobe for my Fuji F810, and I am a bit overwhelmed (with the different options, and with their prices). I'll be diving in Hawaii in a few weeks. I'd like to bounce a few of my thoughts around, see if they make sense, and hopefully make a decision.

I know there are dozens of threads on strobes for p&s digital cameras; I'm posting a new one because the F810 does not use a preflash — rather it monitors light output during the exposure and shuts off the flash when necessary. It has manual flash exposure control. So if I can save money by not getting a "preflash compatible" strobe, I'd do so. I'd be happy with either TTL slave (strobe mimicking camera flash) or manual strobe control.

Realistically, I can't afford a great all-round underwater setup. So I'd like to focus on one area and try to do it well. Since I shoot a lot of closeups topside, I figure I'll pick up an AD-mount macro adapter and concentrate on the macro. I'm hoping I can save some money by picking strobes which are well-suited for macro, but perhaps not so well-suited for wide-angle.

First, does this strategy of focusing on macro make sense? When I started looking, I was hoping I could find two low-powered, macro strobes for the price of one good high-output strobe. That's not really possible, but strobes like the YS-15Auto, YS-25Auto and YS-30TTL get close.

These are the strobes I am looking at:

Ikelite DS-50

S&S YS-xx (15Auto, 30TTL, 25Auto, ..)

Inon D2000, Z220(f/s)

Bonica?

Have I missed anything? Epoques are cheap but seem to be poorly rated. Bonica strobes are very cheap, $230, and even have manual control (rare at low prices), but I can't find much about them. In terms of price, the DS-50 plus controller is $470, the D2000 is $510 (not incl. optical sync), the Z220 is $650. The Sea & Seas are $300-400.

The low-end Sea and Sea strobes are the cheapest, and so are attractive, but I'm not sure I understand how they work. The 25Auto has "Slave function" with the ability to set 6 different camera fstops. The 15Auto has "Slave auto (syncs the first flash)" at aperture 2.8. Would either one work? Letting the strobe control exposure seems iffy to me, even with aperture adjustments (which are less useful than manul adjustments).

The YS-30TTL, on the other hand, has "Slave function" and "Cordless TTL (TTL slave) function." TTL slave sounds like exactly what I want (external flash copies internal flash), but the Sea & Sea website explains, "The YS-30 TTL II Duo also works as a cordless TTL slave strobe: With a main TTL strobe connected to the camera, the YS-30 will fire in TTL mode without a cord when mounted in a multi-strobe ring or a similar mounting." I don't know what this really means.

I am not sure how important using an optical sync cord is, particularly for macro (because I think cordless will work better with a close subject and also because it is less important to block the main flash to avoid backscatter).

Is there a difference between optical syncs on the Inon and S&S strobes versus the Ikelite strobes? I see pictures of Ikelite strobes with a little doohickey mounted on the strobe arm pointed at the main flash — this seems like a poor way of working. Compared to the DS-50, I like that the D2000 has fewer bits and pieces (built-in manual control).

Do I need manual control? I get the impression that most people feel manual control is very important for wide-angle shots, and also that most people feel TTL is important for macro. For Ikelite strobes, the manual controller costs the same as the TTL slave controller, so I'd get the manual controller.

The Inon D2000 seems to be highly regarded, but many of its features seem to be wasted on the F810. For example, it will not TTL with the F810, but will only work in Auto (based on strobe sensor) or manual. The Z220 will TTL with the F810, and additionally is more future-proof (doesn't have to be optically triggered, if I ever upgrade).

So in summary: If any of the S&S strobes will work (esp. the YS-30TTL), that's probably what I'll go for. At the price, I can afford dual strobes, which I can see makes an big difference to macro photography (of course I'm a beginner, but I think I could figure out two strobes especially in auto). The DS-50s I might be able to stretch and get dual strobes, but it gets very pricey so probably not. If the D2000 is regarded as better than DS-50's, then I'll consider a single Z220 and get TTL plus full manual plus future compatibility.

Thoughts?

Hi Tie,

Since the F810 is not a preflash camera, you can use literally any strobe that has a slave sensor.

As funny as this sounds, I recommend you pick up a used Ikelite Ai (also called the Substrobe 100). Here is one on Ebay with a buy it now price of $109:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...7529140500&rd=1

The strobe has full and half power, and can do 1/4 with the diffuser mounted. That will be enough for most shooting situations.

Here's another shot, showing a different auction. It shows the diffuser. See how you can cut a small round hole in the diffuser and fit your fiber optic cord?

I hope this post helps you and doesn't confuse you further.

James

Thanks for the advice. I notice there is no Ai diffuser accessory, but it can't be hard to rig something. (Hopefully, at least; my current experience with do-it-yourself diffusers is that seemingly neutral material like milkjugs or kinds of paper can alter the light color significantly.) I'm pretty sure I'll need a strong diffuser since I can only stop to f/8.

Anyway, I should have grabbed the strobe you pointed to. Instead, I bidded on another one which was significantly cheaper and was sniped at the end by what appears to be an underwater photography store. Yes, I've never used EBay before. I'll keep tracking EBay and try to be smarter next time.