Using two SB 800 U/W with D2X

I’m working on getting two SB 800's to work in iTTL mode with my D2X housing.

Dave Marsh from Underwater Photo Tech has been very helpful and has sold me a

Sea & Sea YS-90 Fiber optic cord kit. I’ll be connecting the master strobe to the cameras sync connection and the second strobe will connect to the master using the fiber optic cable. I’m not sure if I’ll encounter any troubles, seems like it should work. I’m wondering why someone hasn’t offered this ?

Marc

Hi!

What brand of housing will you use for the SB800?

I’m wondering why someone hasn’t offered this ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think that you are over estimating the efficiency of the UW photo industry! Also this is a niche product as it would be for Nikon DSLR users only - so would only have a small market. Especially when you consider that many people prefer using UW strobes (for extra coverage) and are happy without TTL control.

Inon offer a long fibre optic synch cable to run from a main strobe to a slave. The problem is that it either ends up drifting in front of the lens or in front of the viewfinder with standard strobes positions, when underwater!

Good luck and please share how you get on.

Alex

Hi Marc,

Here is another guy who's working at the same problem, it was

already in the forums and there were also some interesting answers (from RUIZ, etc.).

I'm working with a D2X in a Seacam-housing, two SB800 (in

Seacam-housing with powermodule & targetlights). At this moment

I can only use "one" SB800, and I-TTL is working fantastic underwater.... (I'm also using Subtronic Megacolors on manual and this works much better than I could ever believe)

But first of all, after 37 dives with the D2X, I can tell you that TTL is

NOT necessary with this camera. But ofcourse when you once used

the SB800's topside, you want to use them underwater (just like me).

Wiring the two SB800 together does not work. (see the explanation of

RUIZ in the forums / both flashes are thinking they are the master).

Wiring one (I-TTL) and using one on SLAVE I-TTL is the solution (BUT THEN YOU NEED A FLASH HOUSING WHICH DOES NOT COVER THE SENSOR). Sealux has such a housing (I think it's the only one).

The SEACAM & SUBAL housings for the SB800 are both covering the sensor. The flash is in a tube-housing. At this moment a foto-repair-store is looking if it's possible to replace the sensors to the top of the

SB800, so I can place it in my Seacam-housing (and the sensor is

not covered anymore)... I'm waiting for an anwer. In this case, one

of my SB800 is lost for topside...

Topside it's also possible to use two SB800 on I-TTL by wiring the master-flash to the other flash (connection at the side of the SB800). Maybe this is also a solution for underwater (rebuilding the flash-housing of the master flash / extra flash-socket to wire the master-flash-housing to het second flash-housing, etc...). I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS POSSIBLE... (and a lot of cables for underwater...)

Your solution is very interesting, but how can you connect the fiber optic

cord to the second flash-housing? And is it working with I-TTL on the D2X... The I-TTL system of the D2X is not the same as the D70 or a compact-digital... Let me now if it works please. Maybe your solution is "THE SOLUTION".

For those who are thinking of housing the fantastic SB800. When you only want to work with one flash there is no problem, but if you want to use two flashes... Maybe it's better to wait :

1° Subtronic is working very fast and I think in a few months the digital

NOVA is ready for D2X I-TTL.

2° I-TTL is not really necessary with the D2X, manual flashes are working fine...

Bart

Marc has designed and built his own housings for the D2X and the SB-800

2° I-TTL is not really necessary with the D2X, manual flashes are working fine...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think that this is the key point for most people - especially when one of the people working on the problem says this ! See http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6199 for more opinions!

Alex

How about the new subtronics? They say they do support iTTL, but is it only one? I mean, if you have two subtronics, does one have to be on manual?

BART HEINES: thanks for the inforamation on your post. It was very useful to me. I own one SB800 but I never used it underwater.

Can anyone post or show a link to photos taken with one housed SB800?

Thanks

I don't know if a window next to the sensor in SB800 will be enough? While in air, it works great but underwater, I would assume that the range will be significantly reduced. I do think that the Nikon creative lighting system has potential to be a lot of fun underwater if it works.

I don't know if a window next to the sensor in SB800 will be enough? While in air, it works great but underwater, I would assume that the range will be significantly reduced. I do think that the Nikon creative lighting system has potential to be a lot of fun underwater if it works.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Marc is using a Fiber Optic cord for the infrared communication between the two strobes. Hopefully this will overcome the inherent problems of infrared signal loss underwater. I'm sure they'll be some trial and error testing in getting the diameter of the fiber optic cord correct.

Rocha : I mailed to Subtronic, but I didn't get the answer yet. Strange (stupid) I never considered that a digital Subtronic could possible have the same problems in working together as the SB800's... (I hope they don't). Let you know when they answer me.

to ssra30 : The german housing-builder SEALUX confirmed me that "slave i-TTL" works fine UNDERWATER... (hadn't the opportunity to test it / my housings are covering the slave-sensors... / but I hope it's the truth) With my old F5 I worked a lot of time using one wired flash and one flash in slave TTL (It worked...). If you want to take a look at te SEALUX housing for the SB800 (It's realy ugly, but as far as I know it's the only housing "not covering" the slave-sensor)

www.sealux.de/e/efotozub/cx800

One disadvantage of the Sealux is that apparently it has a flat glass in front of the flash. I think this will decrease even more the SB800's angle of coverage (which already is smaller than most UW strobes).

Fantasea will also have a strobe case available this fall for the Nikon SB-800. As you can see in the attached photo it's a clear case that allows the strobe head to be in it's normal position. The infrared transmitter and receiver are also facing forward and should work in wireless ITTL mode.

to ssra30 : The german housing-builder SEALUX confirmed me that "slave i-TTL" works fine UNDERWATER

www.sealux.de/e/efotozub/cx800

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I assume the slave i-ttl is wireless. Any idea how far it can be placed away from the master strobe? I like the idea of having a detached slave strobe for some interesting placement but I hope it will have a decent range.

If I need to use optical sensor to connect the two strobes, that might not be as fun

The slave I-ttl is wireless !

I tried "topside" "INSIDE A HOUSE" and it was possible to place the flashes more than 7 meters away (both flashes looking at the same direction). But the walls were white... Then I tried outside (less reflection / no walls) and it didn't work at 7 meters when both flashes were looking at exactly the same direction, but when I turned the flashes just a little bit, it worked again. I only checked if the flash went of (didn't check if TTL worked).

ATTENTION :

It was topside (air you know). The only way to discover how it works underwater is to test it...

Bart

Can anyone post or show a link to photos taken with one housed SB800?[/

 

 

I’m still working on my dual SB 800 project but got side tracked some what because of hurricane Katrina. I was out of power for five days and hopefully I’ll make some progress this coming weekend. This was the first time I had a chance to upload a picture using a single SB 800 housed flash.

 

Marc

 

Question from "Luiz ROCHA" Aug 23 2005

"How about the new subtronics? They say they do support iTTL, but is

it only one? I mean if you have two subtronics, does one have to be on

manual?"

Today I received the following answer from Subtronic (probably our questions are difficult !?)

"We don't have the Nova up to now. We try to produce it until Boot 2006.

We ant tot design the NOVA to work with D2X and when it works we can use two Novas in iTTL mode with the Camera. Onze of them as master, one of them als slave, but wired in iTTL-mode."

REMARKS :

"1" sorry I asked only about the NOVA because I'm only interested in the Nova (almost the same power as my old Mega-Color).

"2" Boot 2006 is probably "oktober 2006".

"3" The solution of SUBTRONIC iTTL & wiring two flashes, is possibly the

same as I was thinking about (post in this forum aug 23) / because iTTL

with two flashes (second on slave iTTL) seems to work, I stopped looking for the other options.

"4" I received my magical-filters and on my next diving vacation (2005.10.01) I'm probably going to use/test the filters for wide-angle most of the time and my old Megacolor Subtronic on manual for macro !

Thanks Mark Furth,

I´m very pleased with the result from a single housed SB800. I'll save some euros to buy the housing for my SB800.

I'm getting good results with my Subtronic Maxi on i-TTL. Here is a link to my web page. It´s a foto of a Sea Horse taken here in Portugal on one of the most croudy beach (just a few 50m from de beach). No exposure compensation. Just a change of WB and change to mode color III (Nikon D70 with Subtronic i-TTL):

http://www.azulprofundo.com/Carlos/Sesimbr...Ago05/index.htm

Nice photographs but in my opinion the white balance looks a little off, what white balance setting are you using?

If you haven’t already tried matching your output Kelvin temperature of your flash to your cameras settings I would give it a try. My macro shots were very much improved after I changed from AWB.

Marc

I'm using AWB. I'm learning...

I have some dificulties on finding a waterprof grey card here in Portugal...

Thanks anyway.