My Sunpak G-Flash Testing

[Goondoo]

Cleaning up my stuff and decided to test the light angle since I am always doubting the menu.

Use a Black T-shirt, my Sunpak G-Flash and my C-750.
Settings:
ISO:50
F8
1/50 shutter speed

Sunpak has a rating of G22 (onland as advised by Kthan),
Setting tested:
G3
G15 (Estimated)
G22

4 pictures taken every settings.
1) Angle of width of strobe
2) Angle of length of strobe
3) Angle of width with diffuser
4) Angle of length with diffuser

No conclusion would be given since I does have a protractor to measure it's angle. Help really appreciated.

Here are the pictures which might be totally useless to some, useful to the rest.

G3

G15

G22

PS: I think this is UW photography related right?

 

[waisj]

Of course. Please do post more these stuff, will be very beneficial to alot of people.

Thanks for the effort. Goondo.

There are some interesting points i have noted down. Will post some discussion tonight.

Again Good stuff. Keep them coming.

 

[kthan]

seems really bright for a small flash. to bad cannot syn cord it. will be excellent for macro.

for this price, think it beat S&S DX25 hands down.

Billy, any macro shot from the trip? BTW, wanna go again?

Eric

 

[waisj]

Actually i would say it is pretty impressive for something for that size and price.
Any forums members wanana chip in for their own strobe testing. I think it'll be good if we can gather and try some strobe comparison review with other strobes, i know kthan has quite a number of them.You think we can do so in the coming SEED?

 

[waisj]

Another point i have realised is that the uniformity of the beam is not there. The light intensity tends to drop, quite soon. This might have hot spots.. but results are pretty nice with diffusers on.

Goondo, i know it is impendeing . How about a dual strobes configuration ? just to see how wide it is able to go?

 

[Goondoo]

seems really bright for a small flash. to bad cannot syn cord it. will be excellent for macro.

for this price, think it beat S&S DX25 hands down.

Billy, any macro shot from the trip? BTW, wanna go again?

Eric

Hi Eric,
nah, i prolly ban myself from wreck dive till my wife improved her bouyancy and also purchase a dive comp (still aiming yours). Body can't afford too much of chiong up and down every trip... will die very fast... haha...
Thanks for the invitation, will go more reef trip with my wife to practise her diving skills and myself on the UW photography skills.

Hi waisj, Eric, Whyzzzzz, Photosmart and the rest holding other strobes,
it will be good to have a full collection of strobes angles... do help contribute and let me know if you need help. Especially interested in Epoque strobe, really want to know the difference, since they are totally identical besides the colour and guide number.

I will try the light distance sometime later in a swimming pool when I return to KL. When I have the time and think of some good ideas to measure.

 

[chumichumi]

hi Goondoo, any advise where to get a G-flash? thanks vm!

 

[skyjuice]

hi Goondoo, any advise where to get a G-flash? thanks vm!

you can check with Song from oceanicfocus. As far as I can recall, he is also distributing this Sunpak G-flash though you might not found it at the website.

 

[Goondoo]

Goondo, i know it is impendeing . How about a dual strobes configuration ? just to see how wide it is able to go?

Hi waisj,
Don't really understand what you meant. Anyway, I did this incase this is what you wanted to know.

Minimum coverage, both strobes with the shortest width facing up.

Maximum coverage, both strobe with the longest length facing up.

Diffused Coverage, angles not important since the previous tests prove that the coverage is quite even.

The last one is an example of both strobes with average coverage.

PS: My nick ends with two "O"s...

 

[waisj]

Hi Goondoo,

What i wanted to know was some what similar to what you have done.

In fact it has shown that the strobe is definitely able to cover a "medium" angle shots like fish photography.

what i'd like to know is that how far away is the strobe able to reach before a significant drop in intensity occurs i.e. a stop of light dimmer than the collective central beam.

Also the distance apart between each strobes and the "virtual distance to the camera" i.e. in between the two strobes.

Hope you get what i mean, If you perform the test the way i had suggested. it will more or less, help you determine whether your strobes *could* perform for wide angle.

Also if possible make the camera flash as dim as possible so as to gauge how well the strobe perform.

Know it is troublesome, thanks for the job well done.

Do so if you are free. if not the test results are pretty conclusive already

 

[waisj]

Goondoo,

Just a note, even with diffusers on, angles are still important. mainly because the strobe construction is in a rectangle and unlike other strobes that has bulbs that are circular.

In a short distance to subject the results might not be obvious but when the subject is far away then there might be some problem with hot spots i.e. uneven coverage.

 

[Goondoo]

Hi Goondoo,

What i wanted to know was some what similar to what you have done.

In fact it has shown that the strobe is definitely able to cover a "medium" angle shots like fish photography.

what i'd like to know is that how far away is the strobe able to reach before a significant drop in intensity occurs i.e. a stop of light dimmer than the collective central beam.

Also the distance apart between each strobes and the "virtual distance to the camera" i.e. in between the two strobes.

Hope you get what i mean, If you perform the test the way i had suggested. it will more or less, help you determine whether your strobes *could* perform for wide angle.

Also if possible make the camera flash as dim as possible so as to gauge how well the strobe perform.

Know it is troublesome, thanks for the job well done.

Do so if you are free. if not the test results are pretty conclusive already

I thought those test are fair only when you do it in water? The test above is just a simple test to confirm the angles.... thats all....

distance wise, will do it again when I figure out how to in a pool.

 

[waisj]

you can still do all the things i mentioned on land, the only draw back is that strobes doesn't not reach teh subject more than 2 meters.

 

[Goondoo]

you can still do all the things i mentioned on land, the only draw back is that strobes doesn't not reach teh subject more than 2 meters.

aiya, i pass to u, u go do lar...

 

[Luv4nature]

Wah, I think you're very much into strobe coverage angle.

One other thing to take note of when choosing uw strobes; not only the angle of coverage matters, the diffreence in light intensity should also be less than 1 f-stop within the stated angle of coverage.

 

[Goondoo]

Wah, I think you're very much into strobe coverage angle.

One other thing to take note of when choosing uw strobes; not only the angle of coverage matters, the diffreence in light intensity should also be less than 1 f-stop within the stated angle of coverage.

You really got me here.... still trying to find out what you guys mean by 1 f-stop, 1/2 f-stop etc....

 

[waisj]

Wah, I think you're very much into strobe coverage angle.

One other thing to take note of when choosing uw strobes; not only the angle of coverage matters, the diffreence in light intensity should also be less than 1 f-stop within the stated angle of coverage.

Very well said Luv4nature. Alot of the strobes does not have the coverage as stated in the manuals. Or in other words, they do have the stated coverage, but due the 1 fstop light fall off from the centre, there will be hot-spots. (they still perform as the stated covergae nagle with hot spots) a :nono: for wide angle photography. which comes back to our original topic of real coverage angle

 

[Goondoo]

Very well said Luv4nature. Alot of the strobes does not have the coverage as stated in the manuals. Or in other words, they do have the stated coverage, but due the 1 fstop light fall off from the centre, there will be hot-spots. (they still perform as the stated covergae nagle with hot spots) a :nono: for wide angle photography. which comes back to our original topic of real coverage angle

Anyone wanna volunteer doing the review? I am getting lost... lol... its getting more and more complicated.... :dunno::dunno::dunno:

 

[beivied]

notice that i almost never post in strobes thread, hahaha.. becos i am always quite baffled, even though i hear about it and try to understand it time and again ... :sweatsm:

 

[waisj]

Anyone wanna volunteer doing the review? I am getting lost... lol... its getting more and more complicated.... :dunno::dunno::dunno:

Not to worry Goondo, we can have a lengthy discussion, come SEED. yeah?