who are divers on CS?

[lanxx]

kthan, you are taking photos longer then me leh, me no where close to you hoh! ;p

ok, back to scotsman:

1) I used to use the canon S30, batt life is a huge factor, you cannot turn on/off the cam while it is in the housing. Imagine, if you out at open sea, with lots of sea spray and this is the 2nd dive on the speed boat, then it's time for a batt change (the batt can only last 1 1/2 dive usually), would you want to open it and risk getting salt spray on the cam? so, big problem there. Also nowadays, the newer housing using 2 o-rings, which S50 does not. The s&s are ok for this model though. little vignetting.

2) In my opinon, a better choice, but c5050 is a little noisy. also the barrel is noisy when zomming in/out.

3)If I rem correctly, the ikelite housing supports sync cords. Not too sure, you have to ask waisji.
But this kinda of setup is going to be costly, worth it? It's up to you.
the DS125/50 supports TTl, get the TTL sensor. Sync cord type of strobe mostly support TTL, correct me if I am wrong.

In short, get the non auto YS90DX. The auto technology is not as accurate as TTL and TTL also sometimes is screwy. Also, the non auto strobe is cheaper, but Andrew like to push for auto strobe, dunno why, maybe profit margin higher for him, I suspect.

 

[kthan]

kthan, you are taking photos longer then me leh, me no where close to you hoh! ;p

Digital is a whole new world that I am trying to grasp. I am sort of a convert now :thumbsup:

 

[toasty]

Hi, just wanting to get opinions from people, who know or have used either or both of Ikelite's DS125 and S&S YS90DX. Would like to know whether people are thinking that the extra money for the DS-125 is worth it?

Here is what I know so far.
1) DS-125 has a faster recycle time, so if something great comes along you can shoot more quickly.
2) DS-125 is more powerful, strobe can light further subjects.
3) DS-125 has indicator showing how much power is left.

However from my preliminary analysis, the DS-125 does not have all the advantages. The DS-125 uses a proprietary battery. I find that often proprietary rechargable batteries are expensive to replace and somehow deteriorate faster than expected after many uses. I don't know the performance of the DS-125, will it last maybe 300 dives? 1000 dives? I prefer cheap AA batteries which I don't really mind too much if they are damaged or don't recharge fully (somehow, my AA batteries are all recharging fine)

DS-125 also uses a separate slave sensor increasing the price of the price of the package further and also increasing the number of things you have to pack and bring. I wish they had integrated the sensor into the same package with the strobe as with the S&S YS90DX. This leads to another disadvantage, that your on-camera flash is still functioning at normal intensity and therefore you will be more likely to illuminate the back-scatter. With the S&S90DX there is a piece of velcro covering the on-camera flash and a fibre optic cable carrying the signal to the strobe. Therefore your on-camera flash (which is the one closest to the lens and producing the most back-scatter) does not really light your picture. This in turn means (for me) that I can use a normal (ie: non-digital), cheaper strobe as my second slave, because the pre-flash will not be seen.

Does anybody have any other pros and cons to add regarding these two strobes?

 

[kthan]

I like DS-125 for:
1. built in modelling light, doubling up as torch for nite dive
2. stronger strobe than DX90 (not a concern if u just shooting macro)
3. great service support from IKE USA

I like DX90 for:
1. Built in sensor. Can double as slave
2. more visually appealing
3. Built in adj knob
4. local service center

People claim that DX90 is competing with DS-50 not DS-125. Back scatter not a problem with Ikelite strobes becos u can use aluminium foil to block the diffuser on your housing.

 

[toasty]

forgot the modelling light, that is something else which attracts me for the DS-125. I don't know anything about the DS-50. Is it a just a DS-125 with a lower power? Or does it also have reduced features?

If you cover the flash with aluminium foil, do you have to angle the foil so that the sensor can still pick up the two flashes? How do you attach the foil to the housing?

 

[kthan]

forgot the modelling light, that is something else which attracts me for the DS-125. I don't know anything about the DS-50. Is it a just a DS-125 with a lower power? Or does it also have reduced features?

If you cover the flash with aluminium foil, do you have to angle the foil so that the sensor can still pick up the two flashes? How do you attach the foil to the housing?

Ds-50 has a lower guide number, longer recycle time, uses AA batteries, can only select TTL / Manual on the strobe. Think that's abut it.

As for the foil, because the housing is clear, the sensor can still pick up the trigger flash. And the foil can juz wrap itself round the diffuser, like wrapping foodstuff

 

[beivied]

wa lao. the talk about strobes are greek to me. until now ah, even talking about external land flashes i will have to listen to it a few times to even start digesting. another reason why i am not into strobes, beside the huge no money factor.

sehsuan: wait long long ok.

lanxx: next time i get you to do homework for me, hahah...

waisj: thanks for the consoling, haha...

but i find that the colours of pics taken by olympus are not as brilliant as canon's. how ah how ah?

 

[lanxx]

yeah, the DS125, ikelite is in a class of it's own at the moment.
A class of it's own as in also, it's own type of batteries, charger, and not to mention, you can also use it as a dumbell for exercise.

The DS125 has a GN of 32, highest in its class of digital strobes.
Also, not to mention, a class of its own in price-wise.

 

[lanxx]

lanxx: next time i get you to do homework for me, hahah...

but i find that the colours of pics taken by olympus are not as brilliant as canon's. how ah how ah?

yeah yeah, dun be lazy :what:

yeah, I also find canon's pics more vibrant and warmer in cloudy mode.

 

[lanxx]

Think in kopitiam, this is the longest thred liao!
LOL

let's make it one of the longest ard the whole forum! :devil:

where are the other divers? never join in???!!!

PS: Secretary, go jio more ppl9divers) in here.

 

[sehsuan]

Think in kopitiam, this is the longest thred liao!
LOL

let's make it one of the longest ard the whole forum! :devil:

where are the other divers? never join in???!!!

PS: Secretary, go jio more ppl9divers) in here.

heng i was the founder of the thread and now i can arrow people around as honourary "founder" :bsmilie:

 

[lanxx]

heng i was the founder of the thread and now i can arrow people around as honourary "founder" :bsmilie:

You, me and the rest know where to point at right? :think:

 

[denizenx]

so funny... was thinking this is a forum by itself..

anyway how is the vis in tioman/aur? I hope to go again soon...

 

[beivied]

wa lao, i am not paid as a secretary one ok. shucks, dun even know why i was even appointed in the first place... ah, i know! i was outnumbered :cry:

actually from the initial list of divers we have, already quite a number right. just the rest not participating very much in the conversation here. so as secretary am i supposed to pm all of the absent cs divers ah? wait long long :bsmilie:

dont say i never do anything ah, so, next uwcs seed. oct? by then kng should be back from bali, lanxx and nightshades from redang photoshoot, waisj from sangalaki, and myself from kuantan wreck and tioman. kthan wanna go tioman next week right? you should have said so earlier. i was jioing people on this thread to go tioman leh. so ok? uwcs in oct? all cs divers are obliged to rvsp ok.

it has been raining so darn heavily these few days. better not rain on our trips :sweat:

oei, no one suggest how to make my pics using olympus more brilliant?

 

[Lensman]

UWCS Seed.

This will be nice. But am on reservist until the 9 Oct, can it be after that ?

 

[kng]

wa lao, i am not paid as a secretary one ok. shucks, dun even know why i was even appointed in the first place... ah, i know! i was outnumbered :cry:

actually from the initial list of divers we have, already quite a number right. just the rest not participating very much in the conversation here. so as secretary am i supposed to pm all of the absent cs divers ah? wait long long :bsmilie:

dont say i never do anything ah, so, next uwcs seed. oct? by then kng should be back from bali, lanxx and nightshades from redang photoshoot, waisj from sangalaki, and myself from kuantan wreck and tioman. kthan wanna go tioman next week right? you should have said so earlier. i was jioing people on this thread to go tioman leh. so ok? uwcs in oct? all cs divers are obliged to rvsp ok.

it has been raining so darn heavily these few days. better not rain on our trips :sweat:

oei, no one suggest how to make my pics using olympus more brilliant?

Yes mdm! Busy mah... no time to check forum all the time! Am quite keen on the S&S 90DX (not the auto) based on laanx's advice. One thing good about S&S is that it is widely used in Spore, so hopefully easy to repair/resell if needed. The ikelite is way out of price range - can almost buy TWO 90DX already.

One question for the experts (laanx, kthan etc) - can i fix a small torch to the strobe and use that as a modelling light? This is meant to help you aim and focus, right?

Toasty, i think the ikelite "ttl slave sensor" is not really 'TTL' in the true meaning of TTL (ala slr kind of ttl) - cos the strobe still won't know the camera settings (shutter speed, aperture etc) but only 'senses' the power of the built-in flash which will prob be firing at about full power all the time anyway. I think the only possibility of getting TTL is using one of those v expensive housing with a hotshoe & sync port.

Our very own UWCS secretary, aiyar... photo not brilliant enuf? Use PS to increase the saturation lah!

 

[kthan]

Yes mdm! Busy mah... no time to check forum all the time! Am quite keen on the S&S 90DX (not the auto) based on laanx's advice. One thing good about S&S is that it is widely used in Spore, so hopefully easy to repair/resell if needed. The ikelite is way out of price range - can almost buy TWO 90DX already.

One question for the experts (laanx, khtan etc) - can i fix a small torch to the strobe and use that as a modelling light? This is meant to help you aim and focus, right?

Toasty, i think the ikelite "ttl slave sensor" is not really 'TTL' in the true meaning of TTL (ala slr kind of ttl) - cos the strobe still won't know the camera settings (shutter speed, aperture etc) but only 'senses' the power of the built-in flash which will prob be firing at about full power all the time anyway. I think the only possibility of getting TTL is using one of those v expensive housing with a hotshoe & sync port.

Our very own UWCS secretary, aiyar... photo not brilliant enuf? Use PS to increase the saturation lah!

As mentioned, the comparision should be with DS-50 and not DS-125

The fixing of a small torch is addressed by Lanxx before :thumbsup:

The way Olympus works is to fire a pre-flash to get a reading and syn the actual flash with the shutter to expose correctly. This pre flash sends exposure info to the camera. The Ikelite sensor is able to pick up the pre-flash as well. The info is sent to the strobe for TTL. Hence Ikelite strobes can do TTL with Olympus digital cameras. For Sea&Sea, u get a manual adj knob. Normally, you just set at minimum. U can adj the strobe power accordingly via the review of the pics taken.

My wife was shooting the c3040 on auto (P mode) and Ikelite strobe. The TTL seems to work as u can see from the pics. Link provided a few posts ago....

 

[kng]

The way Olympus works is to fire a pre-flash to get a reading and syn the actual flash with the shutter to expose correctly. This pre flash sends exposure info to the camera. The Ikelite sensor is able to pick up the pre-flash as well. The info is sent to the strobe for TTL. Hence Ikelite strobes can do TTL with Olympus digital cameras. For Sea&Sea, u get a manual adj knob. Normally, you just set at minimum. U can adj the strobe power accordingly via the review of the pics taken.

Gee... thanks for the help! Waah... all getting a bit cheem - time to read up and learn more!

 

[kthan]

to put it simply, Ikelite strobes can do "TTL" with Olympus cameras. Sea&Sea cannot.

SS has service center in Singapore. Ikelite dun have. Must send to USA.

But Ikelite may provide free repair :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Andrew never. Everytime flood, everytime got to pay. Ikelite repaired for me FOC. (strobe under 1 yr old)

 

[beivied]

okie, we can make it after 9th oct. *notes down* any other suggestions? by the time i come back i.e. 29/09/03, i need to take a break too, and do up my photos.

kng is the PS supporter man, haha... actually i would hope to be able to create more brilliant photos on adjusting the camera settings first lo.