In October 2000 we bought a
Nikonos V
camera with
35mm lens, macro and close up attachments with a single
Sea and Sea
YS150
strobe. The Yellow Submarine is a big powerful workhorse with full and
half power settings and a slave sensor built in. No TTL just basic
manual.
Prefered film is
Fuji Sensia 100 transparency and
Tmax 100 BW neg
The strobe arms that came with the camera were not suitable for macro
and close up so I made my own from aluminium strap, PVC plastic and SS
bolts.
The strobe arm is detachable and is often hand held underwater to achieve the best lighting angles.
In December 2003 we put together a digital system using a
Nikon Coolpix 5000
camera with
19mm wide angle,
Ikelite housing with wide port and an
Inon Z220 strobe on an Inon/Ultralite arm.
To connect the Inon strobe to Ikelite quick release handles you need an
Inon "Z" adapter at the strobe end and an Ikelite #9571.3 "Extended
mount at handle" at the handle end. Both have a 1" or 25mm ball diam.
Then you need 2 clamps and whatever length center section you think you
will need. Ultralite and Inon make these components in the correct
size.
The sync cord has arrived
from Ikelite but will only allow manual flash operation. Only the
trigger pulse is transmitted by the cord. The viewing light and laser
are not operated by the sync cord but they can still be used if the
strobe is set on the optical+slave setting. Turn the internal flash off
to prevent double triggering of the Inon flash.
Digital photography with the coolpix has advantages and disadvantages.
Results can be reviewed underwater. The zoom lens allows 19mm wide
angle and 1:1 macro on the same dive. We can even record one minute
videos with sound giving viewers a much better idea of how it feels to
be underwater.
However you have to deal with less dynamic range which means bright
highlights blow out and the tonal gradation is not as smooth as slide
film. You also have to put up with the increased shutter lag and slow
auto focus inherant with compact digital cameras. Most moving subjects
will have disappeared by the time the camera has focused and released
the shutter.
Nikon D80 DSLR. Ikelite housing
Inon Z220 strobes. Sigma 15mm FE, Micro Nikkor 60mm macro. Flat and 6" dome ports.
In September 2007 it was time to upgrade to a
Nikon D80 DSLR
camera with
Sigma 15mm fisheye,
Micro Nikkor 60mm macro,
Ikelite housing with flat and 6" dome ports and
Inon Z220 strobes on Inon/Ultralite arms.
This setup is awesome. Instant focus, sharp right across the frame, and plenty of pixels.
Here's a blog I'm keeping of the adventure. I explain all my choices and some of the unexpected hurdles along the way.
Andrew Newton