15 replies to this topic

[onokai]

Just about to spring for2 of these. I have great small non ttl strobes and 3 ike 200 strobes but these seem small enough for great macro or w/a shots with ttl. Any feedback good or bad on these D125s/?? I will be shooting f5 subal housing with 60-105-18-20-24-28 lens. Mark

[ChrisJackson]

I've been using YS-90 and YS-120 with my CoolPix 5000 for the past couple of years, but used the DS-125 and TTL slave on a recent trip to Norway, and it was excelent.

I'm more into wreck diving, and for this it's very good with the internal spotting light inside deep dark wrecks. The fast recycle time is also considerably better than the YS strobes.

I'm currently in the process of upgrading to the Ike 20D housing, and intend to get another DS-125 to go with it.

Chris

[kdietz]

Excellent strobes....at 1/2 power almost instantaneous recycle times.....battery can last for up to 4 dives....can use modeling lights for primary lights on night dives....very fast recharge times

Karl

[MikeVeitch]

I have one but don't really like it (and am probably in the minority when i say that) not as bright or wide as my Sea and Sea 120s, even if the books say different. However, recycle time is outstanding. Good for macro but i don't like for WA.
If i were you i would stick with the Ike 200s you already have, probably the best strobe ever made

[Peter Schulz]

I love my DS125s. I have had them since 2002 and have over 900 dives on them.

I shoot mostly wide angle and fish eye and what I like about the strobes is that they put out plenty of light and recycle in less than a second which is great for getting that second and third shot at a moving subject.

For sample pics taken with DS125s with my Oly 5050 and my Nikon D70, see the following URL.

http://www.splashdow...ple_gallery.htm

[markprior]

I'll add to the positive votes for 125's.

The plus points as I see it are:

Fast recycling
Great Battery life
Can be used as primary dive light at night
Fast recharging (with fast charger)
Robust
Ike's great service

On the downside they are quite bulky.

I love em, except when I've got them in my carry-on trying to get through checkin at an airport.

Mark

[james]

I have the DS125's and I liked them a lot with an ISO200 camera. For wideangle with ISO100, I like the SS200's much better. Both use the same charger, cords, etc.

DS125's are negative in water and SS200's are positive. Something to consider if your housing is very heavy underwater.

Cheers
James

[ssra30]

Another very happy DS-125 user here, for the same reason that many people have already mentioned. If there is anything I wish Ikelite could improve on, it is the size and weight of the strobe. Hmm, may be make it black rather than the boring grey color :-)
The first time I used my D70 in Sea and Sea housing with dual DS125, I could barely hold it steady with one hand for a short period of time.

[davephdv]

I have 3 DS125s and love them. Bought them first when shooting an F100. Sold my SS200s as I felt the 125s were in all way superior. I think they work great for both wide angle and macro. Batteries last a long time and recharge quickly. Almost instantaneous recycle. The dive light function works great in caves and night dives.

[larth]

I'll add to the positive votes for 125's.

...
Can be used as primary dive light at night
....

Mark

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mark,

allow me to show my ignorance by asking if they provide continous light? I am waiting for the D70 TTL housing to get one of these, but was under the impression that the DS125 is a flash? The info at http://www.ikelite.c.../ss_dig125.html mentions "150 flashes" - am I missing something here?

[kdietz]

Lars, the DS-125 is a strobe unit, but it has a continuous modeling light feature that can be used to check the aim of the strobe or as a night dive light

Karl

[Alex_Mustard]

I don't own any. But used a pair during the Digital Jam week in January with a D70 (alll borrowed) and liked them very much.

They are a nice size and have good buoyancy in the water. My only minor gripe was that when fiddling with the aiming - the obvious place to grab them is by the back (the battery pack) - which is a no no according to the instructions because it has the potential to put pressure on the main O ring.

Alex

[larth]

Lars, the DS-125 is a strobe unit, but it has a continuous modeling light feature that can be used to check the aim of the strobe or as a night dive light

Thanks Karl! I like that. Is the modeling light turned off and on again when a picture is being taken or is the light not visible over the flash?

[ssra30]

Thanks Karl! I like that. Is the modeling light turned off and on again when a picture is being taken or is the light not visible over the flash?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, the modeling light does not turn off automatically like the Inon however the beam is not very concentrated so I never noticed hotspot when using modeling light at all.

[markprior]

I would have thought that if the modelling light was turned on and off with every flash that the life of the bulb would be shortened massively.

It is a very diffuse light which is great for night diving because marine life doesn't run and hide from it like with some of the brighter lights I have used.

I have never noticed the modelling light affecting a picture - the strobe is many times brighter.

[CeeDave]

Beg your pardon, ik ben nerd:

A DS-125 full dump is 110 watt-seconds (Ws). Say your exposure time is 1/100 of a second; also say you have a big honking 10 watt modeling light.

The modeling light provides 0.1 Ws of illumination compared to 110 Ws from the strobe (one part in 1000, right?). If you have a smaller light, faster shutter speed, or bigger/dual strobes, the ratio of light-to-strobe illumination gets even smaller.

My eye is far less refined, and I am far less experienced, than many of the denizens of this forum. All the same, it's hard for me to believe that such subtle shifts in illumination (in the 10th bit!) are noticeable in many images to many people.

Semester ends soon, then I will have real photo stuff to share!