Ktay1111

I agree with Mark (the first comment on this thread). Using manual mode was the best advice I have ever received. Although it takes some getting used to i think it provides the most control and you begin to learn what needs tweaking. I don't know if you can on your camera, but you might want to set up some preset configurations so you can easily change between macro and wide angle settings. Just a thought. Good luck!

Well i think this is perfect timing that I saw this thread. I just finished my first dive with a newly purchased second strobe. I'll be honest, i was on the side of thinking that i didn't need two. However, after shooting with two DS-51s i couldn't be happier. I noticed that some said the DS-51 doesn't give enough light. However, shooting with a 55mm and a 100mm i haven't had any problems at all, and had to switch to manual settings because TTL seemed to white out the image now and then. I guess it depends on what you want to be shooting. Best of luck!

Lance - guess my two-cents would be that a slightly better (and more expensive lens) would make it sharper. In the past I have tried to cut corners by buying a lower end lens. The picture quality wasn't an issue, but the focusing was. The cheaper lens that I have used in the past took longer to focus. And while a slightly longer focusing time might not seem like much, you have to think that if you are zoomed in (55mm), even slight fluctuations in depth - with breathing and the like - can impact the focus of the shot. Just a thought based on my experience. good luck!

Manaul, I agree with you regarding the 'privacy' of tips. I make sure to offer a tip when I'm somewhat removed from the rest of the group. The tip is between me and the divemaster/crew, the rest of divers should not play a role in how much I give. I think its more of a personal choice based on my experience on the dive.

I never knew such a product existed! Thanks for the post. I think I might pick up a kit even if at the moment its not needed.

Gerard, Thank you very much for your input. I have used Ikelite for many years and have never had complaints, but the way this lens lengthens I was a little concerned. Thank you for putting my fears to rest!

Hello All. A small question from a hesitant buyer: I am interested in adding the Tokina 100 mm macro lens to my collection. However, I'm curious as to what Ikelite lens port is necessary. According to the Ikelite website, 5505.58 is what is needed. I'm concerned though because this lens (according to my understanding) extends by approximately 40 mm when focusing very close. Can the lens port handle this, and if its focusing on infinity, will I see the lens port in the image? Any help, tips, experience would be greatly appreciated. And to address the obvious response: Yes, I emailed Ikelite and the response was "We have never received negative feedback on this lens port, but we currently do not have the lens available to try it." I just want to make sure that the lens port will work perfectly. Thanks in advance!

thank you for the link

I have thought about trying to attach a secondary light to my rig, but I haven't figured out a good method to attach it. I don't want it permanent, and would rather not constantly go through zip-ties.

Tom, I think I agree with you. I am constantly tweaking my 1 strobe and i think a second one may be a little difficult to mess with as well. I am happy with the photos I am coming up with, using only 1 strobe, so I think I will end up sticking with that for at least the time being. Thank you everyone for the valuable input!

Bill, I'll give that a try. It seems to me that the plastic sync cable end may be reflecting some of the light. I may try to cover that up and see what happens.

So I finally bought myself a strobe that syncs to my camera, and now I'm getting white bars appearing everytime the strobe flashes. (Please see the attached image.) Some background on the problem: this only happens when the strobe fires, the bars are on the side of the image where the strobe is, and the lens is clean. Does anyone have any ideas what could cause this, and more importantly how to get rid of it? Thank you in advance. -Kristian

A great shot Dave! I will post a few when I get back. Thanks again for all the tips.

You make an interesting point that a second strobe would help in composing/manipulating the shadow. I guess I never approached it that way and only assumed a second strobe would totally eliminate the shadow I was trying to capture. Plain and simple, a second strobe would open up more opportunities. Before I jump into purchasing one, I think I'll try to rig up an older secondary strobe to my rig and see how that works. Thanks again for the ideas. -Kristian

In my investigation I noticed that a few dive operators from St Thomas ran divers to sites off of St John. I assume the two islands must be pretty close then. Either way, I will look into operators who can take me over to St John. Now i just need to wait until my emails are answered!