TAC

Hello - are there no strobe hot shoe connectors for this rig?

Hello, I'm interested in the Nikon TTL adapter since mine no longer works. Would you please provide the model number, let me know it it 100% functional, and how much you are looking to get for it? Thanks. Tom

Hello - I might be interested in the TTL converter if it is the correct one and you are willing to sell separately, as I also have D300 Aquatica housing. Mine is Nikonos 5 pin at the housing to Ikelite strobes.

Hello, I'm interested in buying these strobes but do not need the arms or sync cords. Would you consider selling me the strobes, batteries and chargers only? Thanks

Thanks for everyone's opinion. Looks like I need to buy the finder. I guess it really doesn't make sense spending thousands on the other equipment and trips to struggle in composing images.

Thanks for all of your suggestions - I ordered the Stix collar and floats.

In testing my Aquatica D300 housing in a pool I am having difficulty viewing the entire frame within the viewfinder. It seems that I can only see about 70% of the image at one time. Is this normal? (the Aquatica AD300 manual indicates that I should have "full view the illuminated camera viewfinder." With my old F100 Aquatica film housing I was able to see the entire frame. With the D300 this makes it very difficult to frame a subject properly. Please let me know what your experience with the Aquatica D300 housing is. Note that I am using a low volume mask and pressing it up against the housing as much as possible. Is there a solution to this, without spending $1300 for the Aquaview Finder? If you are using an Aquaview finder please let me know what your experience is with this - is it worth the cost? Thanks! Tom

Greetings, I was finally able to try my D300 with Aquatica housing and dual Ike DS160 strobes in a pool today. With the 8" dome and Tokina 10-17 the balance was pretty good. (close to nuetral boyancy) However, with the macro port and Nikon 105 VR lens the rig was very negative, making it difficult to remain horizontal. I could not easily frame subjects due to being pulled downward by the weight of the housing. I suspect this is due to the heavy weight of the 105 VR lens and the lower air volume in the macro port. I need some kind of device (such as special strobe arms) to add boyancy to the rig with the macro set up. Please provide the solution that may have worked best for you. (I currently have TLC arms) Aquatica advertizes a device that screws into the top of the housing but I need that for my focus light. Thanks Tom

Thanks for all of your advice. I am still not decided- it seems that if I do not want to use TTL with my Aquatica housing then the Inons would seem better due to the smaller size and use of AA batteries. As for optical TTL, I am not quite sure what this means but believe this refers to the use of the pop-up flash on the camera with the TTL system. Since I just purchased the Aquatica D300 housing and the pop-up flash is not avaialble for use, I would go the TTL route using the converter. In this case, the Ikelites would work well and probably be cheaper with the Ike TTL converter. The great Ikelite service also means a lot to me. So, it looks like I need to decide whether or not I have to have TTL for macro subjects. I have heard many times that manual is easy with digital, but still like spending more time composing a shot than worrying about exposure and fiddling with knobs on the strobes. Thanks Tom

Greetings, I previously shot film underwater and am now putting together a digital system. (I know- I am not exactly an early adapter!) I have a D300 with Aquatica housing. I am down to choosing between two types of strobes but am having difficulty picking - either Inon Z240's or Ikelite DS 160/161's. Both appear to be excellent strobes but have different characteristics. The Ikelite 160's have straightforward controls and have great Ike service, but they are larger and heavier and the controls are located on the side, which does not seem very convenient. The Z240's are smaller and lighter with controls on the back (seems like a better position to me), but the controls look confusing from the pictures I have seen and I am not sure about the quality of service Inon provides. Would someone who has used these strobes please provide some real world experience on the ease of use and features of these strobes? I have already read all the benefits the manufacturers point out, but instead would like to obtain some feedback from actual users. For the Inon, how easy is it to adjust the power levels? For the Ikelite would this optional controller that works both strobes at once make power levels easier to adjust. For both how easy and expensive is it to set up and use TTL? Thanks Tom

Thanks for the advice. I have wanted to use digital TTL for macro, since my feeling is that by taking the exposure issue out of the equation it would free me up to think more about composition and positioning myself - one less thing to worry about. A few people have indicated that manual exposure is no big deal. Since the two new strobes I am looking at are $1500 and I would have to buy a DTTL converter, perhaps I should give manual a try.

Selling the following items as I am finally going digital: Aquatica Housing for Nikon F100 - $125 OBO - With o-Ring kit, eyepiece and instruction manual (no ports included) - The housing has never flooded, and some of the controls are a little sticky. The knob for ISO is very sticky Aquatica Manual Focus Gear #18690 - $45 OBO - I used this with the 105 Nikon Macro lens - old style autofocus - Comes with insert pieces for adherance to focus ring Ikelite SS200 Substrobe - $175 OBO - Never flooded - always worked flawlessly - Needs new battery - Includes old style charger Ikelite DualTTL Sync Cords - IK 4104.62 - One used cord- never had any problems - $40 OBO - One brand new cord for back-up - never put under water - $75 OBO As there are probably very few film shooters left, I am willing to consider any offers for these items (as long as the offer is not ridiculous). Payment by paypal.

Sean, I have one DS200 I was going to put up for sale shortly. It is in good working condition. I really do not want to wait until April to sell it, but let me know what you would be willing to pay, and what other questions you may have. Tom (tcallen5@aol.com)

I am downsizing to Ikelite DS 160's and have two SS200's for sale. One is the DS version with battery pack - serial number 6643. It has been used on about 20 dives on one live aboard trip. It worked well but the battery compartment flooded on the final dive. Sent it back to Ikelite and they repaired it - you can call Ikelite to inquire about the strobe. It looks brand new now. Asking $550 + shipping. The second strobe is the SS200 with battery pack (non-digital). It has worked flawlessly on over 100 dives and has never been flooded. Asking $275 + shipping. Contact Tom Callen at tcallen5@aol.com