Kraken de Mabini

You are right, my apologies. I mistook the YS-01 to be the YS-D1. That still leaves the problem of how to connect the sync cord from the housing to the fiber optic cable, a Google search did not help.

Bill is correct in his points, and unfortunately also in his emphasis on the lack of underwater strobe failure data, including make, model, electronic failures, housing leaks, flash tube burn outs, mean time between failures MTBF, etc., the data we diver/photographers would like to use to guide our strobe choices. A possible source of failure information might be for uw photographers to form an international group and establish a data base and a cooperative dialogue with the manufacturers. For example, the group could maintain a publicly available strobe data base , to include make, model, date of purchase, and later on, strobe performance (hopefully excellent) or any failure or problem. An organized, wide base of uw photographers might then develop synergy with the strobe designers/manufacturers.

Hi, after reading your problem, I am improvising after having scanned your camera's manual, it is very similar to my Nikon cameras' manuals. My suggestion is to go to the Setup Menu and Reset User Settings. If that does not correct the situation, then Reset all Settings. If that does not do it, then go through each item in the Photo Shooting Menu, and and reset it to default. Also check and if possible replace the battery and memory cards, far fetched, but just in case. Good luck!

Maybe just connect the housing to the strobe with a sync cord (keep it simple... KIS). Parts being used: "camera (Sony a7II) ... flash (YS-01 sea n sea) ... housing (Sea Frog Sony A7II NG V.2) ... Sea & Sea Sync Cord - Nikonos Style for YS strobes ... Retra E-Opto Sync Cord Converter." After 'Keep it Simple': Camera > housing > sync cord > flash. =

'How long do strobes "live"? ', DynamicDivers recently asked (1), an interesting question for all underwater equipment. For a useful reply, one has to sharpen the question a bit: We might ask if the strobe we are thinking of buying has a record of failures. Amazingly, the relevant world-wide, published information can be had immediately and at no cost, based on the incredible power of on-line search engines, such as Google. The key is to be fairly specific, and include in the query the item’s name and subject of interest, and if so desired, where the information was published. For example: “[Underwater strobe name] [failure, burn out, flooding, etc] [publication]”, and more specifically, ”Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobe failures, Wetpixel.com”. A general query, such as “Best underwater strobe, 2021” brought up Brent Durand’s 'Strobe Comparison Chart 2021', with lots of data, but no critical evaluations. as the query was too broad. Better to be a bit more specific: “Used underwater housing problems ”, or “(strobe or camera housing make) underwater flooding”. To the query “Underwater strobe flash tube failures”, Google's reply included related searches headed: 'Underwater strobe light, strobe light troubleshooting, strobe light repairs, etc.' When asked about specific equipment, failure type and venue, Google will cough up a surprising list of replies, all thanks to those who take the trouble to report their experiences, usually instructive, at times amusing, and which might even save us from a bad purchase. Reference: 1. How Long Do Strobes "Live"? https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/topic/68166-how-long-do-strobes-live/&tab=comments#comment-431036

Barmaglot makes several excellent points and recommendations. I have owned several Sea&Sea and Inon Z strobes, and still prefer the Inon Z240's, even though they are discontinued and a bit old, from 2008 thru ?2017, they come up for sale at a bit over $300 each; I would prefer one with a ball mount and fiber optic cable. The Z330 type I are said to have hot spots, while the Type II are still too recent to have accumulated a performance and reliability record, same as the over-priced Sea&Sea YS-D3 strobes. My inclination is to wait for a pair of Retra strobes to be offered for re-sale.

My brand new Tokina 10-17 mounted on a D800 set to A definitely overexposes. Photos taken in a semi-dark room look as if lit by sunlight. I plan to shoot with it using M, manual settings, as with my other lenses.

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As Bill says, making one's own cables is fun, plus one saves some pennies. Toslink single core cable provides an easy way to make one's own, with Uxcell plugs. Coiled cable is to be avoided, the coil is unnecessary and tends to get caught, plus it fractures easily; it is a nuisance and waste of cable and money.

Just now I bought this lens! Thank you for your suggestions.

As far as I can tell, to fire an underwater strobe, there is no technical advantage to either of these two Asahi cords. I have used the commercial 1 mm coiled cable and it has fired my strobe reliably, as it should. My guess is the thicker cable should work just as well. If you are going to use L shaped plugs, then the thinner cord might be preferable.

To get a good working feel for ones camera and lights, it is a useful to practice dry runs at home. For example, to simulate shooting a small squid in the ocean, I modeled a small green squid, or fish, with a big shiny eye using a piece of lettuce and a 7 mm ball bearing. The photo shows surface detail of the damaged ball bearing - surrogate "eye", with good "body" color and detail for the lettuce "fish". It would have been sharper if I had not had so much coffee, but you get the idea: test and refine details of one's photo technique using quick and inexpensive simulations.

Not from Mars but with a lot of time on their hands: a knowledgeable David Bowie and nudibranch connoisseur(s) assembled this matched pairs collection.

Was David Bowie a Nudibranch aficionado? This link tells all about Bowie and nudibranchs: https://bowiebranchia.tumblr.com/

Bump

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Hi, my suggestion would be to photo the squid in darker water, say in the late evening, and to aim the strobes a bit more to each side, maybe 10, 2, but also 9, 3 positions, and the flash two or three clicks less bright. For practice re the eyes, you might try shiny beads as in a necklace, toy marbles or ball bearings, and at a bit of a distance, some Xmas tree shiny globe ornaments. Please keep us posted of your interesting project.

Most enjoyable album, lovely photos. Thank you for posting.

WTB used Tokina 10-17 fisheye lens for Nikon, no lens dust or scratches, work smoothly, both caps. PM w photo(s) please. Los Angeles CA, Paypal.

Would shiny beads, or even toy marbles of the right color, be good subjects for you to find good settings for your camera and strobes?

As strobe failures are costly, frustrating and often unpredictable, I have reviewed the strobe failures posted in Wetpixel these past years, to see what could be learned. I searched for "Wetpixel strobe failure" (and similar) with Google; then when I grouped the posts by strobe make and model, the following patterns emerged. Failure by Strobe Make: Problems with the five strobes described below were the substance of the Wetpixel posts, while others, such as Retra, Subtronic and Hartenberger strobes had no published problems. Ikelite strobes. Some models had battery compartment problems, mostly leaks; Ikelite provided spare parts and support to the user. Backscatter Flash. The recently introduced Backscatter Mini Flash has had some initial problems, handled promptly by Backscatter. Inon Strobes and Sea&Sea YS-D1 and -D2 strobes had the most posted failures, while the other Sea&Sea strobe models had few or no posted problems. Olympus: Two Olympus FL-LM3 strobes failed. Other Patterns of Failure: Time Frame: Most failures or problems were posted within the past 5 to 6 years, possibly indicating that strobe aging plays a role. Let us recall that the Inon Z240-T4 dates from 2009, it is a venerable design. Two strobes of recent manufacture, the Inon Z330-T1 & T2 issued in 2018 and the Sea&Sea YS-D3 Mk2 in 2019, are recent newcomers with no recorded failures thus far. Country of Manufacture: Sea&Sea in 2015 issued the made in China YS-D2’s with a number of problems; to correct this, Sea&Sea moved strobe manufacture to Japan with the release of the YS-D2J. Strobe Repair & Replacement: I asked two large USA underwater photography dealers what to do if my Sea&Sea or Inon strobe misbehaved or failed, as I could find no mention of dealer or factory support or repair. Their answer was: ‘Buy a new strobe’. This may be because the strobe electronics are so complex that parts repair or replacement is too costly or not feasible. How and Why Strobes Fail: The details of how strobes fail, other than from flooding or breakage, are not available. To find out, we would need each failed strobe to be examined by the manufacturer, with the results by strobe make and model entered to a failure data base, and available to the public. As such results are not available, my guess is only the manufacturers know, but they aren’t telling. The way the strobe are designed and built also needs scrutiny, as currently most strobes are built to be disposable. A repairable strobe is to be desired. WETPIXEL POSTS: The Wetpixel Problem Strobe Post numbers are listed below by make. To retrieve the post, copy its number to the Wetpixel search box. Or use Google to find strobe failures published elsewhere. Type in the Google search box: “Wetpixel Underwater Strobe failure” or similar such as "strobe won’t work", etc, and you will get a long list of strobe failures published in Wetpixel and elsewhere. Ikelite Strobes: Wetpixel posts 20094, 59771, 63652, 68037. Backscatter Strobe: 425090, 430147, 67277. Inon Stobes: 30793, 43696, 59761, 60074, 61243, 62033, 63538, 63870, 63967, 66998, 67509, 67832. Olympus Strobes: 64768. Sea&Sea Strobes: 57102, 60723, 62778, 63061, 64202, 4223,4627, 64888, 65774, 67116, 67463, 67509, 68069. - End -

Second Inon Z330 strobe just sold, both are how in the hands of expert Wetpixel underwater photographers!

Now that the board is out of the housing, I would be tempted to install fresh batteries, plug it into the camera and re-test it. If you, or an electronics-inclined friend have a VOM tester, you might look for defects in the hot shoe, hot shoe plug and cable. Also examine the cable and board chips closely for signs of damage. If the board is one or two years old, and defective, I would be tempted to ask for a free replacement. The solid state electronics should be long lived, many years, it is not acceptable for them to go in a short time. If the board is OK, then the camera's hot shoe should be tested with another flash, to make sure it is not at fault. Good luck, and please let us know what happens.

One brand new Inon Z330 strobe with ball mount and cable is Gone - Sold! One brand new Inon Z330 strobe with box and all the original items, ball mount and a choice of fiber optic or electric sync cord is still available for $525 plus $12 US shipping.

The board is stamped: 201804 NA446-01-161-1A, so it looks to be a Nauticam board. To prevent electric or battery leak damage to the housing, I remove the board as follows: first remove the batteries, remove the two mounting screws, and carefully pull out the two LED's to free the board. Once the board is outside, one can inspect it, the battery holders, LED wires and other for damage and shorted parts. Also your housing dealer and/or Nauticam rep. for a replacement board. Please tell us the outcome.