fairweath89

I am a newbie photographer who has quickly discovered the limits of my build-in flash in deep, temperate waters and have decided its time to get a strobe. But which? Well, I am a student, so money is an issue. I am also a beginner at UW photography, and photography in general. I have looked at getting the Intova ISS2000, a rather basic looking thing that sits nicely within my budget. However, many people I know (all very serious UW photo buffs) tell me not to waste my money but rather get something very expensive and "professional", e.g. INON S2000. I would like to hear from anyone who has used/or is using Intova ISS2000. Is it a useful piece of kit, and, with proper use, will it help me get nice pictures from my compact Fuji F100? Also, anyone who does use higher end stuff, please tell me what is the practical difference between these and the more basic strobes and what does this mean for my pictures? I realise that a degree of manual control over the brightness of the flash is important, and the Intova accommodates this to some extent. Please bare in mind that I am a beginner and probably won't understand all of the specs, so some explaining would be great. I am not trying to gauge how much "better" the more professional kit is than my prospective Intova, but rather whether I, as a novice, would benefit in the near future from the additional technology that comes with a higher price tag.

I am after buying a second hand strobe light. My camera is a compact Fuji Finepix F100 and the casing has no electronic ports, therefore the strobe must be triggered by the flash (i.e. fibre optic). I am a beginner photographer but would like something that will last me a while as my skills develop, but I do not have the budget for top end professional kit, so something middle of the road will do nicely. Preferably I would like manual control of the flash power. Some examples may include Inon S2000 or Sea&Sea YS01 / 02 I am no good at fixing things so a strobe in full working order please. Either with or without mounting system and cable, as I can pick these up separately if needs be. I am based in the UK, so preferably sellers who can send the strobe without me suffering death by import tax. Many thanks, Robert

In that lake I also found some three spine sticklebacks and in other lakes there are Pike (Muskellunge), trout and endemic crayfish. Sea diving in North Wales is awesome - great rocky reefs and kelp forests teeming with life. My photography of it is not all that but I hope to get round to posting some pictures from a recent dive on a seagrass bed off the Llyn Peninsular.

Hey, So I am new to UW photography and to freshwater fish, so pardon the obvious question and horrific picture... but is this a shoal of minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus). Each was about index finger length. Taken in Llyn Padarn, North Wales. Thanks, Robert

Hello all, I am Robert, from Bangor, North Wales. I am a student and a diver and naturalist in my spare time and am just getting into photography.