bobf

Research Core Cell. Doesn't break down when chafed as easily as Divinycell does. Core Cell A500 weighs 5 pounds per cubic foot resulting in @ 57 pounds of buoyancy created per cubic foot in salt water. It does not compress at recreational dive limits.

strobes are designed to emit a certain beam pattern. understanding this beam pattern may help in strobe placement~aiming options. for instance, a DS 125 spreads a 100° beam pattern with diffuser installed. if you take some construction paper, scissors, and a protractor to create a shape similar to the beam that your particular strobe throws, it may lead to a better understanding in strobe aiming options while minimizing the capturing of backscatter. hth, b

Congratulations Sarah and James!

First, test the sync cord. Use the metal end of a plastic headed push pin (or facsimile) to cross between the outer ring and the center pin on the pc connector. Once contact is complete, your strobe should fire. That said, I do recall experiencing a similar situation......so I went back into my notes and found an email that i sent to a friend......in it i stated to him: Therefore.........if activated, try shutting live view off during actual image capture. (i use live view magnification ........5x or 10x.........to confirm manual focus (manual focus allows me to dictate what is in focus).........but after focus confirmation, shut live view off and return to relying upon the viewfinder. see page 106 of the 40D manual for more info on the use of non canon strobes........also at the bottom of page 113 the manual discusses other scenarios on the use of non canon strobes......... hth, b

A few posts back I reported that author David D. Busch (Canon EOS 40D guide to digital slr photography) stated that when 2nd curtain sync is selected : Ryan however reported in a follow up post that this first flash was actually a preflash, occurring prior to the shutter opening. I was able to contact David Busch and he agreed with Ryan. Mr. Busch went on to state that his sentence should have read:

I've used Weld-On #16 : http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9530

In support of Steve's comment: According to a book (guide) written by David D. Busch on the Canon 40D (pg 80), with regards to built-in flash function settings, when 2nd curtain sync is selected: hth, b

My PC to Ikelite sync cord is 10' long. It was special ordered. If you too feel the need for length, I assume you would be able to splice an additional piece of wire into the central section of your cord without too much difficulty. I mount the DS 125 strobe onto a Smith Victor light stand using an Ikelite extended mounting stem (the part that fits directly into the tray release handle.......tube on one side.......ball on the other). To do so, I remove the top telescopic portion of the light stand and replace it with the Ikelite mounting stem. The hollow tube interior of the light stand is coincidently the same diameter as the mounting stem. I should also mention that I have the Ikelite 1.25" strobe arm system which is sturdy enough to support the weight of a DS 125 topside with ease. hth, b

I don't own a dual sync cord so I wouldn't be able to answer what if any advantages there would be over a pc to Ikelite sync cord. However I do know that with a sync cord that has a PC connector on one end and and Ikelite connector on the other end you do not need to use an underwater housing..............please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you might have to use a housing if using a dual sync cord that had all Ikelite connectors. Also, by triggering the slave strobe optically as opposed to using a dual sync cord reduces the amount of cords by one........and one less cord in a photo studio is one less cord to accidentally trip over. Also, my PC to Ikelite cord is 10 feet long. When using a 100mm topside for product photography, distance from camera to strobe and subject may become an issue relative to sync cord length.......but that said, not as much as when using a 17-55mm as I did for the image above (focal length at 55mm). My post is not meant to contradict what Marc and James have suggested, but to support the information that was conveyed to grunzster. Please note Marc and James' unfortunate circumstances were with the substrobe 400 whereas I am using a pair of DS 125 substrobes. Also, since I still consider myself a student of product photography, I take my time and assess each image prior to capturing the next shot. Shoot, review, adjust, shoot again...........not usually for the benefit of exposure but more for the problems that exist with a high glare surface (iow, trying to minimize the blowouts)........iow, there is a built in lag time between images while I reposition the strobes or foam core in an attempt to knock down the glare (Matt, I'm still planning on trying that polarizer you recommended ). And as I also mentioned previously, my strobes are set usually at 1/2 power. hth, b

I captured the following image (and hundreds of others!) using a pair of DS 125 strobes. For this image my Canon 40D was tethered to my laptop.........allowing live view on the laptop screen along with laptop control of aperture, shutter, and ISO. I could also fine tune manual focus by viewing the image either on my lap top screen or live view on the camera's LCD (10x) while manually adjusting focus with the lens. I am also able to initiate the camera's shutter release from the laptop to avoid camera shake. Canon supplies all of the necessary software, included with the 40D. One Ikelite DS 125 was attached directly to the Canon 40D with a PC to Ikelite sync cord. The second DS 125 was attached to a gray TTL sensor and triggered optically by the master strobe. I could also have used a manual controller on either the master or slave..........but 4 optional power settings on the strobe head itself is sufficient imho. For this type of product shot I tend to shoot with strobes set to half power with the diffuser installed, ISO 400. hth, b

I'd check with forum sponsor Reef Photo first. That's where I purchased mine: reefphoto.com Next try another forum sponsor such as Marine Camera Distributors: marinecamera.com if they don't have them, try: http://www.divervision.com/catalog/product...?products_id=70 be careful when cleaning the magnifier........i think the lens is plastic........i know it scratches easy.......that said, chances are you won't see the scratches underwater........just be careful what you choose to clean the lens with (my magnifier lens looks like it's been ice skated upon!) hth, b

Mark, I had time to go back into my notes for the Oly strobe and among other things found an online link for the Olympus UFL-1 users manual: http://support.olympus.co.jp/jp/support/dl...ve/man_ufl1.pdf might come in handy in answering some of your questions.......although I think Phil is doing an excellent job.......... btw, on page EN 35 it too lists the weight of the strobe without batteries at 425 grams. b

for a brief (transition) period I used both a DS 50 and a DS 125. For my purposes, the images were very acceptable with no discernible color difference noticed from side to side to my "untrained" eyes. If you wish, by putting the diffuser on the DS 51, it will also warm the light, bringing it a bit closer in color to an undiffused DS 125. hth, b

Phaedrus, Can you direct me to where your information comes from? I relied on this information: https://emporium.olympus.com/innards/empPro...?sku=202116-410 which concurs with the specs found here: http://olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_...1188&ct=all A simple explanation may exist for the discrepancy, such as one weight is with batteries and the other without.......or it may be another example of press release information (derived from a prototype) differing from the actual product specs once a final design is chosen, goes into production, and finally ships.......... regards, bobf

It is commonplace for characteristics (specifications) of a strobe to change in the time period between first press release and actual availability (YS 250 most recently comes to mind). The Strobe Finder policy has been to wait until a strobe is actually available to the public prior to posting specifications. A quote from the Sea & Sea web site: hth, b