jav777 0 Posted January 25, 2006 hi ya all, just wanted some opinions as to purchasing the manual controllers for the DS-125 strobes, which allows 10 power settings. does anyone use them and if so what percentege of the time? or is the 4 power settings on the DS strobes enough to fill lighting requirements for macro and wide angle. cheers jav777 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
acroporas 0 Posted January 25, 2006 Depends on if you have an Ikelite eTTL/iTTL housing or not. Ikelite's eTTL/iTTL housings allow 8 manual power setting through the housing which is good enough for most circumstances. But if you are using any other housing. Absoultely get the manual controlers, I can not imagine diving with without them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arnon_Ayal 1 Posted January 25, 2006 But if you are using any other housing. Absoultely get the manual controlers, I can not imagine diving with without them. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> My opinion is different, I use the SB 105 with its three steps: full 1/2 & 1/16, it is little less then what I want (1/4 will be great) but most of the times it’s really enough for me. I prefer to change the aperture in the camera anyway so I don't play with the strobe steps too much. What I understood that is really good with Ike's manual controllers is that you can set the steps in the controller that its close to the housing and don't have to change it on the strobes that can be quit far from you in WA shots. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kdietz 0 Posted January 25, 2006 The manual controllerw work great, but I found that the 4 settings on the strobe were very adequate. I got rid of the manual controllers and couldn't believe how much it cleaned up my rig! Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bobf 0 Posted January 25, 2006 jav777, welcome to wetpixel! You didn't mention which camera and housing you were combining the DS 125 with. The Ikelite manual controller is also an optical triggering device. Therefore they may be a necessity if your housing does not include a bulkhead. hth, b Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davephdv 0 Posted January 27, 2006 I use them with both 125s and 50s. They are great for macro when you want to make fine adjustments. As mentioned you may not need them for wide angle but I like that I can position them within easy reach of my housing handles. This way I don't have to reach way out to the end of my wide angle strobe arms to change the settings. Much faster. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jav777 0 Posted January 30, 2006 cheers guys, your help is most appreciated. by the way i use a canon D60 in a sea&sea housing with DS-125 strobes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kelpfish 15 Posted January 31, 2006 The thing I like about the manual controller versus strobes with multiple power settings is that I can mount the controller on the base of my camera tray, requiring very little arm/hand movement to adjust lighting when shooting skittish animals. This is why I like the Titan D100 ROC feature. Shooting any other housing I'd probably use the manual controller. You need, however, one controller for each strobe. Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
