What the different Strobe and flash?

letdoit · 25th June 2007

I never go snapshot underwater but going to.
Before i buy any equipment, would like to check first before i buy wrong thing.

Now i have canon 350 and 580EX

What i know strobe is a continuousness light shining on objects.( am i right?)
Somehow, i read, 580EX as a strobe? how a flash become a strobe??
thanks

PLUS. If i want to buy another Aim and shoot underwater camera,
should i buy Canon SD850 ( 950 IS ) or Olympus Stylus 780

why i consider them because
canon = scene setting got underwater
canon = not water proof, i not sure shop now got sell UW casing???

Olympus = waterproof,
olympus = don't have scene setting for underwater, i not sure the correct white balance and setting.

I copy and paste this pics, Not from me, but hope i won't get this kind of sample lighting

lovells19 · 26th June 2007

Hi

welcome to the underwater world

point and shoot is never ideal for underwater, even with underwater mode, condition underwater varies and the water makes metering a tedious task for the camera.

so Shooting in Auto mode usually ends up in suicidal

Knowing the fundamentals of underwater photography usually helps, without this you can go down with a D2Xs and still shoot crappy photos

I think flash is continuous, not strobe

some people has shot very lovely photos with continuous light (flash light)
We use strobe

I would recommend a Canon A640 with Ikelite Housing + a Inon D2000s
check Oceanic Focus for details on the strobes

hope it helps

crusher · 26th June 2007

Strobe is only good for distance less than 2m, beyond that you just gonna get the kind of picture you post. To get good pictures, you need to get as close to the subjects as possible. If you wanna shoot far, you have to depend on the visibility and the amount of ambient light.

letdoit · 26th June 2007

Originally Posted by lovells19

Hi

I think flash is continuous, not strobe

more confuse,
strobe should be continuous light ?
example strobe is something like powerful torchlight , am i right?

whereby flash is flashing, non-continuous.
anyway, i think Olympus will be my choice? less then $1k

crusher · 26th June 2007

Originally Posted by letdoit

more confuse,
strobe should be continuous light ?
example strobe is something like powerful torchlight , am i right?

whereby flash is flashing, non-continuous.
anyway, i think Olympus will be my choice? less then $1k

Flash or strobe is just the same thing with different name. If you talking about continuous light then I think you are referring to torchlight, which is called flashlight in US and Canada.

lovells19 · 26th June 2007

Originally Posted by letdoit

anyway, i think Olympus will be my choice? less then $1k

you'll regret

letdoit · 26th June 2007

Originally Posted by lovells19

you'll regret

why why? the result is it same as i shown above? tell me more. but UW shooting maybe once a year, should i invest so much?

lovells19 · 26th June 2007

cos of poor color, slow focus, weak flash, limited controls

I wouldn't bet my last $ on it.

i would settle for a canon A640 with their Canon housing(although i'll spend a little more for a likelite housing) is less then 1k, just look at barracuda's thread

No body said underwater photography is cheap

OrangeBloke · 4th July 2007

I wouldn't choose the Oly either - only auto and scene modes will greatly reduce what you can do with it. The colours are generally not as good as the Canons - speaking from personal experience at least. Waterproof is okay if a camera gets wet on the surface but if the housing leaks under pressure at depth then sea water is still likely to find its way into the body

The Canons are better in that they usually have at least shutter and aperture priority modes and manual white balance - the underwater mode feature is not much of an advantage to be honest. The A640 is nice in that it's small and can do a decent enough job but if I were you I'd save the money and house your 350 instead.

If you're looking to get a strobe as well then you should expect to get better lighting than the one posted ( no disrespect to the person who took it but it's not lit properly at all). Strobes are what underwater flash units are referred to as. The principal advantage of them is that they are away from the camera so their positioning, and often their power settings, can be adjusted to make better use of the conditions.

OrangeBloke · 4th July 2007

I wouldn't choose the Oly either - only auto and scene modes will greatly reduce what you can do with it. The colours are generally not as good as the Canons - speaking from personal experience at least. Waterproof is okay if a camera gets wet on the surface but if the housing leaks under pressure at depth then sea water is still likely to find its way into the body

The Canons are better in that they usually have at least shutter and aperture priority modes and manual white balance - the underwater mode feature is not much of an advantage to be honest. The A640 is nice in that it's small and can do a decent enough job but if I were you I'd save the money and house your 350 instead.

If you're looking to get a strobe as well then you should definitely expect to get better lighting than the one posted ( no disrespect to the person who took it but it's not lit properly). Strobes are what underwater flash units are referred to as. The principle advantage of them is that they are away from the camera so their positioning, and often their power settings, can be adjusted to make better use of the conditions.

daddyho · 6th July 2007

I would definitely encourage you to buy a housing for your 350D. I use a housed Canon Powershot S70 and even with an Inon D2000 strobe, the photos are still not very satisfactory. My friend has a 350D with Ikelite housing and Ikelite 125 strobe, and his photos look so much better. Focusing speed, interchangeable lenses, speed of writing to RAW format, etc., etc. Really makes a difference. Go get a housing for S$2K and a strobe for about $900 and you will enjoy much better underwater photos.

lestertrinstan · 13th July 2007

Originally Posted by daddyho

I would definitely encourage you to buy a housing for your 350D. I use a housed Canon Powershot S70 and even with an Inon D2000 strobe, the photos are still not very satisfactory. My friend has a 350D with Ikelite housing and Ikelite 125 strobe, and his photos look so much better. Focusing speed, interchangeable lenses, speed of writing to RAW format, etc., etc. Really makes a difference. Go get a housing for S$2K and a strobe for about $900 and you will enjoy much better underwater photos.

I agree. Also, you can take a look at Patima housings as well, lighter and smaller than Ikelite.

pluto · 13th July 2007

i using olympus! not exactly will regret.. but i must say its good for macro. as in with the super macro feature, with normal flash. effect is good, probably because of good vis. heh

but one thing bad about olympus for underwater is the batt's life. i change batt each dive. and with the silicon thingy in the casing doesnt help much to prevent fogging either. urgh.

25th June 2007	#1
letdoit Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: singapore, Jurong Posts: 105	What the different Strobe and flash? I never go snapshot underwater but going to. Before i buy any equipment, would like to check first before i buy wrong thing. Now i have canon 350 and 580EX What i know strobe is a continuousness light shining on objects.( am i right?) Somehow, i read, 580EX as a strobe? how a flash become a strobe?? thanks PLUS. If i want to buy another Aim and shoot underwater camera, should i buy Canon SD850 ( 950 IS ) or Olympus Stylus 780 why i consider them because canon = scene setting got underwater canon = not water proof, i not sure shop now got sell UW casing??? Olympus = waterproof, olympus = don't have scene setting for underwater, i not sure the correct white balance and setting. I copy and paste this pics, Not from me, but hope i won't get this kind of sample lighting Last edited by letdoit; 25th June 2007 at 11:01 PM.

26th June 2007	#2
lovells19 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Deep Deep in the sea Posts: 3,235	Re: What the different Strobe and flash? Hi welcome to the underwater world point and shoot is never ideal for underwater, even with underwater mode, condition underwater varies and the water makes metering a tedious task for the camera. so Shooting in Auto mode usually ends up in suicidal Knowing the fundamentals of underwater photography usually helps, without this you can go down with a D2Xs and still shoot crappy photos I think flash is continuous, not strobe some people has shot very lovely photos with continuous light (flash light) We use strobe I would recommend a Canon A640 with Ikelite Housing + a Inon D2000s check Oceanic Focus for details on the strobes hope it helps

26th June 2007	#3
crusher Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 274	Re: What the different Strobe and flash? Strobe is only good for distance less than 2m, beyond that you just gonna get the kind of picture you post. To get good pictures, you need to get as close to the subjects as possible. If you wanna shoot far, you have to depend on the visibility and the amount of ambient light.

26th June 2007	#8
lovells19 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Deep Deep in the sea Posts: 3,235	Re: What the different Strobe and flash? cos of poor color, slow focus, weak flash, limited controls I wouldn't bet my last $ on it. i would settle for a canon A640 with their Canon housing(although i'll spend a little more for a likelite housing) is less then 1k, just look at barracuda's thread No body said underwater photography is cheap

4th July 2007	#9
OrangeBloke New Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 12	Re: What the different Strobe and flash? I wouldn't choose the Oly either - only auto and scene modes will greatly reduce what you can do with it. The colours are generally not as good as the Canons - speaking from personal experience at least. Waterproof is okay if a camera gets wet on the surface but if the housing leaks under pressure at depth then sea water is still likely to find its way into the body The Canons are better in that they usually have at least shutter and aperture priority modes and manual white balance - the underwater mode feature is not much of an advantage to be honest. The A640 is nice in that it's small and can do a decent enough job but if I were you I'd save the money and house your 350 instead. If you're looking to get a strobe as well then you should expect to get better lighting than the one posted ( no disrespect to the person who took it but it's not lit properly at all). Strobes are what underwater flash units are referred to as. The principal advantage of them is that they are away from the camera so their positioning, and often their power settings, can be adjusted to make better use of the conditions.

6th July 2007	#11
daddyho New Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sembawang Posts: 3	Re: What the different Strobe and flash? I would definitely encourage you to buy a housing for your 350D. I use a housed Canon Powershot S70 and even with an Inon D2000 strobe, the photos are still not very satisfactory. My friend has a 350D with Ikelite housing and Ikelite 125 strobe, and his photos look so much better. Focusing speed, interchangeable lenses, speed of writing to RAW format, etc., etc. Really makes a difference. Go get a housing for S$2K and a strobe for about $900 and you will enjoy much better underwater photos.

13th July 2007	#13
pluto New Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 13	Re: What the different Strobe and flash? i using olympus! not exactly will regret.. but i must say its good for macro. as in with the super macro feature, with normal flash. effect is good, probably because of good vis. heh but one thing bad about olympus for underwater is the batt's life. i change batt each dive. and with the silicon thingy in the casing doesnt help much to prevent fogging either. urgh.