Internal flash recycle time

[oncor23]

Okay...I have a Fuji Finepix F30 with Fuji case. Recently picked up a used S&S 110a strobe and slave mask kit and fiber optic cable. I have not taken it underwater, but it all works in air. The issue...when inside the case with the mask and fiber optic cable, my camera internal flash takes a fair amount of time to recycle unless I'm shooting in good light. I see users on this site mentioning the Canon S90 and the ability to set the flash to low. I don't believe I have that ability on my F30. Maybe I'm wrong.

When I used my F30 diving Bonaire...the excellent battery that it has meant I could just leave it in the UW case all day and do 3 dives and take lot's of pictures. I had no strobe and used the internal flash occasionally. The battery never ran out of power. I never took the camera on the night dives I did because I was/am a new diver (just over 100 dives done), wanted to concentrate on diving skills...and I didn't have a focus light/tray.

So, with the strobe set-up and the camera set to forced flash, I'm worried that the camera will run out of power on a long day of diving, and the recycle time for a full dump of the internal flash is pushing 5 seconds. The strobe is ready to go for the next shot well before the camera. Solutions?

I was thinking I should have a backup camera for my next dive trip to whatever exotic/tropical location I come up with...and can afford. One of the guests where I stayed when diving Bonaire flooded his compact camera/case. The lanyard got pinched when he shut the case and he didn't notice. So, I was thinking...why not another F30 as I already have the case. Now...I'm not so sure. My dive partner has a Canon S90. Maybe I should make the move...even though it would mean another underwater case. Other options? Compact cameras that are good underwater and let you set the internal flash power...

[TomR1]

I think something is wrong with your camera. "Usually the time for the camera to write the image to the card is the limiting factor.

Tom

[oncor23]

Okay, I tried the strobe slave TTL with the YS-110a and the F30. I had tried TTL mode previously without the fiber optic cable, and it works, but not dependably. The strobe didn't always "see" that the camera flash had gone off. I had not tried the TTL mode since I got the fiber optic cord and mask kit...until this weekend. With the fiber optic cable, TTL works dependably and allows a much quicker recycle time for the camera as the on-board flash is not just dumped at full power. So, this is not manual mode photography, but the camera battery should last considerably longer if I stick to TTL mode with the fiber optic cable, rather than manual mode use of the strobe and camera flash with the F30.