Olympus XZ1/PT-050 Strobes?

[MattMan]

Hi,
I have just bought a PT-050 housing for my XZ1. It's a nice camera, some of the settings are tough to get a grip with (illogical!) on the controls but thats the only downside so far..

So I now would like to get a strobe. I am relatively new to underwater photography but have been in the dive industry professionally for years.

As the PT-050 has a fibre optic cable, does this mean it is limited to what functions the strobe can perform? i.e. would some strobes on the market be a waste of money as my camera could not use their full functionality?

I don't mind spending some cash on a decent strobe but only if my camera makes full use of the available strobe functions, otherwise I may be wasting money.

What strobes have people got with their PT-050 and can it use all the functions via fibre optic or does it need the hard wired connector which my camera doesn't support.

I'll be honest with you, strobes are confusing me!

Thanks, Matt

[MattMan]

Wow - No one has anything to say on the subject.. LOL

[Zig]

Hello Matt,

Information in this article should help you out. http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/under ... -equipment

You should not see any limited functionality by using fiber optic cords. My friend and I both shoot a Nikon D7000 in a Sea & Sea housing. He uses fiber optic, and I use hard-wired sync cables. Sea & Sea strobes, for example, can be easily connected via either fiber optic or electronic sync cords, whereas Ikelite strobes are typically connected via electronic sync cords.

I hope this helps.

[Zig]

I know several people that shoot both compact cameras, and dSLRs with Sea & Sea strobes. Our equipment sponsor, Bluewater Photo, has the entire Sea & Sea product line available. Not only will they have the product, they'll also help you learn how to use the strobe(s) properly based on your camera settings.

http://www.bluewaterphotostore.com/prod ... %3A3%2C159

Cheers,
Michael

[bvanant]

I agree with Zig. Look at the S&S strobes, particularly the YS 01. Great strobe, and can be run very simply via fiber optics. You can use it in TTL mode where the strobe is "automatic" more or less or in manual mode where you turn the power up and down as you shoot. I am shooting Canon in Nauticam and haven't used a wired strobe cable in 3 years or so.

Cheers
Bill

[chile7236]

i am using an older Inon D2000 and a Sea and Sea YS27DX with my XZ-1/PT-050 with no issues. i have used the D2000 in TTL and Manual with no issues.