Canon S500 and using Sea&Sea YS-40A strobe

kevinm3574 wrote:

> I'm planning
> on purchasing the WP-DC800 underwater case for my S500 but was hoping
> to use my YS-40A strobe instead of having to purchase a new strobe. Is
> this possible?

Maybe. Assuming the S500 uses a preflash you need a reliable way to trigger the YS-40
on the main flash instead of the preflash, and it's a foregone conclusion that a
Canon housing doesn't have a connector for a Sea & Sea strobe. That means you either
need an adapter that will connect the strobe to the housing (in the unlikely event
that it has any connector at all) and only fire on the main flash, or an UW slave
that only fires on the main flash. The latter may or may not give you TTL capability,
depending on whether or not the slave can quench the strobe. Check with Sea & Sea or
a dealer to see what's available. If the S500 doesn't use preflash or preflash can be
disabled (such as in manual mode) then a regular slave will work, and I'm guessing
your strobe may have a built in slave.

You could also consider making a quality investment and getting an Ikelite housing if
they make one for the S500. That and an Ikelite strobe won't be cheap, but think how
much you'll save on film costs.


--
Steve

The above can be construed as personal opinion in the absence of a reasonable
belief that it was intended as a statement of fact.

If you want a reply to reach me, remove the SPAMTRAP from the address.

I'm the proud owner of a Canon S500 digital camera AND the MX-10
underwater camera kit which includes the YS-40A strobe. I'm planning
on purchasing the WP-DC800 underwater case for my S500 but was hoping
to use my YS-40A strobe instead of having to purchase a new strobe. Is
this possible? I'm not overly concerned with having to attach the
strobe directly to the camera (although a converter to do this would be
nice) but I do want the strobe to auto fire when I take a picture.
I've seen other Sea&Sea strobes that will apparently work and other
manufacturer strobes but I'm really hoping that I won't have to
purchase the additional equipment.

Thanks.

Kevin

kevinm3574 wrote:

> I'm planning
> on purchasing the WP-DC800 underwater case for my S500 but was hoping
> to use my YS-40A strobe instead of having to purchase a new strobe. Is
> this possible?

Maybe. Assuming the S500 uses a preflash you need a reliable way to trigger the YS-40
on the main flash instead of the preflash, and it's a foregone conclusion that a
Canon housing doesn't have a connector for a Sea & Sea strobe. That means you either
need an adapter that will connect the strobe to the housing (in the unlikely event
that it has any connector at all) and only fire on the main flash, or an UW slave
that only fires on the main flash. The latter may or may not give you TTL capability,
depending on whether or not the slave can quench the strobe. Check with Sea & Sea or
a dealer to see what's available. If the S500 doesn't use preflash or preflash can be
disabled (such as in manual mode) then a regular slave will work, and I'm guessing
your strobe may have a built in slave.

You could also consider making a quality investment and getting an Ikelite housing if
they make one for the S500. That and an Ikelite strobe won't be cheap, but think how
much you'll save on film costs.


--
Steve

The above can be construed as personal opinion in the absence of a reasonable
belief that it was intended as a statement of fact.

If you want a reply to reach me, remove the SPAMTRAP from the address.