UW Technics 11080-HSS User manual

UW
Technics
#11080-HSS Optoelectronic TTL-Converter
for MARELUX underwater housings for CANON photo cameras
USER’S MANUAL
Specifications
▪Compatible underwater housings:Marelux
▪Compatible photo cameras Canon
▪Compatible TTL strobes: Inon Z-330, Z-240
Sea&Sea YS-250, YS-D1,
Sea&Sea YS-D2 (made in China)
Ikelite DS-161, DS-160, DS-125
Retra Pro (including HSS functionality)
Subtronic Pro 270, Pro 160
▪TTL outputs onboard: 2 optical, 1 electric
▪HSS (High Shutter Speed sync) support manual type HSS with Retra Pro strobe (up to 1/8000 s)
▪Continuous shooting mode (CL / CH) support: yes
▪“Rear/Front Curtain”modes support: yes
▪Switching “TTL / M” underwater: yes
▪(+/-) “Flash Exposure compensation” control underwater: yes
▪Switching power “ON/OFF”: automatic by camera command
▪Battery type: CR2032 (2pcs.)
▪Current consumption (in standby mode)0.01 mkA
▪Battery capacity (+20°C): 65 000 flashes, 1 year in standby mode
▪Recommended Fiber-optic cable type: 613-fiber core (HowShot 613L, Nauticam #26216 / #26217 etc.)
▪Available Electric Bulkhead type (optional accessory): Nikonos, S-6, Ikelite
▪Dual and single Electric sync cords support (Sea&Sea, Ikelite): yes
Safety Warning for Batteries usage
➢Use batteries only CR2032 type.
➢Batteries must be new and undamaged. Carefully check batteries before usage.
➢To avoid leakage or explosion, always check appropriate battery terminals position (“plus” / “minus”) before installing to the
TTL-Converter.
➢Never expose batteries to overheating, short-circuiting, disassembling, high pressure, mechanical deformation. Save
batteries from high humidity and water. All these circumstances may cause a chemical leakage, electric shock, explosion or
fire, which can be dangerous for health.
➢Remove batteries from TTL-Converter before longtime storage.
➢Utilize used batteries according appropriate rules.
➢Keep out batteries of children. Save batteries in inaccessible for children place

Installation in MARELUX underwater photo housing
▪Open underwater housing. Using hex wrench unscrew 2
bolts from vertical plastic podium (camera support) bottom side.
Delete the podium from the housing.
▪Insert CR2032 batteries into TTL-Converter. Before
installation check that “plus” terminal of each battery is in Up
position.
▪(Optional). In case of using Electric Sync cord
synchronization, connect an electric bulkhead cable plug into Ci-11
socket on the board.
▪Install TTL-Converter to its place. Carefully insert both
LEDs into optical holes of the housing. Screw 2 bolts, fixing the
plastic frame upper part.
▪Install vertical plastic podium back to its place. Screw 2
bolts, fixing the podium.
Optional Accessories for MARELUX housing
▪UW Technics Nikonos style Bulkhead (M14 screw) with cable and Ci-11 connector.
▪UW Technics Ikelite style Bulkhead (M14 screw) with cable and Ci-11 connector.
▪UW Technics S-6 style Bulkhead (M14 screw) with cable and Ci11 connector.
▪Electric Bulkheads are optional products and must be purchased separately.
External cable connections for underwater strobes
▪TTL-Converter maintains synchronization for underwater strobes by Fiber Optical cable and by electric sync cord as
well, separately or even simultaneously.
▪Maximum 2 Fiber Optic cables can be used (via housing optical bulkheads). It is possible to connect 2 underwater
strobes.
▪Maximum 1 electric sync cord can be connected to the TTL board (via housing electric bulkhead).
▪Dual electric sync cords (“Sea&Sea”, “Ikelite”) are supported by TTL-Converter as well. Using a dual sync cord, it is
possible to connect 2 underwater strobes.
Initial Settings
▪Set TTL-Converter onboard rotary switch according the underwater strobe type:
o0–Manual Mode (TTL protocol is disabled)
o1–Inon Z-240
o2–Sea&Sea YS-D1
o3 –Sea&Sea YS-D2 (strobe version «Made in China» only)
o4 –Sea&Sea YS-250
o5–Ikelite DS-161, DS-160, DS-125
o6 –Inon Z-330
o7 –Retra Pro (including HSS support)
o8 –Subtronic Pro-160
o9 –Subtronic Pro-270
▪Set and check camera settings before underwater shooting:
-Set Camera mode (“M”, “P”, “A”, “S”etc.), dependently of preferences. For underwater shooting it is recommended to
use “M” mode, when user set fixed aperture and shutter speed manually.
-Set appropriate Exposure Metering (“Evaluative”, “Partial”, “Spot”, “Center-weighted) according your shooting
conditions. Right type of Exposure Metering is the key setting for accurate TTL work. In case of wrong setting, the shot
may be overlighted, or underlighted.
-Set “Mechanical” shutter type for both 1-st and rear curtains. All other options regarding shutter type in camera menu
must be set for “mechanical” type too.
- Set camera’s “Flash Exposure Compensation” (and “Exposure Compensation”) to “0 ev”, as initial setting.
- Set appropriate ISO. For most of cases it is recommended to use ISO 200….400 for best resolution and TTL accuracy
underwater. For TTL shooting with Retra Pro strobe recommended to use ISO 400 and higher.
- Set Aperture and Shutter Speed according real underwater conditions and shooting task.
- Shooting in TTL mode with casual underwater strobes, maximum mono-flash sync speed for DSLR cameras is about
1/250.
- Shooting in manual mode with Retra Pro strobe, sync speeds are available also in HSS range, - up to 1/8000.

- Recommended apertures F8-F16 for wide angle photo, and F16-F22 for Macro photo, as initial settings.
- Use other settings recommended by your camera User’s Manual.
▪Using camera menu photographer can totally control TTL-Converter underwater. Flash settings are always stored in TTL-
Converter nonvolatile onboard memory, even after power is turned off.
▪Enter Flash control menu to set initial preferences:
▪Enter External flash functions setting submenu:
oFlash firing –“Enable” (switch ON the flash) or “Disable” (switch OFF the flash)
oE-TTL II meter. –Recommended to set “Average” metering type, as initial setting,
“Evaluative” type also can be useful with some camera models.
oFlash sync. speed in Av mode –“1/250 fixed”, “1/60-1/250 auto” or “Auto’
▪Enter submenu for Synchronization settings:
oSet “1st curtain” or “2nd curtain”, or “HSS” synchronization, dependently of the shooting task.

Shooting in TTL mode
▪Set main dial switch on the underwater strobe body to TTL mode. Please refer to concrete strobe User’s Manual to choose
appropriate mode (Z330, Z-240, Retra Pro set to “S-TTL”, YS-D1/D2 set to “DS-TTL”, YS-250/DS-161/DS160 set to “TTL”).
▪Set another dial (+/-Ev correction) on the underwater strobe body to “0 ev” position, as initial setting. Using Z-240/Z330
strobes, pay attention: magnet must be in “Push” position, for fiber optical connection set second dial switch to “0ev”
(position “12 o’clock”), for electric wire connection set to “ttl” mark as fixed position (“9 o’clock”). In case of optical TTL,
adjustment (+/-) is available by the strobe dial “+/-Ev” and also by the camera wheel “flash exposure compensation”, the
final value is the sum of these two corrections. In case of electric wire TTL, adjustment (+/-) is unavailable by the strobe
dial, but available by the camera control wheel using “flash exposure compensation”.
▪Connect TTL-Converter Hot Shoe plug to the camera Hot Shoe socket. Switch ON the camera. TTL-Converter activates
automatically (switch ON) when user pushes camera Shutter Release Button for shooting or focusing. Device goes to
standby mode (switch OFF) also automatically few seconds later (according the camera command), or after disconnection
from camera Hot Shoe socket.
▪Camera recognizes E-TTL device on the Hot Shoe socket and confirms compatibility by the “Flash” symbol on the
service screen. Submenu “External Flash func. settings” becomes available in camera menu only in case of full
compatibility of camera and TTL-Converter.
▪Enter submenu Flash mode:
oSet ETTL mode:
▪Set “1-st curtain” or “2-nd curtain” synchronization type. Don’t use “HSS” position if shooting in TTL mode.
▪During the initial test, dependently of concrete camera model, strobes condition etc., photographer should initially adjust
(+/-) correction to TTL Flash exposure control. (Flash Exposure Compensation). Pay attention on this.
Later, photographer should use necessary correction in wide range, according shooting conditions, if images are to bright
or too dark.

For the shooting, TTL Flash exposure compensation is available by 2 ways:
- Use “+/-Ev” dial on the underwater strobe body (adjustment works for fiber-optical type connection only).
- Use camera “Flash Exposure Compensation” function. Such adjustment is recommended, it is more deep, works for
both types of connection. Available “Flash Exposure Compensation” range for Canon cameras: -3ev…0...+3ev. User
can adjust it by steps 0.3ev or 0.5ev (choose the step by camera menu), viewing the value on the camera menu scale.
The same adjustment is avalable by camera wheel, looking to camera service screen scale.
▪Shooting macro, for normal TTL accuracy the nearest distance from underwater strobe to a target must be more than
0.35m underwater (or more than 0.7m for the land tests), to keep the system inside of working TTL range.But camera can
be positioned as close to the target as user needs.
▪TTL-Converter is tuned for normal TTL accuracy under water. Land tests may give another results.
▪In some shooting conditions or camera settings, TTL system may be not effective or out of working range.This case
photographer should use Manual modes.
Shooting in Manual mode
▪Underwater photographer can use 3 different ways to shoot in Manual mode:
- Camera menu Manual mode
- Underwater strobe Manual mode
- TTL-Converter hardwire Manual mode
oCamera menu Manual Mode (controlled M mode)
Switch system to Manual mode by camera menu.
Set underwater strobe to S-TTL (TTL) mode for availability of flash output adjustment via camera controls.
This is preferable Manual mode for universal usage, easy switchable and controllable under water during the diving.
This case TTL-Converter also switches to appropriate M mode automatically by camera command.
In such Manual mode also becomes available flash output level scale in submenu. User can adjust flash output level
by camera wheel, looking to this menu scale (or looking to camera service screen):
Some manual underwater strobes (like MF-1) requires very strong optical signal for synchronization, this case necessary to
set maximum power by this scale (1/1).
oUnderwater Strobe Manual Mode:
Set underwater strobe to M mode without pre-flashes. Adjust strobe light intensity by the dial switch on the
strobe body.
Recommended settings in camera menu: “M”mode, flash output level “1/1”.
For information: If camera is in “M”mode by menu, - all Pre-flashes in system are disabled.
If user needs to get full dump from underwater strobe, - set “FULL” on the strobe body, set camera menu to “M” mode
and flash output level “1/1” by camera menu.

oTTL-Converter hardwire Manual Mode (set by onboard switch to “0” position):
Set TTL-Converter onboard rotary switch to “0” position.
Set underwater strobe to M mode without pre-flashes. Adjust strobe light intensity by the dial switch on the
strobe body.
Setting TTL-Converter rotary switch to “0” position can be done only before submerging, when the housing is open.
This is forced Manual mode. This case camera does not recognize any device on it’s HotShoe socket, TTL protocol in
system is totally disabled.
In this mode TTL-Converter emits single pulse of fixed (maximum) duration at each shutter release.
This mode is recommended for any creative shooting, for example using long length fiber optical cables (up to 40m
length is supported), or for usage with TTL incompatible underwater strobes, or for any other difficult situations.
For information: In this Manual mode all Pre-flashes are disabled.
HSS (High Speed Synchronization) with “Retra Pro” strobe
▪New generation “Retra Pro” strobe supports High Speed Synchronization (“HSS” in Canon terminology).
▪HSS speeds on most of Canon cameras are available in range 1/320 ….1/8000 s.
▪Pay attention, that “Retra Pro” High Speed sync supports only Manual type flash, but not TTL. In this strobe mode Retra
flash intensity can be adjusted by the strobe dial knob only.
▪For shooting with a flash at HSS speeds, use the following settings:
➢Update your Retra strobe firmware to latest version, using “Retra-UWT” application via I-Phone or I-Pad bluetooth
connection.
➢Only once: Assign “HSS” function to U1 or U2 switch position on the strobe body, using “Retra-UWT” application via I-
Phone or I-Pad bluetooth connection.
➢Set Retra Pro strobe switch to U1 or U2 position (according the assigned position)
➢Set HSS synchronization by camera menu for external flash.
➢Set M mode by camera menu for external flash (to exclude pre-flashes).
➢Use camera at any shutter high speeds (1/320 …1/8000 s). Check operation with HSS flash. Adjust necessary flash
intensity by the strobe dial knob and camera Aperture or ISO.
➢Pay attention that 1/200 and 1/250 camera speeds usually don’t require HSS type flash. Independently of camera
menu HSS option, many Canon cameras use just a normal sync flash for them in reality.
Shutter High Speeds availability for shooting with ambient light
▪Classic underwater strobes produce a mono-flash, they cannot work in HSS range speeds (excluding Retra Pro), camera
automatically limits sync speed 1/250 for them, usually until HotShoe plug is connected. But our new TTL-Converter
firmware allows shutter high speeds usage for shooting underwater with ambient sunlight as well (without flash) even if
HotShoe plug is connected. User does not need to reopen the housing to disconnect the HotShoe plug.
▪Shutter high speeds for shooting are available in Manual HSS mode of the system in range 1/320 ….1/8000 (and faster,
dependently of camera model). All models uw strobes (excluding Retra Pro) in this case don’t produce a flash,
automatically OFF via TTL-converter control. Only Retra Pro strobe in this mode can produce a flash (HSS flash).
Continuous (Serial) Shooting using underwater strobes
▪TTL-Converter supports Continuous shooting in all modes, including TTL and M modes. But the main role in this case plays
underwater strobes specific (read below).
▪Compact size underwater strobes like Z-240, Z-330, YS-D1, YS-D2 etc. have rather weak charger inside, which can not
charge the strobe quick enough between series of TTL doubled flashes (pre-flash + main flash). Each next shot the energy
is not enough to keep accurate pre-flash duration. That is why, compact size underwater strobes are not recommended for
Continuous (Serial) Shooting in TTL mode. The 1st shot will have normal lighting, next shots will have different lighting or
none at all. The effect depends on specific strobe’s capabilities.
▪Large size underwater strobes, like YS-250, DS-161, DS-160 etc. have more powerful charger inside and large main
capacitor. Those strobes work some better in Continuous (Serial) Shooting TTL mode. The user can make more shots with
acceptable lighting. However the best lighting accuracy will be on only the first 1-3 shots in series, the others may have
different lighting. The effect depends on specific strobe’s capabilities.
▪For Continuous (Serial) Shooting with underwater strobes, it is strongly recommended to use Manual mode and set small
flash intensities manually.This way it is possible to get serial shots with acceptable lighting accuracy due to reduced
recycle times.
Battery energy saving
▪Set acceptable Review Time and Time before going to Standby mode in camera menu, this is most important setting for
TTL-Converter battery saving. When camera is in Standby mode, the TTL-Converter is switched OFF automatically.
Recommended time before going to standby mode, –4…8 seconds, or another MINIMUM time allowed by concrete

camera menu. Use a minimum time to look an image underwater and save energy. Don’t set “Hold” option in camera
menu, it causes fast battery drain.
Storage
▪After shooting switch Off the camera.
▪Disconnect TTL-Converter Hot Shoe plug from camera after the diving. This way you defend the TTL-Converter from any
accidents. Also, you save TTL-Converter battery, because current consumption is minimum in this case.
▪For a longtime storage remove batteries from TTL-Converter.
Warranty
▪Product warranted against any manufacturing defects for 2 year from the date of purchase for consumer use.
▪Manufacturer accepts no liability for any damage to and defects in the housing caused by improper use and/or poor
maintenance.
▪Manufacturer does not hold responsibility for damage of any nature, to any equipment used with the product.
▪Manufacturer accepts no liability for any loss of captured images or the inability to capture images even if it is due to the
malfunctioning of the product.
▪This warranty only applies to products purchased from authorized dealers and does not extend beyond the original retail
purchaser.
▪Unauthorized modifications and/or repairs of the product will automatically invalidate this warranty.
▪To return products for service, please contact authorized dealer in your region.