Ikelite DS230 strobe review

Nicolas Remy · Issue 136, Jan/Feb 2024 · pp. 35–40

Products mentioned: Ikelite DS230, Ikelite DS160, Inon Z240, Ikelite dome diffuser, Ikelite #4405 optical converter, Ikelite ICS 5-pin bulkhead, Nikon D300, Nikon D500, Nikon Z9, Nikon Z8

When my wife Lena and myself purchased our first underwater photography rig back in 2008, we were already very keen divers and went full-on, getting ourselves an Ikelite DSLR housing (for the venerable Nikon D300) and two Ikelite DS160 strobes. I really liked these strobes for their bright light beam, fast recycle speed and warm colour temperature. The main reason we moved over to Inon z240s afterwards was that our next housing only supported fiber optics, and at the time, we could only use electrical cables to trigger the Ikelite strobes. Needless to say, I got quite interested when Ikelite announced their new flagship DS230 strobes, and very pleased when I won one, as part of the DPG Masters Underwater Imaging Competition 2022. Coincidentally, I had some action-packed wide-angle work planned in 2023, for which I thought a pair of Ikelite DS230s would be helpful, and I want to thank Ike…