Ikelite Unveils DS165 and RC165 Strobes

Left: DS165. Right: RC165

Ikelite has announced two new additions to its strobe lineup—the DS165 and RC165. And as you probably already noticed, only one of them, the DS165, is triggered the conventional way for Ikelite strobes—electrically. The other, the RC165, is a surprising—but many will say, welcome—departure into the world of fiber-optic triggering. While the U.S. company has offered fiber-optic triggering solutions in the past, these have been in the form of receivers that convert the electrical bulkhead to a fiber-optic connection. This is the first time Ikelite is offering a strobe with fiber-optic connectivity built in.

In Ikelite’s blog post on the RC165, the company says “this next generation of 165-series strobes is an improved upon and refined version of our famous DS160 II.” The power of the RC165 isn’t explicitly stated, but as an upgrade from the the DS160 II, the new strobe presumably offers the same 160Ws maximum power. Other specs are stated: Ikelite says the RC165 offers a “significantly wider 120º angle of coverage” (without the need for a diffuser), comparing favorably with the 110-degree beam angle with diffuser of the DS160 II. At 5000K, the RC165’s stated color temperature is also a little different to the 4800K color temperature of the DS160 II. Otherwise, the controls on the new strobe are identical to those on the DS160 II: Expect manual control across 10 stops in 1/2-stop increments.

Left: DS165. Right: RC165

As you’d expect, given Ikelite’s long history as TTL pioneers, it’s the strobe’s TTL capabilities that the company is giving the most emphasis. The RC165 supports TTL operation with compatible OM System, Olympus, and Panasonic cameras when firing the built-in flash in “RC” mode, and with compatible Canon cameras when using Ikelite’s TT5 Canon TTL Transmitter. The TT5 supports switching between TTL and manual strobe exposure using the camera’s flash menu, as well as rear/second curtain sync. Ikelite has promised TTL transmitters for Sony and Nikon systems are coming soon.

Current compatible Ikelite housings for OM System and Olympus cameras include those for the OM System TG-7, Olympus TG-3/TG-4/TG-5/TG-6 and the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III. Various non-Ikelite housings are also compatible, such as Olympus or Nauticam housings for the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II with FL-LM3 flash; Nauticam housings for the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark I to Mark IV; and Olympus, Nauticam, Isotta or Recsea housings for the Olympus TG-5, TG-6 or OM System TG-7.

In its blog post, Ikelite is careful not to overstate the benefits of fiber-optic connections, writing, “Fiber optic cords are not more reliable than electrical cords, but they may be more convenient.” And for anyone who isn’t bothered by the added O-ring maintenance associated with electrical triggering, the company has you covered with the DS165, which has all the same specs as the RC165, except the fiber-optic port is replaced with Ikelite’s conventional electrical bulkhead. Is the “165-series” the first of many to be offered in both fiber-optic and electrical versions? Is Ikelite slowly but surely going fiber-only? Only time will tell!

Shipping now from retailers such as Backscatter, the RC165 and DS165 are both priced at $995.