A hotshoe is a small metal mount on top of your camera where you can attach accessories (like a flash). Your Ikelite housing allows you to connect the camera to the strobe using an internal cable and an external sync cord. This enables automatic flash control based on the exposure your camera measures and the TTL (Through The Lens) signal it sends to the strobe. Works flawlessly!

Cameras with the RC protocol (like some Olympus and OM System models, such as the Tough TG-7) use an optical system. The built-in flash sends coded signals that can be transmitted via a fiber optic cable to a TTL converter, which turns them into an electrical signal to control your strobe automatically. This type of setup also supports other strobe brands very well.

The housing has a port for a fiber optic cable. The optical signal from the camera's internal flash is transmitted to the external strobe, which then triggers and flashes simultaneously (optical TTL). If the strobe supports this, no manual setting is needed. This system also works well with third-party strobes.