Dual Strobe Question- Big / Traitional or New / Smaller

[danny.hightower]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to decide on a dual strobe setup and would like some help.

I'm mainly interested in CFWA, mantas, sharks or other large sea life' (pretty much everything but marcro)

My cameras will be either a NEX-5N or new OM-D... My question is based upon what i am interested in shooting I'm trying to decide if I should opt for the Icon D-2000, Z240's or the Sea and Sea 250 pro's over say an Icon S-2000 or YS110A?

I would prefer a smaller strobe setup as that will fit my camera setup and wallet. Additionally i really dont see much of a spec change between the smaller and larger equipment except the Sea and Sea 250 pro (which will really hurt my wallet) so i can help asking if the bigger strobes will really make a difference in what im trying to shoot.

Thank you for your help.

Danny

 

[bvanant]

For CFWA you will not need big strobes and you will need to make sure that you will be able to get the light to the subject. For big stuff (mantas and sharks) having the most power you can will help but remember that even the YS250 (tested at a GN of 22 by backscatter) with an UW guide number of say 15 (meters ISO 100) means that you can only shoot a shark 10 feet away at f 5.6 since

GN = Distance x F stop

As a general rule at normal shooting f stops (like 11) you can only light up stuff 4-5 feet away with normal strobes
Bill

 

[dirtfarmer]

When your comparing brands check out the kelvin specs. One reason I chose Inon is it's a bit warmer color over the other brands.

 

[dirtfarmer]

Here's a great strobe comparison guide. Underwater Strobe Comparison Guide - Digital Diver Network

 

[danny.hightower]

Thanks everyone for the great information. What do you guys think of the yet to be released YS-D1's? I actually had a dealer suggest to me today to wait on those. If i do wait i will not have strobes for my 11 day trip to Cozumel in March...

 

[jdfmail]

Here's a great strobe comparison guide. Underwater Strobe Comparison Guide - Digital Diver Network

It's useful but really out of date.

 

[Tigershark44]

Many are hoping that they can replace the YS-250s with the YS-D1s...much less expensive, same recylce time, same power. We'll see how they perform in the real world. For pelagics, you'll want something with fast recycle times. The YS-250s are really the go-to strobe right now for this type of shooting, but they're heavy and large. I have the Z-240s, but would buy the YS-D1s today.