Ikelite AF35 vs. Inon S2000

[Reecard]

I have recently purchased a Canon S95 and plan on getting the Ikelite housing for the camera. I am wondering which strobe would be a better choice, Ikelite AF35 or the Inon S2000? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[HerraduraDivers]

I don't know the Ikelite AF35 but i have one 2007 D-2000 and 2 2011 Z-240 strobes and
they are super reliable and never gave me any headache even with 0 maintance except rinsing.
Th S-2000 is the smaller version of the D-2000 lacking of Auto EA mode, has a slightly smaller beam,
and Inon claims that it have the same power as the D-2000.
Do a search here about the Inon S-2000 and there are several treads from last year regarding this strobe.

Chris

 

[herman]

There is no question at all on this one. The AF-35 is a low end strobe with very limited use. The controller is limited in it flexability and you can not add or modify the strobe arms , which are IMO too short because of the cable that is inside of them. Add to that the mounting tray is weak and looks to me to be a weak point that is likely to break. The Inon will be a lot more expensive but you will not likely outgrow it as opposed to the AF-35 which you likely will.

 

[Reecard]

Thanks for the replies, I was leaning towards the Inon, but now I am really thinking that is the direction I may go.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

completely different categories, even price wise.

Although they are both supposedly cable-less optical TTL.

Another strobe that could be compared to both is the Sea&Sea YS-01. With the proper arm, it is on par with the Inon S2000 (advantage of Sea&Sea is it has a modeling light vs Inon's fiberless TTL). With the Grip Stay S, it is near the price range of the Ikelite AF35.

 

[Reecard]

completely different categories, even price wise.

Although they are both supposedly cable-less optical TTL.

Another strobe that could be compared to both is the Sea&Sea YS-01. With the proper arm, it is on par with the Inon S2000 (advantage of Sea&Sea is it has a modeling light vs Inon's fiberless TTL). With the Grip Stay S, it is near the price range of the Ikelite AF35.

I seen this strobe after I posted the first time, thanks for the info. Now it is between the Inon and Sea & Sea!!

 

[Wisnu]

With the budget of AF35, you can get YS-02 with tray and arm. YS-02 is similar as YS-01 but no TTL, which is not important in your case since S95 does not TTL on Manual mode where mostly used for UW.

 

[Reecard]

With the budget of AF35, you can get YS-02 with tray and arm. YS-02 is similar as YS-01 but no TTL, which is not important in your case since S95 does not TTL on Manual mode where mostly used for UW.

Thanks, this is very nice to know. I will be making a trip to LDS this week, it is great they are a Sea & Sea dealer! Christmas may be early this year for me...

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

if your camera does not do ttl, then you are probably better off with one of the strobes that has its own light sensor. This way, the picture will always come out within the range of acceptability and you just have to do minor fine tuning from there. Sealife SL961 is one such strobe.

But I don't think you need to be in manual mode unless you want absolute control of depth of field and background light. You could get away with being in Av and adjusting the ISO.

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

All of the strobes mentioned above have their pros and cons. Like others mentioned - the Ike Af-35's are at a different price point. Take a look at the Ys-01 and Ys-02 strobes, the controls are easy to use even with heavy gloves on, they are strong strobes and the TTL of the YS-01 works well with the S95 in Av mode. - Scott