Need advice on choosing new strobe

[Hatul]

I have a Canon S120 camera in an Ikelite housing on a plastic tray (with two holes holding the housing). I actually have two trays: one single and one double for holding a focus light on the right side. My Ikelite AF35 flooded for the second time, this time out of warranty, and Ikelite wants $300 + shipping to replace it, so I'm thinking of trashing it and starting from scratch.

Need recommendations for a replacement strobe to work with my camera and the housing. My current focus light is the cheap Fantasea Nano which probably also needs to be replaced with something stronger. Price is not a major concern but I'd like to stick with something compact.

I noticed below recommendations for the Inon Z240 for someone else. Would this be the same answer here?

 

[cbrich]

The Inon Z240 are the best, but really any of the Inon strobes will work. Inon has S2000, D2000, Z240. S2000 being the cheapest, and smallest.

 

[jbb]

Whichever one you choose someone will say you should have gotten the other manufacturer's strobe. It seems to be a little bit of Chevy vs. Ford sort of deal. I personally picked a z240 to use with my old canon g7. I still have it after upgrading to the g11 and added another strobe to my now Olympus OMD EM-5 rig. So yes my camera rig has stepped up and I didn't have to upgrade my strobe. So do you think you will take a similar path or want that option? Go with a strobe and manufacturer that can take you there like Sea & Sea or Inon (they're strobes are small). I do like the fact the Inon z240 (YS-D1 does too) takes AA batteries which a lot of companies make rechargables for or in a pinch you can purchase disposables to make it by. I only use my strobe in manual but each of these models has slightly way to make strobe adjustments. Maybe you might be good with tehe D-2000 or S-2000 models? I'm sure others will contribute here. It all depends on whether you think you will keep on with the underwater photography.

 

[diver 85]

S&Ss use AA also...I use Eneloop rechargs in mine.....

 

[Interceptor121]

For the Canon S and G series I would recommend an Inon D2000
The D2000 works both with both TTL and manual flash and the external auto mode allows you to shoot TTL with the camera flash in manual.
The S2000 does not have this mode. The Z240 does but it is only more powerful does not give any more settings
Having used sea and sea strobes YS-XX with my canon it was a pain to run a CHDK script to have TTL in manual and I am glad I do not have to do that anymore

 

[Doubler]

D2000

 

[JackConnick]

The S&S YS-D1 has more power and is less expensive than the Z240. It is also lighter in the water. You can use it with a couple of different included diffusers for varying beam angle/power abilities. It also comes with two mounts.

Really with your camera a YS-01 would work fine and be a lot less expensive.

Jack

 

[Interceptor121]

The S&S YS-D1 has more power and is less expensive than the Z240. It is also lighter in the water. You can use it with a couple of different included diffusers for varying beam angle/power abilities. It also comes with two mounts.

Really with your camera a YS-01 would work fine and be a lot less expensive.

Jack

The YS-D1 has not got more power. It has on the specs but not in reality.
If you look at this highly misleading graph from back scatter here
Underwater Camera Articles: Strobe Tests of the best underwater strobes on the market. Head to head comparisons.
It compares the YS-D1 and Z240 without diffusers so the YS-D1 looks more powerful
However the Z240 has 100 degrees without a diffuser whilst the YS-D1 has 90 and needs a diffuser to get to 100.
If you look at the Z240 graph without diffuser (100 degrees) and compare to the YS-D1 with a 100 diffuser you see that the two strobes are in effect identical at the same beam angle.
Same applies when you compare the YS-01 with the D2000 at same angle the strobes are the same
Having said that for reason already explained the op is better with an Inon D2000 as the S120 does not have any TTL in manual. If that is not an option than you can settle for an YS-02 and spare the expense of the YS-01 as that works only with the A,P and Tv mode that on the canon produce average pictures

I used to maintain the CHDK script for the canon up to DIGIC V but now that I don't have sea and sea strobes I don't maintain it anymore so TTL is not an option for canon cameras in manual
So it is either the YS-02 and shoot the strobe always in manual with no pre-flash or a D2000 and use the strobe auto TTL feature

 

[JackConnick]

Sorry, but I've shot both strobes on a couple of different cameras and at 110 degrees the YS-d1 shoots with more power.

Jack


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Interceptor121]

I thought the YS-D1 had a 100 and a 120. So the only way you could compare is the YS-D1 with the 100 diffuser and the Z240 without diffusers. Is this what you compared?
At this beam angle both strobes are reported GN 24 on their spec sheets
Measured they are more GN21 effective