Understanding Inon strobe settings

[deadbilly]

Hey all-

I'm just starting out taking photos underwater and I'm curious about something my strobe (Z240) is doing. Apologies if this has been asked before, I did a cursory search but didn't turn anything up. Anyway, I've got an Oly E-PL3 with a single Z240 strobe. I've found that the strobe seems to fire much less on full than on STTL (i.e. pictures taken on full are much darker than those taken on STTL). Why should this be? Am I mistaken in thinking that the "full" setting just gives the largest dump the strobe would give? In my mind, full should be at least as bright, if not brighter than STTL. Am I missing something?

Thanks,

 

[amnong]

What are camera modes being used in each strobe mode?
For full strobe it should be "M" on the camera.

More about the settings: Selecting the proper settings for INON strobes

 

[deadbilly]

I've actually read that article, and the camera is set on manual. Either way, it seems odd that S-TTL would in all cases give a much brighter image on the same camera settings as Full. I'm just curious why, or what it is that I'm not properly understanding about the way the strobe is supposed to work.

 

[smoore]

I have the S2000 but it works basically the same as the Z240 except you don't have a magnet but rather a button to cancel the pre-flash circuitry.

I am not certain from you posts precisely how you have the camera and strobe settings set. I suspect that you have the camera set for manual expsoure but not for manual flash (therefore there will be a pre-flash) and the strobe set for manual not expecting a pre-flash. If I am correct, then when your camera fires the pre-flash, it sets off the strobe but at a very low duration and before the shutter on your camera has opened thus underexposing the picture. In other words when the flash on the camera actually fires (after the pre-flash) the strobe has already fired and probably cannot recycle quickly enough to fire in synch with the camera flash.

If you want to use manual flash you need to set the camera flash setting for manual flash. This would be the settings of full, 1/2 power, 1/4 power etc (not auto, fill, red eye etc). In these settings there is no pre-flash. The strobe needs to be set to manual. There is a button to cancel the pre-flash circuitry and it needs to be set to the correct position. Not owning the strobe and not having access to the manual I am not sure of the position although I suspect it is the depressed position based on the article posted above. In this position the camera will fire once and cause the strobe to make a full dump or an adjusted dump depending on the strobe setting you are using.

Incidentally, you once you have the pre-flash circuitry button adjusted to cancel the pre-flash you don't need to change it back when you use STTL (camera flash set to fill and strobe set to STTL) because the cancel circuitry only operates when the strobe is in manual mode or external auto (a setting I don't have and am not familiar with).

I hope I have correctly identified the problem and you can get the system to work correctly.

 

[bvanant]

smoore is correct. You are shooting on the pre flash and not syncing properly. Make sure that if you have the strobe in manual and the camera in manual. Then the button should be out. Try it with the button in and out and see what you get.
Bill

 

[deadbilly]

Thanks guys. I figured it out a little while ago and that was exactly what was happening. Cheers.