Strobe set up for olympus E-pl3

[Cali_diver]

I am upgrading to a new system and have decided to get the Olympus E-PL3. I have had one Af-35 and am ready for an upgrade. I have looked at a couple packages and they all seem to pair the camera with the sea and sea YS-01 or the YS-110a. What is the difference other than the price?

I love taking pics and have gotten pretty good considering I only have a compact point and shoot so I am really looking forward to improving with more manual control. I am going to Belize in April and then Komodo in June so I will be able to dabble in the macro world a bit. I do love taking pics of eels, turtles and sharks as well. I guess I need strobes that will let me do a little of everything.

I was also wondering if I should just start with one strobe or two? I know two is always better than one but I also know it takes up more room and makes getting into small areas more difficult. I know these are probably stupid questions but I have spent hours on the computer and If I don't get back to work I won't have the money to buy the strobes!!

Thank you for any info....

 

[bvanant]

The YS01 is a good strobe for this setup, the 110a is a lot bigger and has a bit more power. You might look at the Inon S2000 as well; it works well with the camera. I think learning to shoot with a single strobe is a good thing, it makes you think a lot about composition and shadows and lighting that simply having two strobes doesn't. That being said, you will end up with two, so if you can swing it go for it now.
Bill

 

[Cali_diver]

Thanks, that is what I was thinking. I have already gotten pretty good with my cheap strobe so I am really excited to play with the new ones! Trying to keep weight down for traveling is pointing me towards the 01s. I will look at the s2000's as well!! Thank you for the input.

 

[cardog]

Thanks, that is what I was thinking. I have already gotten pretty good with my cheap strobe so I am really excited to play with the new ones! Trying to keep weight down for traveling is pointing me towards the 01s. I will look at the s2000's as well!! Thank you for the input.

If you wear thick gloves or dry gloves I would go with the YS strobe.

 

[NautilusCairns]

If you wear thick gloves or dry gloves I would go with the YS strobe.

I don't have any problems with my S2000 strobes, but I'm a tropical diver (24degrees C is my minimum!!), However I can see how the small switches could be a bit awkward with thick gloves.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

The S2000 could work w/o fiber optic cable like the AF35.

As for single vs dual. With macro shooting, it gets harder and harder to position the strobe properly to get even lighting on the whole subject since the subject might be right in front of the lens and you can only do side lighting, causing shadows. With 2 strobes, you might be able to give it a more even lighting from both sides. If you are stuck using 1 strobe, maybe you can have a white card on the opposite side from the strobe in order to bounce some of that light back onto the subject.

 

[terson]

If you look through the forum threads, there are 'lots' of people who are reporting having various problems with their S&S YS 01/02 strobes and for this reason alone I would suggest VERY strongly that you consider the Inon S2000 to be your strobe of choice. . .
IMHO of course
Bruce

 

[Scuba_Noob]

If you look through the forum threads, there are 'lots' of people who are reporting having various problems with their S&S YS 01/02 strobes and for this reason alone I would suggest VERY strongly that you consider the Inon S2000 to be your strobe of choice. . .
IMHO of course
Bruce

No problems yet for me, and the YS-01s seem to be the strobe of choice (for good quality at a decent price) for many people. Just doing a search, I can't find any negative reviews on the YS-01s, so not sure what you're talking about. Because of their popularity, and because people will post more if they have negative experiences, it's likely that you'll see more negative comments regarding the most popular strobes than a less popular strobe.

Plus it's cheaper and easier to find a deal than the Inon S2000 (which I've heard plenty of good things about too).

 

[terson]

I really can't be bothered getting into an argument online about the YS01 strobe and if you can't find all the threads referring to their lack of TTL ability then I'm not going to help point you in the right direction either. . . scubaboard and wetpixel forums are both holding threads about the lack of TTL ability from a strobe that is advertised as having this feature.
Have a decent look and then come back.
Bruce

No problems yet for me, and the YS-01s seem to be the strobe of choice (for good quality at a decent price) for many people. Just doing a search, I can't find any negative reviews on the YS-01s, so not sure what you're talking about. Because of their popularity, and because people will post more if they have negative experiences, it's likely that you'll see more negative comments regarding the most popular strobes than a less popular strobe.

Plus it's cheaper and easier to find a deal than the Inon S2000 (which I've heard plenty of good things about too).

 

[JackConnick]

I can completely confirm that the Olympus E-PL3 and the E-PM1 work fine in TTL with the Sea & Sea YS-01 and YS-110a strobes. I spend a couple of hours working with them the other day. You do need to be careful to have the shutter speed set within the X-sync range (default 1/60-1/160th sec) and have the cameras set on fill-in or 2nd curtain shutter. But they give very consistent exposure.

The Oly XZ-1, nor Nikon D7000 does not work in TTL with those strobes.

But really folks, if you want good performance from those (or any) cameras learn to shoot manual. It is much, much faster and saves the camera batteries and fish butt shots...

Jack