Does anyone have any experience with Epoque flashes? We are looking for a flash and although the Inon is highly recommended by Dee and others, the Epoque flash is half the price.
Epoque Flashes
- Thread starter DrSteve
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ReyeR
Guest
There are a few strobes reviewed here, one of them is the Epoque ES-150.DrSteve:
Run! The Epoque is half the money and one-hundredth the flash. You'll just end up buying another flash, probably after your first efforts with the Epoque flash. Save up the money and just go for either the Sea & Sea or Inon.
(Mine flooded due to a defect on the first trip, which Epoque agreed to refund. But I really wasn't happy with it even before it flooded.)
Been there...done that.
(Mine flooded due to a defect on the first trip, which Epoque agreed to refund. But I really wasn't happy with it even before it flooded.)
Been there...done that.
wadeNC
Registered
Ikelite's DS strobes are good too, I borrowed a set for my dives and they worked very well.
Wade
Wade
OP
LOL yes they are all good. But I could get 2x Epoque DS-150 (?) with arms etc., for the same price as a single Inon! So...why is it so bad? It has the same guide number as my YS40A flash (15) and that is plenty fine...
DrSteve - I haven't seen all the Epoque strobes in use, but I just had a client with a brand new 5050 and Oly housing with one. Although it did add a little bit of light, it was over a very small area (not as much spread as the others) and this was very noticeable in many of his shots. The shots from my camera with internal strobe were much better as far as lighting (because I didn't assume my flash would do more than it could)...I guess you could work within the range of the strobe, but the whole point of getting an external strobe is to be able to do a wide range of things that you can't get as good of results with using internal only. Neither of us saw this happening with the Epoque and he is plenty peeved as he was told that it was the perfect strobe for that system.
External strobes are very expensive. You might not need one depending on how much you use it and/of if you can find a way to work with just the internal and be happy. I have used the internal strobe for all of my shots so far and while the external would have been nice in some situations, I have learned (pretty much!) to work with what I have and I think that I have some very nice shots! There have also been several shots that I simply would not have considered had I had the external strobe as the camera itself barely fit in the hole!!
My two cents is if you are going to do it, spend the money now on something that you can use in a wide range of scenes and for many years. If you are ever going to upgrade to dSLR you might want to look at Ike's or the INON 220 series as they have that capability. Ike's 50s or the INON 180 are also excellent small strobes.
External strobes are very expensive. You might not need one depending on how much you use it and/of if you can find a way to work with just the internal and be happy. I have used the internal strobe for all of my shots so far and while the external would have been nice in some situations, I have learned (pretty much!) to work with what I have and I think that I have some very nice shots! There have also been several shots that I simply would not have considered had I had the external strobe as the camera itself barely fit in the hole!!
My two cents is if you are going to do it, spend the money now on something that you can use in a wide range of scenes and for many years. If you are ever going to upgrade to dSLR you might want to look at Ike's or the INON 220 series as they have that capability. Ike's 50s or the INON 180 are also excellent small strobes.
OP
*nods* but the average internal flash has a range of 1-2 feet if you are lucky. While that is great if you are doing macro work, it's not much good for your average fish. My problem is this lots of people are complaining their Epoque flash just isn't strong enough, but like I said it's the same power and approximate angle of dispersion as my YS40A...and that is good for around 5-6 feet, which as someone else pointed out, unless you have a very expensive flash, that is a working limit.alcina:
Ho hum...have to think about this one. The Inon's etc., are beyond our budget now and will probably stay that way.
Scubapauly
Contributor
If I add my two cents worth, I have only known 2 people with Epoque strobes. Both had them returned under warranty due to flooding. From things I've read on other sites this seems to be a major problem with them. With strobes it seems, you get what you pay for. If they have supposedly the same output etc as units twice the price, ask yourself whats missing to make them so much cheaper? Build quality, maybe?
I know I didnt want to waste money on a unit that wasn't up to the job but couldn't afford to buy in the UK so I took the advice of Dee and others here and bought from Yuzo in Japan at half the UK costs.
Just a thought or two.
I know I didnt want to waste money on a unit that wasn't up to the job but couldn't afford to buy in the UK so I took the advice of Dee and others here and bought from Yuzo in Japan at half the UK costs.
Just a thought or two.
ReyeR
Guest
Or just an 'optimistic' estimate of the output and angle of coverage.....Scubapauly:
Here are some of the reasons I found the Epoque flash to be less than desired.
I didn't find the Epoque strobe to be totally dependable. Now, whether this was operator error, since it was a new flash and my first stab at digital photography, I don't totally know. When I would change the strobe to different settings, it didn't seem to alter the pics. all that much with much dependability.
The E. strobe is rather small as compared to the others, and that seemed to make a difference in the angle, coverage and/or the power being other than was advertised. I only got three or four dives with it before it flooded, so I may not have totally had all the settings down. I did, however, use it on a night dive.
The main thing that I found was that its construction was not really all that good. It has a single, very small o-ring in the main body of the strobe, which is almost loose. I think that is why so many of them flood. The camera buffs on my liveaboard, including the camera pro, were pretty unimpressed with its construction. I was thinking I had made a mistake in purchasing it even before it flooded on me.
All in all, I was probably lucky that it flooded, and that Epoque considered it a defect in its construction. (I think they found a hairline fracture, also.) I ended up getting most of the money back and bought a Sea & Sea YS-90dx, something I should have bought in the first place. I, too, was looking at the bottom line -- and, boy, isn't this hobby expensive! But you will be money ahead to just wait and purchase a quality strobe in the first place. Also, the C-5050 is definitely usable with the internal strobe. So I'd advise you to wait, practice with the camera using the internal strobe for a while, and then get a better strobe, other than the Epoque, in the future.
For the rest of my trip I used the internal strobe on the 5050, and I was amazed at the shots I got, especially being a newbie with the camera. You will get a darkened left bottom corner due to the housing blocking the full strobe coverage, but you can easily crop that out of most pics. if you are aware of it. For my first stab at digital, I came back with some incredible shots, especially of an octopus. Maybe sometime I'll try posting the pics.
Good luck in your choices, and above all, enjoy your dives!
I didn't find the Epoque strobe to be totally dependable. Now, whether this was operator error, since it was a new flash and my first stab at digital photography, I don't totally know. When I would change the strobe to different settings, it didn't seem to alter the pics. all that much with much dependability.
The E. strobe is rather small as compared to the others, and that seemed to make a difference in the angle, coverage and/or the power being other than was advertised. I only got three or four dives with it before it flooded, so I may not have totally had all the settings down. I did, however, use it on a night dive.
The main thing that I found was that its construction was not really all that good. It has a single, very small o-ring in the main body of the strobe, which is almost loose. I think that is why so many of them flood. The camera buffs on my liveaboard, including the camera pro, were pretty unimpressed with its construction. I was thinking I had made a mistake in purchasing it even before it flooded on me.
All in all, I was probably lucky that it flooded, and that Epoque considered it a defect in its construction. (I think they found a hairline fracture, also.) I ended up getting most of the money back and bought a Sea & Sea YS-90dx, something I should have bought in the first place. I, too, was looking at the bottom line -- and, boy, isn't this hobby expensive! But you will be money ahead to just wait and purchase a quality strobe in the first place. Also, the C-5050 is definitely usable with the internal strobe. So I'd advise you to wait, practice with the camera using the internal strobe for a while, and then get a better strobe, other than the Epoque, in the future.
For the rest of my trip I used the internal strobe on the 5050, and I was amazed at the shots I got, especially being a newbie with the camera. You will get a darkened left bottom corner due to the housing blocking the full strobe coverage, but you can easily crop that out of most pics. if you are aware of it. For my first stab at digital, I came back with some incredible shots, especially of an octopus. Maybe sometime I'll try posting the pics.
Good luck in your choices, and above all, enjoy your dives!
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