First strobe for an Olympus E-PM1, any suggestions?

[aishunbao]

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting here and I'm hoping to get some advice.

I bought the Olympus PEN E-PM1 with housing bundle for about $500 when it was on sale a couple of months ago. After using it a little bit, it became clear that I need a decent strobe for this thing.

Now, I live on a small remote sub-tropical island in Japan where I can dive relatively cheaply and regularly. I know scuba diving is an expensive hobby, but I'm just trying to get the most out of my time (and the most bang for my buck) while living on this island... so I'm a little price-sensitive.

Since I live in Japan, I've found that I can get Sea&Sea strobes for much cheaper on Japanese websites than the listed price on overseas websites so it would appear that it is the most cost-efficient choice. I can get the YS-01 for about $305 or the YS-D1 for about $492. Are there any other comparable strobes that I should be aware about that I could get for a similar price (or even cheaper)?

What I'm really not sure about is whether I should get the YS-01 or the YS-D1. I know that a good strobe will last you a long time and it could potentially keep its value over time so it's better to buy the best you can afford, but I could almost buy a second YS-01 for the price of one YS-D1. I've heard that the YS-D1 has more power which is better for wide-angle shots. Are there any other differences? I only have the 14-42mm lens for my E-PM1 and I have the impression that the camera is better suited for macro instead of wide-angle anyway. Should I just give up on wide-angle and focus only on macro photography? I feel like there are probably better cameras that deserve a YS-D1. I'm only a beginner who wants a pretty decent setup that I can grow into for a while, so I don't I'll be moving on from this camera until much further down the line.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Wisnu]

I have 2 YS-01 (used with OMD), 1 Inon D2000 (used with EPL-1) and 1 YS-02 used for G16. I'm quite happy with both products though Inon is more solid and better manufacturing quality.
For WA you'll need 2 strobes. If you have constraint on budget, get 2 YS-02; same power as YS-01 but no TTL and no focus light.
I never use the (s)TTL feature; with manual you can control the exposure much better, particularly for WA. The built-in focus light is not strong enough and in some case you might not want the strobe is straightly directed to the object. So, get external focus light.

 

[Interceptor121]

Your camera is one of the few that takes the Inon M67 wet lenses but as a matter of fact without lenses you are pretty much limited to portraits
The sea and sea strobes in general have more punch than Inon (YS-01 is much stronger than D/S2000) but they have a squared pattern and the TTL implementation in my opinion is much worse
Considering your camera has a high base ISO you don't need a monster strobe such as YS-D1 or Inon Z240
I would consider an YS-01 or an Inon D2000 as a starting point

On the point of Wisnu the aim light on sea and sea strobes is pathetic on the Inon D2000/Z240 instead is a laser beam and works wonder you even have a diffuser to make it wider. With that solution you don't need a focus light for macro that instead you will need with sea and sea.
And for macro shoot 100% TTL it works just fine and will save you time at the beginning before you get a good shot

 

[astralmind]

Would this be a good bundle for a similar setup (pl5 with oly housing) : SEA SEA YS 01 Lighting Package NEW Compact Digitals Freeship Quick Delivery | eBay

 

[Amlez]

Would this be a good bundle for a similar setup (pl5 with oly housing) : SEA SEA YS 01 Lighting Package NEW Compact Digitals Freeship Quick Delivery | eBay

I purchased the exact same bundle last year for use with my E-PL5 (& Oly Housing PT-EP10). I've found the YS-01 performs adequately for my purpose (see below - not exactly coffee table book stuff but very reasonable lighting for mid range application). One word of caution however - the "compact digital" bit in the item description (so I found out when the package arrived) refers I guess to the fact that the base is designed for a 'compact digital camera' housing - I understood it to be that the base/arm kit was 'compact' ie small (which it is).

On my first few dives with the rig, I found the camera/housing 'slipping' on the base plate because the retaining screw wouldn't tighten the body of the housing up against the edge of the base to maintain stability (kind of hard to explain). I did a very 'agricultural' mod on the base plate, and now find it holds on tight, and I'm happy with the entire rig. If you want more info (or pics of 'mod') just ask and I'll respond.


PC060531 by amlez1, on Flickr


PC060518 by amlez1, on Flickr


PC060496 by amlez1, on Flickr

 

[Interceptor121]

Would not bother with sea and sea tray and arm and go for ultralight or nauticam tray and ultralight or inon arms
Give a call to Yuzo at uwdigitalcamera.com he is Japan based

 

[astralmind]

Amlez: Thanks for the feedback! I'm looking for a good value package and I found very little suggested bundles. If I do end up getting this one, I'll PM you for your Mod. Nice pics btw!

Interceptor: Thanks for the tip, I checked their website and the housing is quite a bit cheaper than anywhere else, I guess I'll have to factor in shipping and duties which unfortunately will most likely fill the gap. As far as strobes the YS-01 is similarly priced to other places but the Inon are a bit cheaper. Thoughts on a simple Inon based setup ?

 

[Interceptor121]

Yuzo is based in Japan so no import duties as you are in Japan too?!? For simple inon set ups the best is their website they are right there. Still I would not recommend an inon tray

 

[astralmind]

I'm located in Canada Wouldn't mind Japan though..

 

[Interceptor121]

The op is located in Japan

Now, I live on a small remote sub-tropical island in Japan where I can dive relatively cheaply and regularly. I know scuba diving is an expensive hobby, but I'm just trying to get the most out of my time (and the most bang for my buck) while living on this island... so I'm a little price-sensitive.