INON S2000 Strobe

[calliejlong]

Hi,

I just purchased the Inon S2000 strobe and have a question about batteries for it. I read the list of all different kinds of batteries you can use if they are rechargeable. However, I see no mention of what batteries are acceptable if you are not using rechargeables. For instance, I have a huge pack of brand new NON-rechargeable Duracell AA batteries that I was hoping to use. Will this be suitable?

Also, if anyone has any tips that they think would be helpful about using it with my new Canon G16 and fantasea housing - that would be very much appreciated. Thanks all for your time in advance!

 

[KeithG]

pratice at home in a closet. yes i am serious.

too many people wait until they hit the water to learn how to use their camera rig. your closet will be fairly dark so a good test of the strobe and it has lots of stuff as subjects (shoes, cats,...).

this will give you a controlled environment that you can experiment in using different settings and techniques.

one note about the G16: if you use it in continous burst mode & onboard flash, the camera will pause after about 20 exposures and then resume at a very slow cycle rate. i assume this is a builtin protection feature of some sort.

 

[darook]

Your Duracells are fine. That is what I used early on. I now use Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries as I only have to take 8 with me.

My best tip for testing the strobe is to take a picture in a mirror or window to verify that it is firing while the shutter is actually open. If you see the strobe in the reflection in your picture you know it did. If not you to likely adjust the mirror within the housing to make sure you do. They can be pretty fickle so this is not as rare as you may think.

Strobe or not, get close to your subject.

 

[Nemrod]

Eneloop though I also use the Duracells with equal success thus far.

N

 

[dirtfarmer]

When you do switch to rechargeable batteries make sure you don't leave them sealed up in the strobe for long, they give off a corrosive gas which can cause battery failure then strobe damage. I learned the hard way:depressed:. Also if you don't already have an fiber optic cord get one the wireless mirror system is cool but keeping them aligned is a pain, unless you set your strobe up and never move it.

 

[smoore]

Be careful firing the strobe in a closet. They are designed to be fired underwater where the water will cool off the strobe. I think there are instructions in the manual to this effect. Fire them a couple of times and then let them cool off before firing again. I agree with the suggestion to fire them in them into a mirror to check sync. When I am diving I check them in both TTL mode and manual mode to makes sure they are firing in sync.

 

[KeithG]

Be careful firing the strobe in a closet. They are designed to be fired underwater where the water will cool off the strobe. I think there are instructions in the manual to this effect. Fire them a couple of times and then let them cool off before firing again.

Yes and No. Maybe? Definitely follow any instructions you can find in the manual.

It may also depend upon the power setting of the strobe. More power means more light and more heat.

I have never had a problem with Sea & Sea strobes above water: YS-50s, YS-90 and YS110s.

A couple years ago I was experimenting with wired sync cable from my DX-1G to my YS110s and they did several hundred continuous flashes at 4 frames per second with no issues. I was trying to find the power level where the strobe batteries could recharge continuously so these were not full power tests.

I am currently playing with a Canon G16 wired sync and using an old YS-50 as a test strobe. I run the YS-50 continuously for 30 to 40 frames (i am interested in burst mode strobe shots): low power is about 3 frames per second, high power is about 1 frame every 3 seconds. No issues with it either. Neither the strobe nor the batteries (black Sanyo Eneloops) get warm.

So be cautious, but not paranoid.

 

[diver 85]

When you get rid of that ' huge pack of brand new NON-rechargeable Duracell's', get a (8)pack of Eneloop's rechargeables( I have 2 big packs of Sanyo's---love em)------best battery for an UW strobe IMO.......google them if you're not familiar with them.......CHEAP too, compare to throw aways.....

 

[Nemrod]

The Duracells I use are the "Pre-charged" type that are essentially the same rechargeable technology as the Eneloop. I have never used nor would I disposable batteries for multiple reasons. N

 

[calliejlong]

Thank you everyone for all the information you gave me. I have one last question about batteries for the strobe. About how many dives/or amount of pictures can you do without having to change them out? I might check for the rechargeable batteries that everyone mentioned. Too bad that just last year I bought a bunch of rechargeable batteries but they aren't the correct ones for this strobe!