Inon Z240 - too complicated - any alternatives?

[Interceptor121]

Your set up is very nice especially the items you have made yourself such as the snoot. However the feature of the strobe itself are near to non existent. As a former sea and sea user it is true they are easy to use but you can get the same functionality out of any strobe including the inon of the op, the TTL implementation of sea and sea is sketchy somewhat and not reliable. Plus Inon makes their own of the shelf snoots and there is no need for DIY, that of course is always better as you can aim the snoot with more detail

 

[Foxtrot16]

Your set up is very nice especially the items you have made yourself such as the snoot. However the feature of the strobe itself are near to non existent. As a former sea and sea user it is true they are easy to use but you can get the same functionality out of any strobe including the inon of the op, the TTL implementation of sea and sea is sketchy somewhat and not reliable. Plus Inon makes their own of the shelf snoots and there is no need for DIY, that of course is always better as you can aim the snoot with more detail

I never use TTL so that isn't any issue for me as I said I use manual for everything - plus that's the first time I have heard anyone say that the Sea & Sea TTL is no good and a few of my mates use the new DS-1 and they love and have never complained.

With the DIY snoots they only cost me about $20 AUD to make which is a lot cheap than the Inon or the other aftermarket ones cost, plus I have made mine specifically to my requirements rather than what someone thinks I need. I am unsure of your comment about the Inon snoots being easy to aim - I have absolutely no difficulty aiming mine in fact it is so simple regardless of whether I am shooting wide angle or macro.

At the end of the day arguing over which strobe is better is like arguing over Canon / Nikon, Olympus / Panasonic - at the end of the day it comes down to what your personal preference is and how you find it works for you. In the original post I get the feeling they need something less complicated to use and I personally find the Sea & sea strobes very easy to use.

Karl

 

[Interceptor121]

No I meant your snoot is much easier to aim. Anyway you are right there is no point going too much in depth. What I wanted to say is that if you have extra functionality it's easy to simplify if you lack it it is impossible to add so I would never advise someone to go to a 'simpler' and potentially less compatible set up

 

[MermaidLaura]

Interceptor.... Which is the TTL diffuser? I got -0.5 stop, 4900k -0.5 stop and 4600k -0.5 stop diffusers with my z240. Didn't realize there was a TTL diffuser.

Also, what is that little magnifying glass shaped thing you can move in and out in front the front of the strobe? I have the instructions but can't find anything on there...

Thanks once again!

---------- Post added May 4th, 2014 at 12:19 PM ----------

Thanks Foxtrot! Lovely photos

would love to try using snoots when I get the hang of my strobes!

 

[Interceptor121]

The diffusers you have are ttl but those don't work with ttl auto (confusing) so you need to get one if you want the strobe ttl. Not sure what you refer as magnifying glass

 

[MermaidLaura]

Thanks Interceptor. Wierd, why don't the diffusers work with TTL auto? Is that the Auto option as opposed to TTL and TTL low?

the little magnifying glass I am referring to is that dial at the bottom rhs of the strobe which you can turn and it brings a tiny circle forward in the bottom rhs of the front of the strobe, if the front of the strobe is facing you...

 

[Interceptor121]

That is the cover of the exposure meter it gives 1/4 stop more power in AUTO mode.
The AUTO mode is not the Camera TTL mode but is the strobe own TTL with the light meter behind what you called the lens
TTL and TTL low are the camera TTL modes, AUTO is the strobe TTL mode
TTL and TTL low are useless with a canon camera as they only work in P,A, T modes and not in manual

 

[MermaidLaura]

Awesome! Yay, I think I have it! You are a superstar, thank you!

I will be using this all in 3 weeks time in Mozambique so will let you know how it all pans out!

Thank you very much

 

[MermaidLaura]

So I am back... and spent the first two days of my diving holiday struggling with my strobes.

I put the camera (Canon T3i / 600D) in Manual, strobe on Manual, ACC in, rhs dial on the 3o'clock mark and fired. The strobe went off but did not light anything up. I was really close. I moved the rhs dial to 6, moved closer, moved the strobes closer to the camera, fired... the strobes went off but nothing light up at all. I turned it to full dump - same thing. I tried with the ACC in, with the ACC out.... at all strengh levels... both strobes were firing but not strong enough to light up the reef / divers / fish - anything I pointed the camera at.

Tokina Fisheye 10 - 17 lense (I was very close to my subjects)
ISO was 200
AV was F9
Camera Speed 1/125

Then I put the strobe on STTL, the ACC was out... and everything was great, perfect. The strobes fired, lighting was perfect.

What the heck?

Does the Canon T3i pre-flash in Manual? Otherwise, how was this possible?

Any ideas you might have would be great.

Thanks!

 

[Interceptor121]

Need to read the instructions of your camera. The SLR may have auto flash also in manual mode. There should be a dedicated setting for it