Inon Z240 - too complicated - any alternatives?

[KeithG]

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

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

Any ideas you might have would be great.

Thanks!

Not really a direct answer.....

I suggest you play with your setup at home before you go splash with it. That way you will know the answers and will not need to burn valuable dive time learning what does and does not work. Your time on compressed air is limited. Make sure you enjoy it!

I am not familiar with your T3i so I can not tell you the correct answer to the pre-flash question. But you can figure it out yourself fairly quickly by trying a few experiments.

A quick hour or two of work should be enough time to test out ALL the various combinations of camera and strobe settings. At the end you will know what does and does not work. If something then does not make sense, A little research will then allow you to learn "why".

You may also want to make sure you have a good understanding of the various INON strobe modes, how they work and what the expected effect of changing a setting is. Knowing this will eliminate the need for random setting changes when trying to solve a problem. The "marketing" descriptions in the user manuals are not always that helpful when trying to learn this so you will likely have to dig a bit and maybe ask a few questions.

Basically I am suggesting that your time is best spend experimenting and learning ahead of time so that you know all of the answers before you hit the water. That way you are free to enjoy the diving experience.

 

[fred14]

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



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

Thanks!

As much as I know, it does pre-flash in manual mode.
But there should be an option to turn off the pre-flash in the camera (sorry, I do have the possibility now to check this feature).

 

[MermaidLaura]

Thanks All!

I did spend time above water testing out the suggestions by Interceptor and thought I had it down pat. It all worked fine as he suggested on land, but when I tried it out in the ocean, the manual strength was not good enough at all.

Needless to say, I think I have it right now. A bit frustrating that I wasted a few dives without good lighting, but know I know.

I have tried to find out if the camera pre-flashes in manual on google and in the user manual - still unsure as I haven't found out yet. Will keep on searching. Will let you know if I find out. I don't want to turn off the pre-flash this means I can use TTL

Thanks very much!

 

[Interceptor121]

Manual mode is much stronger than ttl. If the pictures come underexposed it is possible that the camera has a pre-flash this triggers the strobe and when the shot is taken the light has all finished. I would conclude your camera has pre-flash and you should leave the acc on.
Considerations on when to use manual or ttl depend on the type of shot you take anyway

 

[Hatul]

In the Z240 in Auto mode, can I ask you how you tell the flash whether the camera is using a preflash or not. I plan to use the Z240 with the Canon S120 set to manual mode so no preflash. How do I tell the strobe there is no preflash?

 

[Interceptor121]

In the Z240 in Auto mode, can I ask you how you tell the flash whether the camera is using a preflash or not. I plan to use the Z240 with the Canon S120 set to manual mode so no preflash. How do I tell the strobe there is no preflash?

First you need to buy the AUTO diffuser or it won't work. The no preflash is the advanced cancel circuit with the button kept pressed (push and turn). Basically that button controls pre flash or no preflash on a digital camera

 

[Hatul]

First you need to buy the AUTO diffuser or it won't work. The no preflash is the advanced cancel circuit with the button kept pressed (push and turn). Basically that button controls pre flash or no preflash on a digital camera

Is this the diffuser you're referring to:
Inon External Auto Compatible -0.5 Diffuser White

What happens if I use the external Auto mode without the diffuser?

 

[Interceptor121]

Is this the diffuser you're referring to:
Inon External Auto Compatible -0.5 Diffuser White

What happens if I use the external Auto mode without the diffuser?

That's the part you need. Without it the light meter in the strobe gets a false reading and all the pictures come underexposed to the point they can't be used

 

[Hatul]

That's the part you need. Without it the light meter in the strobe gets a false reading and all the pictures come underexposed to the point they can't be used

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I ordered that diffuser. In the meantime I plan to use the strobe in sTTL mode with the 0-5 white TTL diffuser, with the Canon S120 set to Tv with shutter speed of 1/125 and ISO 200, this is for California waters with viz in the 10-20 ft range. I tried it on land and got good exposures.

 

[Interceptor121]

That will work the only danger is the camera going full wide so better of you have a flat wide angle lens and get very close