Strobe choice for S100

[kfin]

I have a Canon S100 in a FIX housing. I will be shooting about half macro and half wide angle. 90% of diving will be in salt water but some fresh water diving too.

My question is about strobe choice. I have always been partial to Sea and Sea but don't have to be. Do you think it would be more beneficial to get a dual strobe setup with a pair of YS-01 or a single YS-D1? If I go the D1 route, I highly doubt I will ever get the second one. I know that dual strobes would give me more versatility with lighting macro objects but would a more powerful strobe be better suited for wide angle?

What are your thoughts? Too many toy choices and not enough cash.

 

[supergaijin]

I have spent the last year or so practicing as much as possible just using ambient light. I've just dropped some $$ on a Inon S2000 strobe and tray, and will probably spend the next 12 months getting to grips with a single strobe and then consider a second.

Personally i think one is enough for starters.

 

[tamas970]

I also opted for the S2000 for its size/weight and price. It will hopefully be shipped by the end of next week. Probably this is the cheapest and most compact TTL solution.

 

[alien]

Buy from UWPhotography in Japan very good price

 

[Interceptor121]

The inon s2000 is a fine strobe but a bit weak for wide angle. The YS-01 is around 33% more powerful despite on paper they are both gn20
Two strobes have to do with the way you take pictures not just with power
With two strobes you can eliminate shadows and your positioning is simpler as you just extended them based on subject distance
With one strobe you always have some form of shadow and at wide angle this is quite a bit you need ambient light to help

 

[tamas970]

Of course, the best would be 2 strong strobes (e.g z240s). Still, 2x s2000 are
I guess better than a singe strong one. If the power raises with square root of 2,
your light intensity will be at least as good as a single ys01. As a bonus, you'll get
nice/no shadows.

I'll see, what my new strobes will deliver. Anyway, if the power is not enough, I'll
rather invest in additional ones, which I move closer to the subject and get a more
even illumination of the playground. (of course I'll probably need a trained and patient
dive buddy for that too...)

The inon s2000 is a fine strobe but a bit weak for wide angle. The YS-01 is around 33% more powerful despite on paper they are both gn20
Two strobes have to do with the way you take pictures not just with power
With two strobes you can eliminate shadows and your positioning is simpler as you just extended them based on subject distance
With one strobe you always have some form of shadow and at wide angle this is quite a bit you need ambient light to help

 

[Interceptor121]

For macro shadows are fine.
With a single strobe you can still do fine CFWA using ambient light for background.
Inon products are more expensive than Sea and Sea am not sure how you got it at lower price than sea and sea that are usually 10% cheaper on comparable models

 

[tamas970]

It also depends, where you are buying. I bought my setup here: Digital-Dive.de. (single s2k costs 333EUR+VAT, while the ys-01 sells for above 400EUR +VAT).The ys-02 would be a cheaper solution, but it's only manual and AFAIK it is weaker.

For macro shadows are fine. With a single strobe you can still do fine CFWA using ambient light for background. Inon products are more expensive than Sea and Sea am not sure how you got it at lower price than sea and sea that are usually 10% cheaper on comparable models

 

[Hetland]

You can do a great deal of shooting with a single strobe, but in turbid waters (where I dive the most) your shadows on macro shots with a single strobe will be green... which is terrible. Still, I think starting with a single strobe is always a good idea, especially if it gets you in the water shooting.

If you're looking for macro & wide angle, you may want to consider an Inon D2000, which will have a beam a little more uniform than the s-series (I think a full circle @ 100°, perhaps a little wider with a diffuser). The S2000 has more of an oblong flash area. You can also shoot in "Auto" mode with your camera (match your camera's aperture to your strobe setting). I'm really happy with the results I get when shooting auto mode, but you need to have the strobe pointing almost directly at the subject, as the return light controls when the strobe turns off in auto mode. I purchased a used Inon D2000w six years ago, and I can sell it today for what I paid for it then. They will hold their value over time, and grow with you if you ever want a different system.

I really like the Sea and Sea strobes I've used, but I keep hearing about reliability and flood issues, and that scares me a little. I will also echo Interceptor's statement that they put out a little more light than the S2000, even though they have the same guide number.

 

[tamas970]

I was suspecting, that the power of the tiny s2000 is less - come on, it is a 300g strobe, while the YS-01 is 450g (both without batteries). I have to travel/most often fly to dive, weight&size is very important to me.I wanted two stobes to deal with the shadows - with 2 YS01-s I would carry 300g extra and the s2000's fit nicely in my regular carry-on photo gearbag.

I really like the Sea and Sea strobes I've used, but I keep hearing about reliability and flood issues, and that scares me a little. I will also echo Interceptor's statement that they put out a little more light than the S2000, even though they have the same guide number.