Strobe confusion, Inon D-2000 or S&S YS

[R-balljunkie]

Yokwe and Aloha,


Long time lurker, first time posting in this section.
I’m confused. Ready to get a new set of strobes, but not too sure which direction to go in.

I have two UW cameras, one Oly XZ-1, and a Oly E-520.

Im not saying I have mastered the XZ-1 which has performed well for me, but the price point and deal i got on the E-520 is pushing me to learn more about DSLR photography. I dive every weekend, so im super stoked to document and preserve what im seeing.

i picked up the E-520 for a song, and plan on selling off the two strobes that came with it, an S&S YS-110 and an Oly UFL-2 and getting new ones to baseline everything.
Ill shoot with the E-520 when I’m at home in the Marshall islands, the XZ-1 when I travel due to size constraints.

I tried the flashes that came with 'the package' on a test run shooting in TTL, found I had a hard time getting the UFL-2 to flash consistently, the YS-110 fired every time however the shots came out looking underexposed.
They both did well in manual mode, but i think its a bit much to tinker with two different brands of strobes trying to get a good shot, hence the want/need for a matched set.
In all fairness, I was down at 100' in horrible vis... I want to have the ability/option to shoot in sttl for both cameras, but get conflicting information on whether the S&S is capable of shooting sttl for the E-520, and others say flat out no to the XZ-1.

I’ve heard good stuff back about the Inon's, which is what I’m leaning towards.

Any input is appreciated before I go dropping a knot of cashola. I don’t plan on upgrading setups any time soon, will shoot with the same gear for the next 5 years, so I want to get it right.

If anyone has an E series oly with strobe experience, or an expert opinion, please chime in.

thanks


chuck

 

[Nemrod]

I have had excellent luck with my two D2000 and one S2000 Inon strobes. They are rugged, reliable and fire every time. I really like the D2000 much better than the S2000. There are other good strobes out there on the market, the Inons are one of them. The service question for me is unanswered since they have required none. Do not know how that will go if and when (and if) they ever need repairs.

At the rate I keep dropping them, with some help from other persons, it might be sooner than later. So far they have shrugged off the abuse with no ill effects.


N

 

[Ardy]

Yokwe and Aloha,


Long time lurker, first time posting in this section.
I’m confused. Ready to get a new set of strobes, but not too sure which direction to go in.

I have two UW cameras, one Oly XZ-1, and a Oly E-520.

Im not saying I have mastered the XZ-1 which has performed well for me, but the price point and deal i got on the E-520 is pushing me to learn more about DSLR photography. I dive every weekend, so im super stoked to document and preserve what im seeing.

i picked up the E-520 for a song, and plan on selling off the two strobes that came with it, an S&S YS-110 and an Oly UFL-2 and getting new ones to baseline everything.
Ill shoot with the E-520 when I’m at home in the Marshall islands, the XZ-1 when I travel due to size constraints.

I tried the flashes that came with 'the package' on a test run shooting in TTL, found I had a hard time getting the UFL-2 to flash consistently, the YS-110 fired every time however the shots came out looking underexposed.
They both did well in manual mode, but i think its a bit much to tinker with two different brands of strobes trying to get a good shot, hence the want/need for a matched set.
In all fairness, I was down at 100' in horrible vis... I want to have the ability/option to shoot in sttl for both cameras, but get conflicting information on whether the S&S is capable of shooting sttl for the E-520, and others say flat out no to the XZ-1.

I’ve heard good stuff back about the Inon's, which is what I’m leaning towards.

Any input is appreciated before I go dropping a knot of cashola. I don’t plan on upgrading setups any time soon, will shoot with the same gear for the next 5 years, so I want to get it right.

If anyone has an E series oly with strobe experience, or an expert opinion, please chime in.

thanks


chuck

HI welcome - I have a E-520 with a Inon Z240 and a SnS YS 110a. There are a couple of traps for young players with E-520. The E-520 has been a great camera for me and I hope you use it. Not too heavy for travelling and some great lenses. see attached.

1. If you are using the flash in Sttl then the flash must be set in full auto for the camera to output the TTL info. If you don't have it set up like this it will under expose. Mess around with it before you get it in the water.

2. If you shoot in auto P/A/S mode the TTL will work OK but consider the limitations of auto.

3. Try shooting in manual you may find you get better results and after a while it is pretty easy.

4. Get a copy of The Underwater Photography Guide by Martin Edge.

5. Once you have the camera mastered in manual try using the flashes in manual.

BOTH THESE FLASHES SHOULD WORK FOR YOU WITHOUT BUYING NEW ONES. If you want to buy new flashes then get a couple of SnS's or a couple of Inons.

If you have a trouble with set up PM me and I will send you set up info I use.

BTW I meant to say that flashes are pretty much the same as long as they are reasonably new and are ttl like the 2 you have. Buying new strobes won't make a lot of difference apart from power output and a couple of issues that some 110's have had.

 

[bvanant]

I think it is quite well known that the YS110 (not the alpha) were quite hit or miss with TTL mode. The 110a is far better as are the Inons (s2000, D2000 or the Z240). If it were me though, I would probably get the new D1 for the price. I use all of these strobes regularly (s2000, d2000, z240, YS1, YS 110a, D1) and they all work fine in TTL using fiber optic triggering.
Bill

 

[R-balljunkie]

well i wimped out on pulling the trigger on a new set of strobes. my CFO (Chief Fun Officer, AKA wife) would have had a field day with this one. i ended up getting a used S&S YS-110 and will sell the UFL-2 and net a hundred bux from the difference. end of the day, im into the whole package less than $200 when the dust settles (camera, new housing, arms, strobes, cables, akona roller bag etc). i want to maintain the feel good/bargain aspect of it all. i shoot half wreck dives at 100' plus, half reef so i figured my money is better spent going with a 9-18, 35 or 50mm lens. can i still use the same port for any of the previously mentioned lenses?
thanks for the input, and i do concur the pictures i took on the sttl mode were underdeveloped, so manual will be fine, just didnt want to have to make adjustments to two different cameras while at depths, kind of like trying to do high math at 120'

after i cut my teeth a bit further (or flood a housing), ill definitely look into a new set of strobes, just gotta sell something laying around to justify it.

 

[Ardy]

well i wimped out on pulling the trigger on a new set of strobes. my CFO (Chief Fun Officer, AKA wife) would have had a field day with this one. i ended up getting a used S&S YS-110 and will sell the UFL-2 and net a hundred bux from the difference. end of the day, im into the whole package less than $200 when the dust settles (camera, new housing, arms, strobes, cables, akona roller bag etc). i want to maintain the feel good/bargain aspect of it all. i shoot half wreck dives at 100' plus, half reef so i figured my money is better spent going with a 9-18, 35 or 50mm lens. can i still use the same port for any of the previously mentioned lenses?
thanks for the input, and i do concur the pictures i took on the sttl mode were underdeveloped, so manual will be fine, just didnt want to have to make adjustments to two different cameras while at depths, kind of like trying to do high math at 120'

after i cut my teeth a bit further (or flood a housing), ill definitely look into a new set of strobes, just gotta sell something laying around to justify it.

Good call as it takes some time to get used to a set of flashes compared to a new camera. I would take Bill's advice over just about anyone here apart from Phil Rudin who really knows Olympus. The decision about flashes is more important than a camera as they last longer generally and move from set up to set up.

I am watching the D1 until I think it is stable then I will sell the Z240 and buy a D1. A good flash set up and being able to use it makes a bigger impact on photo's than a camera.

 

[R-balljunkie]

thanks for the input. practice practice practice. there's some nice spots lagoon side ive been wanting to hit up to take pics....nice easy walk in dive. perhaps this weekend