Nemrod

I just hope Cozumel remains clear.

The Canon R50 does not need the preflash cancel as most (all) Canon cameras, unlike most Sony cameras, does have the ability to set no preflash. Sony is most aggravating in that regard. That is really an important feature for surface photogs as well who like to do studio work. It is just aggravating all get out :<. The Canon R50/R100 work just fine with the excellent Marelux Apollo S strobes in both TTL and manual strobe settings.

I did not say that the Backscatter strobes do not have preflash cancel, I said that they do not have a standard, universal sTTL mode (I accept my wording might have not been clear, my apology for that). The Backscatter strobes can only do TTL using their trigger for Sony. And not at all currently with Canon. The Backscatter strobes, using the learning mode can operate in Manual mode with Sony cameras that always fire a preflash like the A6XXX series cameras. The Marelux TTL mode works fine with either pop up and the UWT trigger for both Sony and Canon but will not work in Manual strobe mode with Sony using the pop up flash. The Marelux will work with the UWT trigger in Manual mode with the trigger selcted to (0) which is forced manual strobes, the trigger ignores the preflash. This is because the Marelux Apollo does not have preflash cancel and would otherwise fire on the preflash. I have used the excellent Marelux Apollo S strobes and was very impressed with their quality and performance but they are crippled with my preferred camera, Sony A6400, because they cannot run manual strobe mode with the pop up. And as I said, having used the UWT triggers (plural) they work but not 100%. I like the UWT triggers for macro and general CFWA/WA but anything that is moving and gives only one chance at a shot (turtles, sharks dynamic scenes) I have found their less than 100% sync (in all modes) not acceptable.

The OP has a Sony A6400 in a Sea Frogs housing. I think he is syncing using the pop up flash. The Sony A6XXX cameras always fire a preflash and the Marelux strobe does not have a preflash cancel. Not a problem shooting TTL but if wanting to run the strobes in manual mode the Marelux fire on the preflash. My NA-6400 is equipped with a UWT trigger board so I have a workaround. But using the pop up, which I actually prefer, manual strobes were not possible. I have found trigger boards to be expensive and less than 100% reliable. When I know I am going to be shooting something that will not sit still and pose for me, I prefer the pop up, it is rock solid, 100%, all the time, every time. The UWT trigger, well, it is not. Otherwise the Marelux were superb strobes. And then along comes Backscatter and leaves out the standard mimic TTL! Preflash cancel for manual strobes and universal mimic TTL are two things that are really not optional inclusions.

I am counting underwear and toothbrushes vs floss and this guy is packed for an amphibious landing for ten!

The Maldives was mentioned so I was not including (US) domestic airlines for a trip to the Maldives or similar. To which I am headed hopefully later this year. Emirates out of Dallas is telling me 7Kg and no other items for economy. I hate spending money even if I was Elon for riding on an airplane for a few hours.

Many airlines have a 15 pounds (7kg) weight limit and some airlines, at least for economy, only allow a single item to be carried on (no personal backpack item and a carry on, one thing!). So my question, how are you carrying these huge, loaded backpacks aboard? I guess you are upgrading tickets to allow a carry on and still, there are weight limits are there not?

I will buy these, would you consider $2,000? Regardless, I am dibbing them please. I would like to purchase them given that Retra will support me if there are issues as per their post in this thread. Due to the passing of my mother yesterday, I am out of town dealing with that. So I cannot hang here on line. I can check back and I can do PayPal or Zelle. And, yes, I will purchase the extended coverage. I have a triop coming up both in April and another for certain to the Madives and do need better strobes than my current S220 set for wide angle and big critters. Thanks, James

Regardless, I will take watt seconds over GN. At least I know how much energy is being dumped, the efficiency of the flash tube and reflector/lens design aside. The strobe test that is a sticky in this forum is one of the better if not best attempts at displaying relative power/brightness.

GNs are really not all that useful except possible computing exposures in a studio. GN is a function of beam angle and distance. Watt second is a more useful measure when given. A strobe with a beam angle of 80 degrees and a GN of 32 might be similar watt seconds as a strobe with a GN of 22 and a 120 degree beam angle. And then there is the evenness, for lack of a better word, of the beam. Many strobe are really hot in the middle with a lot of fall off but they have a high GN because it was taken in the hot spot.

Do any strobe manufactures have good service? The only saving grace for Inon has been they are pretty rock solid. Inon has absolutely zero support in North America. It keeps getting said, YAFS, and yet, there are really darn few strobes and some of what there are come from the same place with just rebranding and different features mix.

She used the word "epic-ness" and at which point, despite taking Dramamine, I barfed 🤮.

Curious, what upper cross piece is that?

Yes, Inon, YS strobes can be set for preflash or no preflash for manual strobe operation. As well, both can run a standard slave mode TTL. TTL requires a preflash in order to function. Sony cameras, those we are discussing, cannot cancel preflash (like Canon, Oly, Nikon can) and thus you must have one of these things to run manual strobes: A strobe like YS, Inon, Backscatter that has a preflash, no preflash selector mode for manual operation A trigger board that can ignore the preflash and properly sync (UWT) Something other than a darn Sony that can be set to not have a preflash Most if not nearly all with a few exceptions run manual strobes using TTL for special or niche uses. I claim no expertise as a photographer and I find TTL occasionally useful but hardly a Godsend. In fact, it can be rather annoying as it tends to give a very generic result and I spend more time trying to adjust the TTL bias to get the result I see in my head than if I were to just run in manual (and probably still not get what I think I want).

LOL, one last thing, to repeat, the Sony cameras we are discussing cannot cancel preflash for manual strobe operation. You either have to use a trigger board like the UWT or perhaps the AOI built in (?) or you have to have a strobe that can cancel preflash like the Inon, YS, Backscatter etc. for manual strobe support.