I just returned from the Wetpixel Bahamas trip, and realized that one of the shortcomings of my Inon Z220 strobes is their inability to fire repeatedly without pause. This was in glaring contrast to Jimmy's S&S 120's, which he fired in "machine gun" fashion to capture dozens of images of passing sharks, when I could only fire one shot every few seconds. ![]()
I really love the small size of my Inons, and they do a great job in 95% of all shooting situations, but I occasionally want something with more power, both for "action" situations like shark diving, and for more power when shooting closeup WA reef scenes. I would also like to limit my choices to strobes that use AA batteries, since I strongly prefer to use AA lithiums rather than rechargeables (in part because I can get 10 or more dives out of one set without opening the strobes, and in part because they're lightweight -- a big plus with my behemoth Seacam housing -- and eliminate the need for a charger).
The only major drawback of the S&S 120's seems to be that they only have two manual power settings (full and half power), but I can live with that because in most cases where I'd use them, those two settings would suffice. But does anyone know of a better AA-battery-using strobe out there, or a reason why I really shouldn't consider adding one or two S&S 120's to my arsenal? Any input would be greatly appreciated!