Time to upgrade to new strobes - advice/suggestions ?

Currently shooting a Nikon D100 in a Nexus housing with two (2) Sea and Sea YS-90 DX strobes which are both wired with cables. I have three lenses that I use with the associated ports: 18-35mm, 60mm, 105mm. I use a Nocturnal SLX focus light for low light/night dives.

I am comfortable shooting in manual mode and use the manual zoom gear on the 60mm lense (need to order one for the 105 for my next trip). As one might expect, my photos get better each trip, but do not compare to others who use better strobes who seem to get better coverage and more light further away from the camera.

I am looking to upgrade to more powerfull strobes and the Ikelite, DS125, DS160, DS200, and INON Z-240 are all in my target price range.

Any recomendations on what would be the best strobes to purchase?

Eventually I will be upgrading to a new camera/housing, so want to be sure what I buy now will work in the future as well.

Thanks in advance!

Hello

i think that your best choice is the Z-240 type III, INON

regards

RB

I'd look at either the Inon 240s or the Ikelite 125/160.

Alex

I second what Alex says.

I currently shoot two Z240's

Cheers

Todd

How do the Z240s do on wide angle? I was thinking of buying 2 YS250s, but they're so heavy, maybe the Z240s are a good trade off.

How do the Z240s do on wide angle? I was thinking of buying 2 YS250s, but they're so heavy, maybe the Z240s are a good trade off.

Yes, they are a good trade off for the travelling diver.

/c

I 2nd the opinion that the INON's are nice for travelling.

I like them, but I unfortunately have no experience with the Ikelites.

/Erik

I must really stink at WA lighting because I can barely get the coverage I want using 2x DS125's.

I have Inon Z220's that I use strictly for macro because they don't have the coverage I want for WA. Others may have a different lighting style which makes the Inon's a viable option for them, but I'm just not good enough. Cor, if I had a "weight is no object" approach, I'd want the 250's.

Cheers

James

Photo on right (b) is lit with a single Inon Z240 and taken with a fisheye:

The digitaldiver strobe comparison gives the Z-240 the same guide number as the D-160, but 581 grams for the Inon vs. 1300 grams for the D-160. I think that's with zero AA batteries vs. with Ike proprietary battery, so not completely fair , but even 4 NiMH AA won't close the gap in weight -- and then there's still the size difference.

I have 2 YS-90DX's used in manual with an Ikelite housing. For a second housing/camera setup with a second Ikelite housing, rather than buy an Ikelite strobe to get TTL, I decided to spend about the same amount to get two YS-110s (ebay auction). I was thinking I didn't want to spend enough to get TWO Ikelite strobes, so saw it as TWO new S&S strobes for ~$300 each new vs. $600+ for ONE Ike (or one Z-240) -- and I really prefer the universality of AA batteries vs. the Ikelite's proprietary batteries. (One charger type for all strobes and flashlights...) Seems to me that two medium strobes would usually be preferable to one powerful one.

Fortunately you have better options!

I have been using a pair of Inon Z 240s, type 1 for over 3 years and I am very pleased with them. They are small, recycle quickly and are easy to travel with and are very, very reliable. Had others using Sea & Sea die on the same dive trip as the Inons keep on going (knock on wood). They take any AA battery and not proprietary batteries like the Ikelite.

Had others using Sea & Sea die on the same dive trip ................

It's great you love your Inon's but isn't it going a little too far to claim S&S strobes are killing people?

Steve

Haha! Thanks I needed that Steve.

Cheers

James

It's great you love your Inon's but isn't it going a little too far to claim S&S strobes are killing people?

 

Steve

the death was of a YS 90 and the other death was a YS 25, but did have to resuscitate the diver after the loss.

Maybe everyone else knew this already, but I just had my eyes opened about the manufacturer's specs on the angle of coverage. Turns out that Sea & Sea's 105 degrees is more like 75, whereas Ikelite's claimed angles are not far off from reality. Which means you get a significant amount more OOMPH from the Ikelite (for wide angle photos) compared to a Sea & Sea of the same (real) guide number.

So there is a lot more get-what-you-pay-for than is obvious from the manufacturer's specs. I'll have to wait for my next trip to find out how well a pair of YS-110's cover a 11-16 lens (or maybe I'll have a Tokina 10-17 fisheye by then).

If you go Ike go for the 160. Great upgrade on the 125. Excellent for wide angle and macro.