YS110a, Z240, or DS160?

I plan to buy 1 strobe now and maybe add a second later for wide angle shots.

Not sure if I like that the DS160 uses a proprietary battery pack, my shooting will be for a couple weeks once or twice a year on trips. How do the Ikelite battery packs hold up for that type of use?

I will be shooting on manual exclusively so which strobe is easier to setup and change power settings?

Also when I add a second strobe is it better to use a sync cord with each or fire the second strobe optically in slave mode?

Last question: Is anybody discounting prices?

Thanks.

I plan to buy 1 strobe now and maybe add a second later for wide angle shots.

Not sure if I like that the DS160 uses a proprietary battery pack, my shooting will be for a couple weeks once or twice a year on trips. How do the Ikelite battery packs hold up for that type of use?

I will be shooting on manual exclusively so which strobe is easier to setup and change power settings?

Also when I add a second strobe is it better to use a sync cord with each or fire the second strobe optically in slave mode?

Last question: Is anybody discounting prices?

Thanks.

Ikes use propritary battery packs.

To determine the easier to use: that is a personal preference - YOU must look at each and decide. All three are good units.

Discounting: Yes, but you must trade off discount price with dealer support. Groveling also helps!

If you have a Ikelite housing, go with the Ikelite strobes

If you will use manual exposure control go with Ikelite or Inon and use them electrically triggered

If your housing has optical bulkheads go with the INON Z240, the are sturdy, use AA Batteries and work perfect in manual and sTTL

YS110a ma be a option too but i have no experience with them.

I personally would go with the INON and i am ordering 2 new ones for my new D7000 rig.

Chris

I have inon Z240s with my 5DII, and they're great. They're both cabled electrically. Given the angle of the sensor, I don't know that one strobe would reliably trigger the other one optically - I think it would depend on ambient light and the direction they were both pointing in. I like the inons because they're quite compact, and there are a few advantages of using AA batteries.

I use eneloops, and can swap them into my land flash and backup torches as required. It means I only need to travel with two chargers (AA and camera) to sort out most of my battery powered devices. Also, proprietary battery chargers may be fast or slow - you can get whatever charging speed pleases you most for AA batteries (slow to preserve the battery life, fast to make the boat and warm your hands on).

In terms of manual control, I tend to leave the strobes on full power and adjust the angle and camera settings as required. The inons are a one click change between full power and less than full power, and a second dial gives you control of what less than full power means. There's been a few posts about the z240s being confusing, and perhaps they are when trying to co-ordinate TTL...in manual I haven't had too many difficulties.

It also depends on which camera you are using. YS-110A is quite slow and cannot handle correctly all camera proprietrary preflash protocols in TTL mode (e.g. Olympus). Also in manual mode, I had some problems with full flash synchronization. And biggest bogus for my choice to go for Sea&Sea: my YS-110 only lasted ~ 75 dives and then the electronic circuit board was broken (of course outside warranty period).

From the 3 choices you mentioned, I would go for the Inon Z240 as it is the most versatile unless you have an Ikelite housing, in which case I would choose for the DS160.

I'm torn on this decision right now too. I'm probably going to be going Ike for the housing, so in a way it's a shame to 'waste' the built-in TTL circuitry and go Inon for the strobes (manual, electrical sync). But the 1 lb per strobe weight difference between the DS160 and Z240 is not at all insignificant when trying to cram as much kit as you can into luggage restrictions. (Factor in an extra battery for each DS-160, vs. another set of 4 AA's each, and the weight difference increases.)

Also when I add a second strobe is it better to use a sync cord with each or fire the second strobe optically in slave mode?

I would go for a second sync cord. I've been using my second strobe in slave mode, and it's unreliable at best.

If you shoot macro it's less of a problem, but for wide care needs to be taken so the slave sees the primary's flash. That said, I've old YS-120 strobes, maybe sensors on newer models are more sensitive.

Also, other photographers' strobes could trigger your slave (say you and your buddy are opposite sides of a subject), possibly ruining their shot. A friend of mine had a few shots with me in it (for once!), but unusable due to my slave firing

I'm just about to a a sync cord myself, not to worry about any of these issues anymore.

HTH,

Christian

I used wired twin YS-90's via Weikamp converter.....

I am buying a new rig and I will be doing the same to YS-110alphas.

Reason - I have had them on more than 1000 dives, no problems. Travelled all over the world with them.

S&S are not fully compatible with Oly TTL, this is because S&S make the official Oly strobes and housings and the S&S standard range is meant for the rest of the market ;-)

I have 240s on my setup and my wife has 110's. The 240s seem to have the edge in power and recycle time. My wife likes the 110s as they are easier to use and you can't accidentaly set the power from highest to lowest (the inon switch goes 360 degrees and no indication that you are on max power - a minor gripe). however i like inons for their size and power. i use them on manual with electric cables.

the 240s fit very nicely in my carry on luggage as well!