Sea & Sea / Inon reliability - opinions

Hi Guys

Just looking to purchase a pair of new strobes to upgrade my current olympus xz2 / ys-27dx setup

I have been pondering between the following -

S&S - YS-D2

Inon Z240

Inon D2000

I have been recommended to go the d2000 and warned off from the S&S due to them being very susceptible to failing / flooding due to the battery compartment seal design - I have considered both Inons due to the additional power of the z240 and I have been told they are very robust.

What is the general consensus? I have done some research and it seems inons flood pretty regularly due to their seal design / user error, where I cant find much relating to S&S - plus as a mechanical design engineer point of view the S&S seems to have a decent design with minimal twisting / pinching of the o-ring compared to the inon?

Ah the joys of contradicting information from the internet

Thanks

Steve

I have 4 Inon Z240 strobes. Never had a flood and one of these strobes has been going strong since 2008 and getting plenty of use.

I've never experienced any twisting or pinching of the orings. Keep your orings lightly greased and they work the way intended.

I have own d1 and z240. Never flooded anyone of them. I have been taught right at the beginning to check the oring and what to look out for. It's quite common sense really. Most of the cases I seen flooding happen is due to user neglect.

Alison,

Others, including me, have experienced a twisting...

The strobe cap from Sea&Sea has a better design, it is almost impossible to lock it if the o-ring is twisted. But you cannot see the ring.

Inon has a transparent cap, the o-ring is yellow, so you can see a twisted o-ring - if you bother to have a look.

Both systems work. So this would not be a point to consider for me when buying a strobe.

The Inon has been on the market for a long time and proven its reliability, the DS2 is new. Is it sturdy? Probably. From the pictures of the DS2 I can see in the web it seems to be easy to operate, Inon is a bit more complicated in the beginning, and the strobe does not come with a useful manual. You have to do some web research to find your way, but once that is done no problem.

Steve, maybe you should throw a coin?

Jock

I have 2 S&S Ys-110a for 5 years now and never flooded. I think it has the same battery compartment that ys-d2.

Cheers.

Thanks Alison, Hellhole, Jock and Canislupus all info is much appreciated.

As I probably knew.. most errors are user related.. and then they vent on the forums

I'd need a 3 sided coin! The ys-d2 is more expensive to me that the inons (10-15% more than the z240) - then the 2 inons.. the z240 has more grunt but costs more (15%-20% ish) over the d2000.. so need to decide if its worth it... oh the joys of gear buying!

Steve

D2 and z240 have 5pin sync cord capabilities that maybe useful in your next upgrade ☺

D2000 only has a fibre option.

The d2 comes with ball or ys joints. The z240 does not comes with any joints.

Thanks Hellhole..

Next camera - well I have no idea. I'd like a housing for my K3 - but for some reason Pentax gets ignored.. chances are it will have a built in flash so can activate the strobe.. but it will be a fair while a way.

The other negative for the inon's is the FO 'cables' are more expensive compared to s&s from what I can see.. and S&S type are easy to 'make' I have found a converter from inon to S&S which I will be getting if I go inon for a few $$

Steve

Then it boils down to the z240 or d2.

Then now u say the fo is hard to get for z240. So now u are down to d2. ☺

I would drop the D2000 from consideration. You have the power of the S2000 compact in the full body size of the Z240. D2000 may have a better pattern, but for me the compactness of the S2000 trumps it. Go for either power or compactness. I started with a pair of S2000, gradually ended up with a pair of Z240's. I still use the S2000's for my macro trips. Never had a flood on any of the 4. Just look at the o-ring when you close it. You should get in the habit of visually check all seal anyways.

What kind of photos do you mostly shoot? If macro or close focus wide angle where you only need to illuminate the immediate foreground, the S2000 is a great choice considering you have a compact setup. That's what I've been using for years, with two different Olympus cameras, with 100% reliability no problems of any kind. A visual inspection is all you need to confirm a proper seal. But if you shoot wide angle, then go for more power. My bias tells me that the Z240 is practically a standard for good reason.

I have a bunch of both Z240s and YS D1s. Flooded a D1 when a battery (eneloop) over discharged and pressurized the cap right off, and had a friend flood one of my Z240s by user error (twisted yellow o-ring). That being said, both are great strobes and both are as good at FO as the other. The inon's have much more sensitive sensors which means that they can be much more easily used off camera on a tripod as a backlight/fill flash while using the S&S that way needs long FO cables and can be a bit fussy. S&S have had a lot of electronic issues early on with failing battery voltage sensors in TTL mode and this apparently is still going on, last week on the Bilikiki one guest had the problem with a new strobe. Overall I would go with whichever one you can get more cheaply.

Bill

Sorry Guys I wasnt notified of the replies..

I would drop the D2000 from consideration. You have the power of the S2000 compact in the full body size of the Z240. D2000 may have a better pattern, but for me the compactness of the S2000 trumps it. Go for either power or compactness. I started with a pair of S2000, gradually ended up with a pair of Z240's. I still use the S2000's for my macro trips. Never had a flood on any of the 4. Just look at the o-ring when you close it. You should get in the habit of visually check all seal anyways.

Thanks Watboy Yeah I'm almost at the point of discounting the D2000, but not considered the S2000, mainly as I want something to grow into and its been hard enough justifying new strobes to the financial controller

What kind of photos do you mostly shoot? If macro or close focus wide angle where you only need to illuminate the immediate foreground, the S2000 is a great choice considering you have a compact setup. That's what I've been using for years, with two different Olympus cameras, with 100% reliability no problems of any kind. A visual inspection is all you need to confirm a proper seal. But if you shoot wide angle, then go for more power. My bias tells me that the Z240 is practically a standard for good reason.

Thanks Troporobo I don't have a fixed kind of photo, it depends where I am - Mainly macro in Perth, but in Indonesia, it would be a mix - From what I can gather the z240 has some good adjustability on the lower end as well as power I can 'grow into' - the xz2 also have flash available up to 1/500 shutter speed, making the low end of power a little more useable if it doesnt go that low.

I have a bunch of both Z240s and YS D1s. Flooded a D1 when a battery (eneloop) over discharged and pressurized the cap right off, and had a friend flood one of my Z240s by user error (twisted yellow o-ring). That being said, both are great strobes and both are as good at FO as the other. The inon's have much more sensitive sensors which means that they can be much more easily used off camera on a tripod as a backlight/fill flash while using the S&S that way needs long FO cables and can be a bit fussy. S&S have had a lot of electronic issues early on with failing battery voltage sensors in TTL mode and this apparently is still going on, last week on the Bilikiki one guest had the problem with a new strobe. Overall I would go with whichever one you can get more cheaply.

 

Bill

Thanks Bill - They are pretty much the same pricing - it looks like the S&S are dropping pricing a little with the D2 - maybe because of the issues - I'm not 100% I want to be a guinea pig for another new design.. the advantages you mentioned again swing me to the z240..

So I think its settled.. Z240 - just now need to get the funds for the tray and arm

SO next Questions

I'm looking at the inon stick arms and grip base M with additional handle - The handles / tray don't look particularly ergonomic compared to some - whats your thoughts?

Steve

There are some weird reports on suddenly dying ys-d1's, some flashing red-green and other malfunctioning, a batch was even recalled. I wonder if all the bad applies to the successor D2??

Hi guys, thanks for sharing the thoughts. I'm also in the middle of purchasing a strobe. Was using S&S 110 (non-alpha) and very disappointed. So last year I borrowed an Inon S2000 from a friend, and I LOVE IT. The TTL works flawlessly, and it is very compact in size.

However, since I'm on a budget, will 2 inon S2000 capable enough to shoot wide-angle?

However, since I'm on a budget, will 2 inon S2000 capable enough to shoot wide-angle?

Nope, i have to shoot at iso800+f5.6 for a subject 0.5-1m away. Even without diffuser...