Strobe Upgrade for OM-1

I recently upgraded to an OM-1 mirrorless from a TG-6, where I was using either a single Backscatter MF-2, or 2 of their 4300 macro wide video lights. I primarily shoot macro/fish portraits, with the occasional wide angle session. Keeping this compact is important to me for travel. I am looking at these options:

1. Just getting a second MF-2.

2. A pair of Sea & Sea YS-D3 DUO DS-TTL RC Underwater Strobe

   1. I believe these are the same as the YS-D3 II but just with the additional Olympus RC compatibility. 

3. A pair of Retras.

   1. Not sure which model, but they seem to be a forum favorite. Definitely the most expensive option.

Anyone have any opinions or experience they can share?

My current setup:

OM-1 mirrorless

Nauticam Housing

60mm Macro + port

12-42 ez + port

Currently just have the Olympus flash to trigger strobes, but open to getting the dedicated flash trigger.

Backscatter 4300 MW for a focus light

IMHO, “macro/fish portraits, with the occasional wide angle session” are fundamentally incompatible styles.  I say this because it’s exactly my style too!  Smaller compact strobes are great for macro (and travel) and bigger more powerful strobes are needed for wide shots.  So far so obvious.

I used Inon S2000 strobes for years (on Olympus, with TTL) and they were excellent for macro.  Then I “upgraded” to Inon Z240 strobes to shoot more wide angle.  While the Z240s are excellent, and did what I needed for all scenarios, they are not as convenient for macro.  I wished that I had kept the S2000s so I could better tailor my setup for each dive. But I wouldn’t pack both for air travel.

In the end, I’m happy with the Z240s and if I was buying today I’d stick with Inon’s latest model for all around use.  They work perfectly with the Olympus flash as a trigger for either TTL or manual.  FWIW, I never have been able to get the RC mode to work reliably and don’t quite understand why I’d want to use it.  

1 hour ago, troporobo said:

IMHO, “macro/fish portraits, with the occasional wide angle session” are fundamentally incompatible styles.  I say this because it’s exactly my style too!  Smaller compact strobes are great for macro (and travel) and bigger more powerful strobes are needed for wide shots.  So far so obvious.

I used Inon S2000 strobes for years (on Olympus, with TTL) and they were excellent for macro.  Then I “upgraded” to Inon Z240 strobes to shoot more wide angle.  While the Z240s are excellent, and did what I needed for all scenarios, they are not as convenient for macro.  I wished that I had kept the S2000s so I could better tailor my setup for each dive. But I wouldn’t pack both for air travel.

In the end, I’m happy with the Z240s and if I was buying today I’d stick with Inon’s latest model for all around use.  They work perfectly with the Olympus flash as a trigger for either TTL or manual.  FWIW, I never have been able to get the RC mode to work reliably and don’t quite understand why I’d want to use it.  

Yeah I realized they are conflicting, but included that to indicate my priorities. Probably should have worded it better. 

Thanks for the input. The Olympus RC worked really well on the TG-6 + MF2, and if I end up going with the S&S YS-D3, it seemed like a logical option to just pick the model that also has that feature if all else is the same in case I wanted to use it... but it's not a "must" have. 

I'm giving thought to investing in slightly larger/non-macro dedicated strobes since I already have an MF2 that can be used for that purpose... albeit only one of them. I guess this is where the Retra's reign supreme as they seem to be able to handle both really well. 

Before plunging for the YS-D3, have a search around on WP for users’ views. There have been issues. 

I moved a few years ago from Inon Z240 to Retra. They really are very good and if you’re going to be involved in u/w photography in the future, I do think they are a good long-term investment. As much as anything we buy is ever an investment!

For most of my shooting, I use either 2 MF-2 or 2 of the AOI RC strobes. The AOI are a bit more power (1 stop) but work like a charm in RC mode as well (I think the RC mode for both are identical). The advantage of the MF-2 is that you can snoot with it.

Bill