Inon D-2000's fast full dump time!

I finally got around to reading Inon's explanation of how their D-2000's TTL works.

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/inon-d-2000...al-explanation/

I only have an academic interest in the TTL function since I prefer to shoot manual. However, the fast dump time caught my interest. Skipping the uninteresting TTL stuff...

Inon claims the D-2000's flash duration is 5 time shorter than the Z-220 and the YS-90 strobes, and they showed scope data to prove it! From the plots it looks like you can get the full exposure output of the D-2000 for shutter speed as fast as 1/1000 s, while you're only get about 1/4 of the dump if you had used a Z-220 or a YS90. I think from Jeff Farris review earlier the DS-125 is even slower.

Looks like TTL stuff aside, this is a great strobe for the D70 and all the consumer digitcam like the Olympus 5050 that has a fast syncing eletronic shutter. This allows sync speeds up to 1/1000 without the loss of strobe exposure.

Sounds like it would be great for the D70, particularly for sunballs...

But how would you get it to fire wth the D70?

Sounds like it would be great for the D70, particularly for sunballs...

 

But how would you get it to fire wth the D70?

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You'll need their optical converter,

http://inonamerica.com/products.php?produc...dcat=4&subcat=1

I agree. I raised these points in the Inon D2000 review in UWP magazine (see page 31):

"It is possible to use the D2000 with Nikonos style connectors, and it is capable of Nikonos-style TTL, but you must purchase Inon’s Optical Converter, which is quite expensive.

Another point of interest about the D2000 is that the flash duration is much shorter than other similarly powerful underwater strobes. This is helpful to the digital underwater photographer because it allows us to shoot fast shutter speeds with digital compact cameras without loosing flash power..."

The optical converter is expensive, though!

It might be easier picking up a more powerful strobe and obtaining the same effective guide number (with less than full power setting) within the D2000’s short flash duration. Light output is not proportional to flash duration. ½ Power would require less than 1/2 flash duration.

Beside short flash duration the D2000’s exceptional fast circuits might be suitable for reproducing multiple preflash in the manner DSLR strobe protocols require. But ... who is TTL?

Julian

It might be easier picking up a more powerful strobe and ...

I doubt it. As far as I know all the more powerful strobes are bigger and heavier.

It's nice to have the flash exposure indepenent of the shutter speed. It's not rocket science to figure out the aperture setting to compensate when you push the shutter speed pass the point of cutting off light from the strobe, but that's yet anther thing to distract you from getting the shot you want.

Someone from a German board has provided some numbers indicating how long some strobes burn in different power settings. I was surprised to see examples of 1/4 to 1/5 flash duration for 1/2 power. And DS-125 was not slower than Z220 at 1/2 and full power. It sounds convincing to me if you look at the discharge envelopes. And a bigger tube dumps more power in the same time. A lot of time is required at the end of the envelope in order to get the rest out of the capacitor(s). The greatest amount is dumped quiet fast.

But I've never compared directly as my 10D cuts light off beyond 1/200 by itself.

Julian