Need suggestions for strobe

[seafan]

Have been using the S&S 8000G since it came out but will most likely upgrade next year... not sure what I will upgrade to though. :D

I have only used the internal flash and have been very pleased with most of my results since I shoot mainly close up and macro. However I will be heading to Lembeh in December and know that I will hate myself if I don't have a strobe with me on this trip!!

Open for suggestions... have been considering the S&S YS27DX, the Fantasea Remora, Inon 2000s and the new Ikelite AF35. Want to keep it fairly compact and travel friendly!

Open to suggestions and feedback.

Have heard some good things about the nano focus light and think I will use that with whatever strobe I do get.

I'm heading to San Salvador in June and would love to get it in time to take it there with me so I can practice working with the settings, etc. Haven't used a strobe since I sold my nikonos V and went digital. :o :o

[seafan]

Have finally narrowed it down to the ys-110a or the inon s-2000. Would love to hear from those of you that have used these...

thanks

[tarczy]

Seafan-

I used to have Sea & Sea Ys-90 Strobes. I hated them.

A fairly famous underwater photographer friend of mine uses nothing but Inon strobes. He absolutely swears by them. He loves the compactness of the strobe and swears that no other strobe even comes close to Inon's power-to-weight ratio - an important feature when considering today's ever increasing excess baggage weight fees. Frankly, I'd switch to Inon, but my Ikelite housing is set up for TTL strobes, so I figure it's smart to use the TTL feature built into Ikelite's strobes.

I thought I read somewhere that Inon America filed for bankruptcy and went out of business, so I think you're left with buying Inon strobes in the gray market, or from dive shops who are not authorized dealers. I'm not exactly sure of the impact of Inon America's bankruptcy, but I get the sense that servicing might be a challenge here in the U.S.

Mark

[scubagirl]

I use two S&S YS-110 strobes. I started with one, using a fiber optic connector with my old Olympus C-4000 p&s, and now I use two using a sync cord with my Nikon DSLR. Mind you, I don't have the option to use TTL with this setup because of my Ikelite housing and that can be frustrating sometimes, but I like the compactness of these strobes and the fact that they use rechargeable AA NIMH batteries. They are small and light enough that I've always carried them on board when I've travelled anywhere. The YS-110a is the just newer version of these strobes.

[seafan]

I thought I read somewhere that Inon America filed for bankruptcy and went out of business, so I think you're left with buying Inon strobes in the gray market, or from dive shops who are not authorized dealers. I'm not exactly sure of the impact of Inon America's bankruptcy, but I get the sense that servicing might be a challenge here in the U.S.

Mark

Inon USA was shut down at the end of 2008. I used to email back and forth with Mark Rupert when he was introducing Inon here in the states... helped review some of the translations describing the close up lens.

From what I am hearing, depending on where you buy the strobe here, the store will handle any warranty issues for the first year after which you have to send the unit back to Japan for repairs.

Right now my main concern is if the strobe's wireless connection will work with my S&S. I got a list of all the cameras and housings that are compatible with it and S&S isn't one of them. Have emailed Japan office to see what they have to say. Also, if I can't get a wireless connection, my next step is to see if they make an optical cable that will work with my camera. Seems they are fully compatible with most canons, nikons, olympus, and fiji but not S&S. :mad:

[Sharp]

I have used INON D-2000 strobe for years. It is very compact and powerfull like mark told.

You can look my pictures from my website www.pasilensu.com

[Jonathan Bird]

Take this with what you paid for it, but Ikelite makes the only strobes I consider worth owning. The DS-160 is the best strobe on the market in my opinion.

Jonathan

[seafan]

Take this with what you paid for it, but Ikelite makes the only strobes I consider worth owning. The DS-160 is the best strobe on the market in my opinion.

Jonathan

Nice strobe but way too much for my needs (and pocketbook) :rolleyes:

Am pretty sure I will go with the Inon S-2000. Next is the decision for tray, handle and arms. Need to keep pricing as low as possible but don't want to buy junk either!

Of course, if someone wants to sell off their stuff so they can go and buy something new..... :D :D

[Sharp]

Next is the decision for tray, handle and arms.

I am using with my INON D-2000 ULCS trays (http://www.ulcs.com/). Those are very light and they have o-rings so you dont have to tight trays with too much power. I used to use with my earlier housing the ULCS handle and it was very good because rubber grib.