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Nicool

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Everything posted by Nicool

  1. Nicool
    Thanks for these explanations Oskar, i didn’t get the instructions but it’s all clear now. On my current Inon z240 i have always 0.5 stops increments, so i know by how much i’ll add/decrease the strobe output when manipulating the knob, even without looking. Out of curiosity, what’s the reason for not offering 0.5 stops increments below 25%? Is it because you’re assuming most people would use these low powers only when getting very close to subject, and at these distances strobe power needs to be decreased quicker? Regards Nicolas
  2. Nicool
    One more question to you Oskar if i may, but i guess i won't be the only one wondering: on the Retra flashes i've borrowed i see the following power levels: 100, 50, 25, 6, 1, and corresponding: +2, +1, 0, -1, -2, which i guess are in EV. For the 1st scale i am confused: from 100 to 50 and 50 to 25 that's -1 EV (division by 2 if i am not wrong), but i don't understand the jump from 25 to 6 and then 6 to 1, which are also spaced by 1 EV if i am reading well. cheers Nicolas
  3. Nicool
    Thanks for this Oskar!
  4. Nicool
    Hi guys, what sort of routine do you apply for the retra o-rings: -Lubricating each time you open battery compartment? -taking out the orings to do so? -with which lube? I have hips of inon grease... Cheers Nicolas Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
  5. Nicool
    Thanks Bill so just by handAnd if corroded indeed can i do anything about it?
  6. Nicool
    Hi Alison,I didn’t, though after a night soaking in soapy water the button now operates very smoothly. Still it doesn’t work: my strobe produced the same amount of light no mattrt the power i set and no matter if the ACCS is pushed down or not. Does it look like the symptoms you’ve exprienced in the past? I am not sure i have the tools (tiny screDriver needed i guess) to take the button off, but if i could, any chance it’s self repairable? Cheers Nicolas
  7. Nicool
    Hi folks, Good and bad news Good news: i got a great service from Carey Harmer (http://www.underwaterhousingservicing.com.au/) based in South Australia, for a good price. Carey was quick, responsive, clearly knows his stuff, and even got me a reduced price by salvaging parts on a faulty strobe he had aside. Turns out the magnet was corroded AND the tubes were done. I tried the strobe at home tonight (preparing for tomorrow’s dive) and all seems fine. What’s not call at all: now it’s my second strobe - the one which kept working fine - which is faulty now! Whatever the strobe output level (even in full power) it triggers the same very low output! If i understand ACCS well it doesn’t look like it, still i have no other idea so i am letting it soak for the night in soapy water and crossing fingers... Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
  8. Nicool
    Great that you're testing the strobes Adam! I was planning to quietly wait for the review and probably not invest in new strobes before 1-2 years... but one my my Z240s now needs serious repairs and i have a long-awaited dive trip upcoming... So very interested to hear back :-) One request if i may - to you as reviewer or to Oskar as manufacturer: how robust are the Retras vs over-heating? I believe my Inon didn't like how excited i got in a recent dive where there was good photo action... but i still want to be able to photograph these things :-) cheers Nicolas
  9. Nicool
    PM sent hoping you have some left - we're almost neighbours (i am based in Sydney)
  10. Nicool
    Will do for sure, so many missed wide angle opportunities in the last dive [emoji31] I have stopped using TTL for 2+ years so this ACCS thingy is really not doing me any good. Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
  11. Nicool
    Thanks makar0n!The strobe is now gone for servicing, but are you saying that you did get varying power outputs (not only very low power) due to your ACCS issue? I reckon when ACCS is depressed it would just give me a very low constant output. Anyways, thanks for your advice which i’ll use next time, i just hope my strobe returns on time for some action-packed weekend trips which i have scheduled shortly :-) I wish there were no ACCS button on thee strobes, it caused problems to so many people!
  12. Nicool
    Phil your swimmer crab photo is gorgeous, i love its ninja style pose
  13. Nicool
    Thanks Liz for Steve ´s details. Undertow, ok i understand now, yes it makes sense. Diggy, yes i agree this is a possible issue, but i do see the strobe producing varying amounts of lights so to me there is no ACCS issue. Regardless, i’ll get it serviced due to the tubes looking damaged, and i don’t want to take chaces with 2 upcoming trips. Cheers Nicolas Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
  14. Nicool
    Thanks for the tip Liz. My faulty strobe's tubes don't look brown, however its tubes look like a bit of dirt is inside, say they are certainly not as clear as the ones on the good strobe, so i may have an issue there. What's Steve's website / contact details? I coulnd't find on google. Yes could be, with more tests and after swapping batteries, i can see my faulty strobe has about 1 eV or so less output than the good one. Thanks for the extra contact details Chris, really appreciated! I'll ping these guys. Yes no built in flash on the D500, though i believe i definitely have an issue, not getting same light output from the strobes at same power output. cheers Nicolas
  15. Nicool
    Thanks for this ChrisYes i'll give a try at swapping batteries but i believe that, even if batteries are weak on 1 strobe, that strobe should be able to maintain it's normal output - or just not show the ready light. I can't test TTL with my housing: manual only. Thanks for the recommendation on Dive 2000, although looking at Inon website it seems their only service center in Australia is seaoptics.com.au (located in SA), unless Inon didn't updatef their site? Cheers Nicolas
  16. Nicool
    hi guys, Reading at the issues experienced by others on some Inon Z240 type IV strobes, i was glad not to have experienced any problem with my 2 strobes bought in 2011. However during today's dive i noticed straight away that my left strobe wasn't producing as much light as the right one I trigger these strobes in manual mode both on same power, using Nauticam fiber optics, Nauticam housing on Nikon D500. I've done a number of tests after rincing the housing on dry land: -swapped the fiber optics, no change -changed the flash output settings, i.e. starting with both at EV-2 and then EV-4 -> my left strobe still was noticeably less powerful -and of course, i had made sure each time the pre-flash button was fully engaged To make sure i wasn't getting tricked by what i was shootting at, i just aimed my camera to a white wall, shot subsequently with left and then right flash, could clearly see the shift in the histograms/ This looks like my left strobe has just become overall less powerful, very strange! I had just changed batteries before that dive so i am wondering if it could explain the problem, but i do wait for the strobe's red ready light to turn on before i shoot. My question to the community: does anyone know what could be the cause of my issue? Any way to fix it myself? If it requires repair, does anyone have an idea of how long and how costly such a repair can be (i am in Sydney, Australia). thanks and merry Xmas to all! Nicolas
  17. Nicool
    I am curious as to why you've burned so many Z240s, cave diving isn't much of an action-loaded photography type i'd imagine?I've been using the same pair of Z240s over last 6 years without any issue (2500-3000 shots per year i'd say), maybe i've just been lucky?
  18. Nicool
    Hi, I've been using various systems over 4 housings: hugyfot (on D7000 housing), then leak sentinel (v2 or 3, can't remember) on Nauticam EM5 housing, then backscatter simple airlock on same housing, then on nauticà D300s housing, then Nauticam's latest system on Nauticam D500 housing. I've had various issues with the leak sentinel, like wrong orings delivered (things happen, why not) but then the leak sentinel flooded. I suppose user error, but to me not great design (which certainly has been improved since then). However i looooved my backscatter airlock (basic version with manual pump and no led). It seems it can't go wrong, i even forgot the cap once and nothing flooded. I am now using the nauticam electronic one (i still like the led, even if i am telling myself it's totally unnecessary) but i contemplate adding the backscatter one in another port of my housing, just for redundancy. Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
  19. Nicool
    Sorry memory confusion: i didn't get this reply from Zen but from Reef Photo, and it didn't seem like a black&white answer but more a word of caution: Quoting Reef: Nauticam grease is safe on the new Zen lighter blue o-rings, but I would recommend using the true Sea & Sea grease on the dark blue o-rings.
  20. Nicool
    To complement: some zen domes had been sold with sea & sea dark blue orings which are not good with nauti grease. In fact i've asked after buying a used zen dome, and been told by i think zen themselves to buy their newly produced light blue orings which are for sure compatible with nauticam gear. I did son 1 year ago and didn't have any issue. Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
  21. Nicool
    Hi Jack, actually the nauti gear slipped because the sections of the tokina lens didn't hold together: it was the bottom part of the rotating tokina bit which disengaged, and the nauti gear with it. So i got just same fix you it seems Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
  22. Nicool
    And my bonus question: any plan for a smaller WACP for APSC dslrs like the D500 or 7D serie? Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
  23. Nicool
    Hi guys, problem solved! Thanks again for the various feedbacks since i posted my original question. I must say i didn't fill like drilling on my lens, but i've just found, tested and validated another approach which i am happy to share: basically i've used gaffer tape to hold the two rings on the lens which used to separate and cause the zoom gear to disengage while diving (those which sit below the rubber ring which needs to be taken off to install the nauti gear). Of course the gaffer tape comes too wide but it's easy to cut to the right width. See attached a photo of how it looks like before i re-attached the nauticam zoom gear. In fact it added too much diameter to the lens and the nauti gear wouldn't fit. So i have taken it off, shorten it out of 2 parts say 4cm length each, and attached them on 2 opposite sides of the lens. This way the nauti zoom gear could fit and the lens still doesn't move. I am very happy of such an easy fix! Cheers Nicolas Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk See photo Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
  24. Nicool
    Another PM!
  25. Nicool
    Thanks Larry very interesting!Have you bought such equipment for the 10-17mm tokina specifically?
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