New Inon Z330

[buceo 2]

On some french dealer we can pre-order the new strobe Inon Z330

[ChrisRoss 150]

Nice specs look good if accurate: Guide No 33 , 110°coverage without diffuser, price unknown?? Looks pretty much the same control layout, but possibly a bayonet mount for diffuser?

 

http://www.photo-denfert.com/inon-flash-z330/

 

nothing on INON's site as yet

[Pavel Kolpakov 63]

Looks nice! New diffuser, good changes in front part design.

Comparing with Z240, the change in electric specs is GN=33. It would be interesting to look closer Z330 xenon tubes, which discharge twice more energy.

Edited November 25, 2017 by Pavel Kolpakov

[tursiops 80]

Those specs also say it uses AAA batteries! Seems unlikely.....

[adamhanlon 0]

We have posted the details that are so far available on the Wetpixel front page:

 

http://wetpixel.com/articles/sneak-preview-inon-z330-strobe

 

On paper at least, they have more power than any similar 4 x AA powered strobe. 110 degree beam angle with no loss of power....those are amazing specifications. The unknowns are recycle times, light quality, colour temperature and battery life. Assuming these are good, this will prove to be a very good strobe....

 

We will keep posting information about the strobes on the front page and on this thread. There are plans under way to review them as soon as units are available.

 

Adam

[ChrisRoss 150]

Scubapix, Australian Nauticam distributor now has a price posted $A1169.94 (10% GST included) which is only a little more than the price of the the Z-240 before it was discontinued (believe the asking price was $1090).

 

http://scubapix.com/strobes/inon-z-330-ultra-wide (weitwinkel)-strobe/

[adamhanlon 0]

Here is a video introducing the new strobe by Tim Ho (of Anilao Photo Academy) and Takuya Torii (of Inon.)

 

 

 

Adam

[BJF66 1]

Thanks for the video Adam, only question now is Z330 or RETRA

[echo2600 10]

Yeah... that is the question, isnt it?

[Pavel Kolpakov 63]

It is difficult to recognize from the picture .... do the Z330 lamps look bigger than Z240 lamps?

Edited November 30, 2017 by Pavel Kolpakov

[adamhanlon 0]

Pavel-do you mean the tubes? I assume so.

 

For what it is worth, the focus/aiming light is more powerful.

 

Adam

[Pavel Kolpakov 63]

Pavel-do you mean the tubes? I assume so.

 

For what it is worth, the focus/aiming light is more powerful.

 

Adam

Adam, thank you.

I mean xenon tubes of course. They must be bigger size, because strobe power is doubled comparing with Z240.

[ComeFromAway 7]

This is exciting! I'm digging the larger control knobs, too. Controlling the knobs on my Z240s with thick neoprene dry suit gloves recently proved impossible... had to find a stick on the river bottom to change settings.

 

Will be interested to see what Inon sets the price at.

Edited December 1, 2017 by ComeFromAway

[errbrr 72]

Too late, I already bought a pair of retras!

 

The thing that drove me away from another pair of Z240s was the overheating protection. I was sick of burning out tubes and capacitors, especially when Inon's only solution is to replace the whole internals and this service is very hard to obtain in Australia. Hopefully the Z330s have solved the heat problem. The duckbill shade cap also looks like a useful bit of kit. I wonder if it could be retrofitted onto a Z240?

[Nicool 21]

Too late, I already bought a pair of retras!

 

The thing that drove me away from another pair of Z240s was the overheating protection. I was sick of burning out tubes and capacitors, especially when Inon's only solution is to replace the whole internals and this service is very hard to obtain in Australia. Hopefully the Z330s have solved the heat problem. The duckbill shade cap also looks like a useful bit of kit. I wonder if it could be retrofitted onto a Z240?

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?

[DDT uk 4]

I have never had issues with overheating on any of my Z240s but I have problems with the silly push lock on the 1 or 2 preflash button. On a couple of my Inons this just doesn't hold and there is nothing more annoying than shooting away and discovering the button has popped and is out of sync and not firing when you want it to. That and the modelling light button just seem like bad design (I am always accidentally putting the modelling light on temporarily when I don't want to).

 

It is a real shame that they haven't taken this chance, as it will stop me buying the new version.

[rollin 8]

This is exciting! I'm digging the larger control knobs, too. Controlling the knobs on my Z240s with thick neoprene dry suit gloves recently proved impossible... had to find a stick on the river bottom to change settings.

 

There is a cheap solution for that

 

Extra large glow in the dark buttons

[adamhanlon 0]

Some more thoughts and updates on the strobe's specifications from Jovic Santos of Splash Underwater Imaging about the Z330. He was able to handle the new strobes during the recent Anilao Underwater Shootout.

 

Here is an Inon update for the well awaited INON global Z-330 strobe. Apart from the common knowledge that this is a guide number 33 in meters. Here are some thoughts on the new strobes advantage for the underwater photographer.

- Stronger guide number from 24 for Z240 to now 33. In actual use, it’s a +/- a meter gain in distance capability depending of course on camera settings.

- Color temp is the same as the Z240, so your settings will not change.

- Dome acrylic front - wider coverage of light vs that of Z240

- Power control knob - less confusing to use as now the knob stops at lowest power or maximum power. Z240 control continuously rotates and needs to be visually verified on where it is set. The new control allows you to feel the clicks and set accordingly. Plus it has a bigger control knob especially when your fingers are soft from too much diving. Is there such a thing as too much diving?

- Although not a major issue if you know how to use your light when edge lighting, the rotating flanges helps to minimize back scatter if you are pointing your strobe directly to subject.

- Previous Fiber optic cables and mount s are still compatible, but at this point the inon snoot and diffusers are not compatible as the mount ring is different. Probably they will release an adapter for it in the future. Kelvin diffusers are still not available at this point but maybe available when strobes are released.

- External auto feature has been removed and only STTL, Low and Manual have been retained.

Prices have not yet been finalized but will probably be in the 700 USD price range. Actual availabilty will be announced soon.

[echo2600 10]

This certainly puts the Z330 in strong competition with the Retra... especially, if it comes in close to $700 USD. Is there any scuttlebutt ona release date?

[adamhanlon 0]

I know that Inon have stated that they want to start shipping them in 2017...so soon.

 

Of course, production schedules are hard to predict accurately.

 

Wetpixel will be using a pair for testing soon...

 

Adam

[BJF66 1]

Adam, would be great to get a direct comparison against the RETRA as the cash is burning a hole in my pocket and not sure which option to choose

[adamhanlon 0]

So today the UPS man delivered a very interesting box from Japan..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Testing will begin in earnest tomorrow. Sadly, a side by side comparison with the Retra Flash is looking unlikely for a while.

 

Adam

 

 

[echo2600 10]

Out if curiosity, do you know how the Z-330 compares physically to the Retra? Are they very similar in size, or is one larger than the other? My current setup packs fairly tightly into a Pelican case, so new strobes might mean a luggage...

[Balage_diver 4]

So today the UPS man delivered a very interesting box from Japan..

 

z330_ah-01.jpg

 

z330_ah-02.jpg

 

z330_ah-06.jpg

 

z330_ah-07.jpg

 

z330_ah-10.jpg

 

Testing will begin in earnest tomorrow. Sadly, a side by side comparison with the Retra Flash is looking unlikely for a while.

 

Adam

 

 

Looks so nice! We are waiting for the test results!

[Pavel Kolpakov 63]

Adam, that's good news!

It would be interesting to compare how much are changes of Z330 light beam angle and uniformity compared to Z240 (on the same power, without diffuser). Could you please show us the beam shots, if possible?

Edited December 9, 2017 by Pavel Kolpakov