New Inon Z330

[adamhanlon 0]

Recycle speed testing

 

 

I'm pleased to report that it looks like we will have a Retra on its way too...

 

 

 

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?

 

I'm going to test the strobe underwater very shortly and will test beam angles then.

 

Adam

[Tom_Kline 143]

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

 

 

I took some pix to address your question. The Inon Z220 shown in the pix is the model that preceded the 240 and now 330 is the same form factor as the newer models. The Seacam 60D also shown is another new strobe for 2017. Maybe we should call 2017 the year of the underwater strobe! As well, there is a new J version of the Sea and Sea AA battery model - I keep wanting to call it R2D2 but that is not the correct name. All these new strobes use AA batteries. We just got a foot or so of rain (with storm and gale force winds) so the snow is all but gone (why not in pix) - air temp right now is 8C.

Edited December 9, 2017 by Tom_Kline

[Tom_Kline 143]

Recycle speed testing

 

 

I'm pleased to report that it looks like we will have a Retra on its way too...

 

 

I'm going to test the strobe underwater very shortly and will test beam angles then.

 

Adam

Adam,

Were the histograms for all your shots identical? When I have done such a test the first shot was brighter than the rest.

T

[Jock 14]

Thanks for the photos, Tom

For me (without underwater testing, just by comparing the specs) the "want-to have" strobe would be the Seacam: small, beautiful design, 4.400K colour temperature, 130° coverage (GN8 metric / around GN25 imperial), accessories like diffusor, snoot available.

When I changed from analog to digital I changed from Ikelite SS200 to Inon Z240. What I really missed was the circular flash tube from the Ikelite. For my personal taste the Ikelite gave a much more "pleasant" lighting; maybe because of the circular tube, maybe because of the colour temperature, or maybe bcause of a combination of both). The Seacam has this circular flash tube, the other two not.

BUT: For the price of one 60D you can buy two Inons or Retras....

Edited December 10, 2017 by Jock

[adamhanlon 0]

Thanks Tom,

 

Just to point out that the Z330 is the same body size and form factor as the Z240, but it has a domed lens that protrudes from the front, as opposed to the flat lens cover of its predecessor...This makes them around an inch wider.

 

I have some Seacam 60Ds on the way to!

 

I have had the Z330s in the pool today and shot them side by side with Z240s. I think they are definitely around 20° wider and the power difference is obvious.

 

All the best

 

Adam

[Tom_Kline 143]

@ Jock. I have a similar history with four SS200s at my start with digital. Seacam 60D is the only strobe of the new models with cabled TTL in separate Nikon and Canon versions.

 

@ Adam. Good point about the protruding dome. The Retra and Seacam 60D also have protruding domes though maybe not to the same extent. One can put on protection rings hide to enable placing the strobes face down on a table to work on them. I just did this with one of my Retras as I had to swap out the wired bulkhead - this was very easy to do. I left these rings off in the pix. I used the groove in the Paterson developing tray you see in the pix to help with balancing the strobes when placed dome down. It look as if your plate will be full comparing these new strobes!

[E_viking 30]

I am just wondering what INON has done in order to be able to handle the roughly 50% higher Output Level.

The used to have an internal heat issue. That was eased when the Eneloops came, due to lower internal resistance.

This extra Heat must dissipate somewhere. An Aluminium Housing has a clear adavantage here.

They must have reduced the resistive losses by approx. a 1/3 in oder to compensate for the Higher Output

 

/Erik

 

Ps! Engineering thinking over a Cup of Coffee!.

[saudio 6]

Would very much like to hear a battery life comparison between the 240 and 330. One would assume you can't get double the output without losing significant battery life.

 

I'd like to be wrong about that. The price is certainly good.

 

Also, I guess my Retra snoot will not fit the new model?

[echo2600 10]

Reef Photo and Backscatter are both now taking preorders at $650... I think that I know what I am getting for Christmas...

[scuba_d 6]

Retra is $829 - really curious what I am going to gain for the extra $. Reliability is another concern. Inon proved mostly reliable in the past, hope the Retra is not going to lag behind.

Edited December 17, 2017 by scuba_d

[Geo Cloete 8]

I think the battery power usage for the new Inon Z330 strobes will be very similar to what the battery usage of the Z240 was.
The reason being that the power gain is most likely gain through the use of the Fresnel lenses.

In fact, I would guess that for the Z330 set to match the same power output as on the Inon Z240, we will most likely see the batteries lasting longer.

[ChrisRoss 150]

Fresnels can only increase output (Guide number) by concentrating the light into a narrower beam, but this new model has a wider beam. Battery life will be a function of how you use it. If you shoot on the same settings it won't make a lot of difference, if you use the additional output every shot (greater distance, stopping down or lower ISO) then life would likely be less as it uses the same 4 x AA batteries. The beam however is wider and to get the same light intensity at any spot you'll need more output. There may be a more efficient charging circuit and some small gains made in more efficient diffusers which could go someway towards cancelling the power increase needed by the wider beam. Basically there's no free lunch.

[BJF66 1]

Its strange to me that there is such a lack of information for the launch of a new product by Inon and no input on these forums.

 

Obviously one or two advance Strobes have been sent out and then again the information from these is quite limited. I expect with time more information will drip out but expect there are many of us eager for more detail.

[adamhanlon 0]

Hi all,

 

There will be a full review of these strobes by mid January. In the interim, testing is taking place. I am awaiting a Retra too. It is on its way to me, but hasn't arrived as yet.

 

Whilst I can describe how the strobes perform, in comparison to the Z240 (and hopefully with the Retras soon), short of disassembling the Z330, I am not going to be able to tell you how the strobe achieves its performance.

 

There are lenses mounted in front of both tubes, but whether these broaden or intensify the output is hard to say...my guess is the former.

 

Battery life looks to be very similar to that of the Z240, at around 230 flashes at full power with Eneloop Pro batteries. Again, testing is ongoing, and we need to build up an average before committing to this number, but this should give you an idea.

 

Recycle time looks to be around 1.6 seconds, again at full power with new Eneloop Pro batteries. More pertinently, the strobes will fire pretty much continuously at half power at 4fps. At some point the batteries fade, but for underwater action shooting, this is plenty powerful and should be fast enough for most people.

 

We are planning to have these strobes in Egypt in early January, where the bulk of the in water testing will occur.

 

Hopefully, they will also be going to the Caribbean in late January too.

 

Adam

[Phil Rudin 485]

For those concerned about heat buildup inside the Z-330 strobe this is what has been improved over Z-240. It may be hard to recognize in the photos you have seen published but the front of the strobe has a new design. The ring around the new front dome is made of a black metal (I would assume aluminum) rather than the Polycarbonate resin used in Z-240. This metal ring is connected directly to the internal circuitry allowing heat to be effectively released into the surrounding water. The surface area has been maximized and the metal ring also butts up against the threaded aluminum ring used to attach the light shade. The bayanot style soft defuser that ships with the strobe also has the fresnel design on the backside and only reduces output by about -0.3 stops.

[Tom_Kline 143]

See this on the front page: http://wetpixel.com/articles/full-details-of-the-inon-z330-strobe-announced

However, I did not see the energy output: Watt-Seconds or Joules

[DDT uk 4]

I appear to be missing something; why would you want a ND filter for a strobe? Where no just turn it down. I am well aware of the value of a ND on a lens but struggling with the idea on the light. I appreciate I must be missing something obvious.

[scuba_d 6]

I am just guessing, but if you want to shoot at f1.2 or similar situations, the lowest power of the strobe can still overexpose the foreground.

Edited December 24, 2017 by scuba_d

[Undertow 31]

I've used ND filters on strobes multiple times. Especially if you're balancing with ambient light around dusk, minimum power is still too much on a z240. The minimum power on the z330 will be higher.

[BJF66 1]

Some info received from Inon UK this morning:

 

We have further specifications on the new Z-330. Please see the attached link:

 

http://www.inon.co.jp/cgis/news/img/Z-330_spec_201712_En.pdf

Edited December 27, 2017 by Barry Field

[Phil Rudin 485]

Last nights black water dive (12/30/17) north of the Palm Beach Inlet, Florida USA in 500 feet of water. Very slow north current, only covered about a mile. Olympus EM1 II, 30mm macro lens, Nauticam NA-EM1 II housing, two INON Z-330 strobes.

 

 

[BJF66 1]

Great images Phil, assume from the look of them the Z330s performed well?

[Phil Rudin 485]

Hi Berry, Yes the Z-330's performed well. My review should post in the next two or three days at UWPMAG.com

[Nicool 30]

Last nights black water dive (12/30/17) north of the Palm Beach Inlet, Florida USA in 500 feet of water. Very slow north current, only covered about a mile. Olympus EM1 II, 30mm macro lens, Nauticam NA-EM1 II housing, two INON Z-330 strobes.

 

 

Phil your swimmer crab photo is gorgeous, i love its ninja style pose

[Phil Rudin 485]

Thanks Nicole, my review is now active at uwpmag.com