Underwater Photography Equipment Review: Sea & Sea YS-D3 Strobe
Introducing the Sea & Sea YS-D3 Underwater Strobe: A Game-Changer for Underwater Photography
The Sea & Sea YS-D3 underwater strobe is set to revolutionise the underwater photography world, offering significant improvements over its predecessor, the YS-D2J. This powerful, versatile, and feature-rich strobe is perfect for both professional and wide-angle underwater photographers.
One of the standout features of the YS-D3 is its faster recycle times. At half power, it recycles in just 0.6 seconds, and below quarter power, it has virtually no recycle time, enabling rapid consecutive shots, ideal for fast-action underwater photography.
The YS-D3's beam has also seen substantial improvements. The beam on the YS-D3 has a more even and softer dispersion area compared to the YS-D2J, resulting in improved illumination quality. The flash delivers a maximum guide number of 33 (on land), ensuring bright and even lighting for both macro and wide-angle scenes.
The YS-D3's flash is slightly cooler, with a colour temperature of 5800K, producing a more natural light colour compared to the YS-D2J. This feature is particularly beneficial for capturing the true colours of underwater subjects.
The YS-D3 is compatible with a series of accessories native to the brand, including a snoot, dome diffuser, slave prism, and diagonal ball mount, expanding creative lighting options. The snoot, a unique accessory designed specifically for the YS-D3, allows for more creative, contrast-filled images by limiting the area of the beam.
The YS-D3's slave function, combined with a slave prism, allows the strobe to be triggered from a distance with another light source, making it a great tool for backlighting scenes or illuminating large seascapes like caves, wrecks, and reefs.
The TTL mode on the YS-D3 can be fine-tuned with a dial, allowing for adjustments in power to maintain consistent exposure regardless of subject position. The TTL shooting mode is equipped with Sea & Sea's accurate DS-TTL II, allowing for quicker metering of light compared to manual settings.
The YS-D3 also features a manual mode, allowing for adjustments of guide number and fine-tuning of exposure by about 1/3rd of a stop. The targeting/modelling light on the YS-D3 has seen a significant upgrade from the YS-D2J, with 4 times the power, making it a more viable option as a backup light.
The YS-D3 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, and it has a beam angle of 105 X 80 degrees (with no diffuser). The YS-D3's dome diffuser increases the beam angle to 170 X 150 degrees and reduces the guide number by 1.5 stops of exposure.
The Sea & Sea YS-D3 is a new underwater strobe, available for order at Bluewater Photo with a U.S. MSRP of $849.95. With its impressive speed, power, versatility, and innovative features, the YS-D3 is a superior choice over the YS-D2J for underwater photographers seeking high-performance strobes for quick subjects.
[1] - Sea & Sea Official Website [2] - Bluewater Photo
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