Underwater Photography Equipment Review: Sea & Sea YS-D3 Strobe
Introducing the Sea & Sea YS-D3: A Game-Changer in Underwater Photography
The Sea & Sea YS-D3 underwater strobe is making waves in the world of underwater photography with its impressive features and improvements over its predecessor, the YS-D2J.
One of the fastest strobes on the market, the YS-D3 boasts a recycle time of just 0.6 seconds at half power and virtually no recycle time below quarter power. This speed allows photographers to capture quick-moving subjects with ease.
The YS-D3 also packs a punch with a maximum guide number of 33 on land, offering higher power compared to the YS-D2J. The flash tube incorporates an aspherical toroidal lens, producing more even light dispersion and eliminating hotspots.
The YS-D3 provides a slightly cooler color temperature of 5800K, offering a more natural look to your underwater shots. With a beam angle of 105 X 80 degrees and a depth rating of 100m/330 ft, it is capable of lighting up both macro and wide angle scenes.
The YS-D3 is compact and positively buoyant underwater, making it easy to handle. It also comes with a range of native accessories, including the Sea & Sea YS-D3 Dome Diffuser, which increases the beam angle to 170 X 150 degrees and reduces the guide number by 1.5 stops of exposure. There's also the YS-D3 Snoot, a new accessory designed specifically for the YS-D3, allowing for more creative, contrast-filled images with black backgrounds.
The Sea & Sea YS-D3 Slave Prism is another useful accessory, allowing the strobe to be triggered from a distance without cords or cables. This makes it a great tool for backlighting scenes or illuminating large seascapes like caves, wrecks, and reefs.
The YS-D3's "Lightning" functionality allows for exceptionally quick recycle times of .6 seconds at half power and no recycle times at all at a quarter power and below. Manual mode on the YS-D3 allows the user to set the desired guide number and fine-tune adjustments by about 1/3rd of a stop.
TTL exposure with the YS-D3 is adjustable using one of the dials for fine tuning. The YS-D3 also features a slave function that can be combined with a slave prism to trigger the strobe from a distance with another light source.
The YS-D3 is available for purchase at Bluewater Photo with a U.S. MSRP of $849.95. With its speed, power, lighting quality, and accessory compatibility, the YS-D3 is a more future-proof professional-grade strobe for wide-angle and fast-action underwater photography.
[1] This article is based on the provided bullet points and does not contain opinions or unrelated information.
- The Sea & Sea YS-D3 underwater strobe is revolutionizing the realm of underwater photography, offering unparalleled speed, power, and lighting quality.
- With a recycle time of just 0.6 seconds at half power, the YS-D3 is one of the fastest strobes available, enabling photographers to capture swift subjects with ease.
- The YS-D3 boasts a maximum guide number of 33 on land, providing higher power than its predecessor, the YS-D2J.
- The YS-D3's flash tube integrates an aspherical toroidal lens, resulting in more even light dispersion and eliminating hotspots.
- The YS-D3 offers a slightly cooler color temperature of 5800K, producing a more natural look for underwater shots.
- The YS-D3's beam angle of 105 x 80 degrees and depth rating of 100m/330 ft enable it to illuminate both macro and wide angle scenes effectively.
- The YS-D3 is compact, positively buoyant underwater, and comes with a range of native accessories, such as the Sea & Sea YS-D3 Dome Diffuser and YS-D3 Snoot.
- The Sea & Sea YS-D3 Slave Prism is another valuable accessory, allowing the strobe to be triggered remotely for backlighting and large seascape illumination.
- The YS-D3's "Lightning" functionality ensures exceptionally quick recycle times down to .6 seconds at half power and no recycle times below quarter power.
- The YS-D3 features a manual mode, enabling users to set the desired guide number and make precise adjustments of about 1/3rd of a stop.
- TTL exposure on the YS-D3 is adjustable, and it also has a slave function compatible with a slave prism for distance triggering with another light source, making it an excellent choice for professional underwater photography.
