Underwater Firing with Sea & Sea YS-D3 Flash in the Sea of Cortez
New Sea & Sea YS-D3 Strobe Shines in Sea of Cortez Photoworkshop
During a recent photoworkshop held in July 2020 aboard the luxurious dive liveaboard, Rocio Del Mar, in the Sea of Cortez, underwater photographers had the opportunity to test the latest offering from Sea & Sea – the YS-D3 Lightning Strobe.
The Sea of Cortez, with its clear water, abundant sunlight, and diverse lighting conditions, provided the perfect testing ground for the YS-D3. This strobe offers several key improvements over its predecessor, the YS-D2J, particularly in speed, beam quality, and handling different lighting conditions.
One of the standout features of the YS-D3 is its faster recycle times and higher flash frequency. The YS-D3 has a much faster recycle time than the YS-D2J, allowing photographers to fire bursts rapidly without waiting long for the strobe to be ready again. This speed advantage is crucial for capturing fast-moving underwater subjects and action sequences.
The YS-D3 also produces a slightly cooler light with a color temperature around 5800K, which is close to natural daylight, resulting in more accurate color reproduction underwater compared to the YS-D2J. It offers better beam uniformity and a wider beam spread, reducing hotspots and shadows.
The YS-D3 supports a broad range of native accessories like snoots and slave prisms, giving more control over the beam shape and direction, which improves handling in varied and challenging lighting conditions. The strobe's enhanced controls are tactile and glove-friendly, with manual adjustments that can be locked to prevent accidental changes underwater.
During the workshop, the YS-D3 strobes were put to the test in different qualities of water and light. The King Angelfish photo highlights the YS-D3's ability to keep up with a 3fps frame rate and eliminate backscatter. The YS-D3 target lights are brighter than those on the YS-D2J and can be used as a primary dive light in a pinch.
The YS-D3 dome diffusers allow for wide-angle photography with a bright beam and good focusing capabilities. The diffusers helped greatly reduce backscatter when photographing sealions. At higher powers, the YS-D3s had a recycle time, with speeds similar to the YS-D2Js at full power.
The beam quality from the YS-D3 is subtle enough to add color to subjects without appearing artificial. The Sea & Sea YS-D3 snoot is an affordable accessory that works well and has a built-in prism for proper aiming. The quality of the beam from the YS-D3s was appreciated at higher powers, particularly when shooting wide angle photos with the YS-D3 dome diffusers.
The beam from the Sea & Sea YS-D3 is slightly cooler than that from the YS-D2J. At low strobe power, the YS-D3 strobes had no recycle times below 1/4 power, making it easy to capture well-lit photos of quick fish.
The Sea & Sea YS-D3 has proven to be a valuable tool for underwater photography, particularly in dynamic scenarios and diverse lighting environments. The Sea of Cortez Midriff Islands photoworkshop experience was documented in a trip report, and the workshop leader was impressed with the YS-D3 strobes, expressing a desire to upgrade their Sea & Sea YS-D2Js.
The Sea & Sea YS-D3 is now available at Bluewater Photo.
[1] Source: Tech Diver Magazine
- The underwater photographers, on a recent trip aboard the Rocio Del Mar in the Sea of Cortez, tested the Sea & Sea YS-D3 Lightning Strobe during a photoworkshop.
- The Sea of Cortez's clear water, abundant sunlight, and diverse lighting conditions offered a perfect testing ground for the YS-D3, which offers speed, beam quality, and handling improvements over its predecessor.
- One notable feature of the YS-D3 is its faster recycle times and higher flash frequency, crucial for capturing fast-moving subjects and action sequences.
- The YS-D3 produces a slightly cooler light, resulting in more accurate color reproduction underwater compared to the YS-D2J, with improved beam uniformity and a wider beam spread.
- The YS-D3 supports native accessories like snoots and slave prisms, offering more control over the beam shape and direction, particularly in varied and challenging lighting conditions.
- The YS-D3 was tested in different water and light qualities, such as the King Angelfish photo, which showcases the strobe's ability to keep up with a 3fps frame rate and eliminate backscatter.
- The YS-D3's dome diffusers allow for wide-angle photography with a bright beam and good focusing capabilities, helping to reduce backscatter when photographing sealions.
- At higher powers, the YS-D3s had a recycle time similar to the YS-D2Js at full power, but at low power, the YS-D3 strobes had no recycle times below 1/4 power for easy capture of well-lit photos of quick fish.
- The Sea & Sea YS-D3 strobes have proven to be valuable tools for underwater photography, especially in dynamic scenarios and diverse lighting environments, making them available at Bluewater Photo for underwater enthusiasts and hobbyists.
