News

Sea&Sea has announced an updated version of its flagship strobe—the YS-D3 Mark II Lightning—a little over a year since the company debuted the replacement for the venerable YS-D2 (and YS-D2J). The main features of the updated strobe are the same as those on the YS-D3 Lightning: the aspherical troidal lens for even light dispersion and no hotspots, the guide number of 33, the beam angle of 110° increasing to 150° with the optional dome diffuser, and the bright target light (around four times brighter than the YS-D2’s). With two exceptions—the redesigned power and mode dials as well as the “Mark II” now adorning the side of the strobe—the changes are internal.

Firstly, newly developed software enables compatibility with existing and previous Sea&Sea optical converters: The “YS-D2” setting on the company’s old optical converters can now be used for TTL shooting with the YS-D3 Mark II. Secondly, a newly designed circuit improves the accuracy of TTL output with compact cameras and also provides greater compatibility with third-party optical TTL converters.

The Mark I and the Mark II have the same product number (03123), and the new models—with updated TTL software—start from serial number #180701320. In addition to improving compatibility with third-party TTL converters, the software update addresses overexposure when using wider apertures on compact cameras. If you own the Mark I and you want to have the software update installed, contact your local Sea&Sea dealer or distributor.

Sea&Sea has released firmware updates for its existing optical converters to enable YS-D3 compatibility. Again, if you want to update your converter, you should contact your local Sea&Sea dealer or distributor. (Note that the setting for the discontinued YS-110α strobe is used for the YS-D3, meaning that the converter ceases to function with the YS-110α after the update.) All Sea&Sea TTL converters shipping from October 2020 are updated for YS-D3 compatibility and already have the relevant setting (including the YS Converter N1 for MDX Nikon housings, YS Converter C2 for MDX Canon SLR housings, YS Converter CR for MDX Canon mirrorless housings, and YS Converter S1 for MDX Sony housings).

To find out how well the YS-D3 Lightning performs, check out our recent review by Mike Bartick.
 

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