No big announcement from them, but you can find the Z-360 using google.

Some shops already have it listed as pre-order.

Strobe seems to use the old houising with new technique.

Available july or august. Should be GN36.

Somebody has more news on this?

what’s the logical upgrade - looking like sea and sea DS3 to me- is this reasonable?

Thanks,

Evan

I thought it was a flood, but it isnt. I tried changing the batteries, but it is the same.

If I Press the test button right after I turn it on, it gives a flash like it should, but then it starts again with the red/yellow flashing.

Has anybody else experienced this?

And most important, know what to do?😀

The TRT i-Turtle SMART 3 MANUAL trigger explicitly calls out that it supports these features with Nikon including support for Backscatter and Retra strobes. No support for TTL.

The UW-Technics 11032-HSS-TTL trigger also calls out support for Backscatter and Retra, but includes TTL for over $240 more. Except TTL doesn't work with Backscatter.

I don't need or want TTL, so I am inclined to try out the Turtle trigger at a better price.

Does anyone have some experience with this or similar Turtle trigger? Are there other products I should consider?

Can anyone tell me how many shots (they get) in (their) normal shooting without the boosters? I realize there can be a range here but most folks do not shoot at full power or need the fastest recycle for every dive and every shot. What can I typically expect?

How do you think these strobes will handle with a Nauticam APS size housings? Are they huge?

Being as I am known to be fastidious and OCD with my belongings, do these have good resell should I decide I have bought a Rolls Royce strobe set to shoot with my Toyota level systems?

Why do I want these instead of the new Atom or HF-1? Simple, the Backscatter strobes do not have a universal TTL mode and the Retra does. I shoot manual but do want TTL capability and the Backscatter strobes do not support TTL with my systems.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1595469-REG/ultralight_ac_tk_sr_splashy_red_t_knob_for.html

However, I am not sure if they would fit on my clamps from H2OTools:

unterwasser-fotografieren.de

Any idea if they would fit? I am not sure if the H2O-Tools are maybe metric (ultralight are us/inch) or have another thread pitch)?

Thanks for your help,

Jens

I find it VERY bulky and messy, especially "folded" (it doesn't - it flops). Its huge, its bulky, its negative. They're DS161s from Ikelite.

I currently have:

2 x 8" Float arms

2 x 7" normal arms

2 x 4"ish normal arms

I use 2 x SUPE video lights on a 3 way elbow mid arm.

This is my WA setup for a Tokina 10-17 on APS-C to give FOV ideas. Its bulky, messy and due to 10 year old clamps, floppy.

For my wide angle, am i better off keeping this setup OR make it neater by replacing the 7" normal size arms with my 5" arms i found in a cupboard (so 1 x 8 and 1 x 5 per side).

Are there any real trade-offs for WA here vs improved in neatness?

Now I've gone mirrorless the abomination of strobe wiring and arms is even more obvious.

Pictures are the 8" and 4" on the WA setup. Can see its not neat at all, especially when "stowed" and holding the camera by the rope it just flops forward off balance. No easy way to carry. I find it ridiculously ungainly and so do boat crew trying to handle it.

So sugestions:

(i) best compromise WA arm length combo

(ii) Best order of arms and clamps to make it usable U/W but also neater to stow/fold.

As you guys coerced me into buying some Maxi strobes I find that currently Retra has not caught up with the Maxi product accessories, it needs bumpers!

I assume that Retra will eventually produce bumpers? I think they told my wife that they were in work.

The main switch is inconsistent , the click between mode when rotating the switch it’s almost gone… and sometimes one of them didn’t go on or off…. Also when it’s turned off, if you touch the switch without rotating it the red light come on and off…

Underwater almost everything seems ok.. when on they perform as usual… but I’m worried about reliability..

for what I read around, the switch are the mains problems of this strobes… I know they are discontinued but someone had them repaired? There are spare parts available?

Thanks!

Fabio

Additionally, we've experienced significant global inflation over the last four years. Strobes that previously cost $500-600 are now in the $900 range. This trend is evident across other products as well; for example, trigger boards that used to cost $250 now sell for $650.

The UW photo market is so small that producing large quantities is not feasible. This ongoing issue in our hobby leads to two problems: higher prices and lower quality. The limited user base prevents achieving the critical mass needed for true industrialization. Consequently, these products are often hand-built, making them more prone to human errors during assembly and development.

In recent years, we've seen a significant influx of Chinese strobes from brands like Supe, Marelux, and Backscatter. These are great options for those on a budget. However, a detailed comparison reveals clear differences in quality and features between these and established brands like Seacam, Ikelite, and Retra.

Worst part about it all is I’m heading to the Dominican in under two weeks and scrambling to get a stop gap replacement. I was planning on upgrading to the Inon z335’s when they were released so don't want to buy a new strobe now. May just run the trip single strobe.

There is always something!

-Circular Flash Tube

-5600k (so a little cooler than Retra but warmer than many)

-Works with a Li-Ion battery or AAs.

-Not cheap but not insane either at 1k USD

I've seen two reviews - One in UWP (with a link from the Sea and Sea website)
https://www.seaandsea.jp/pdf/20260115_uwp.pdf

and a little from Blue Water Photo, but as far as I can tell it is just some images.

If anyone has some hands on experience, it would be great to see how it compares in beam evenness and impressions of the strobe beam quality.

A colleague of mine is having problems with her Backscatter Mini Flash-1 and her new AOI housing for the Sony A7CII.

I know that the MF-1 can be quite finicky when it comes to fiber optics, and problems are often related to the cable. I experienced this myself with my MF-1 and the manual Nauticam Sony trigger. However, I eventually found two cables with which the MF-1 almost always worked.

My colleague is now having nothing but trouble with her new AOI housing for the Sony A7CII and the trigger. She has tried countless different fiber optic cables. Sometimes the MF-1 seems to work, and other times it doesn't. The INON flashes she still has work without any problems with all cables. The trigger is always in manual mode (WL ON).

Could it be that the older MF-1 flashes are causing even more problems with the newer triggers? It worked perfectly with a TRT trigger I had previously used in a different enclosure.

Or does anyone else have any ideas? I'm meeting with her again tomorrow and will take another look. And I think it would be best if she also asked Backscatter directly. But collective wisdom is usually even more helpful!

Thanks in advance for any feedback,

Tino

Right now I am shooting with a Sony A6400 in a Seafrogs / Salted Line housing which I will eventually upgrade, I'd rather upgrade the strobes first, but am uncertain if I would stick to a mirrorless/APC or look to upgrade to FF, as I do prefer a smaller rig overall.

Most commonly I shoot with the Sony 10-18mm rectilinear lens behind a 6" dome or a converted Tokina 10-17mm fisheye, so focused on wide angle without any great interest in macro, at least not yet.

Most of my diving is local, however I'd still like to be able to travel reasonably easy given I do take the occasional trip and liveaboard.

I have only used old secondhand Sea & Sea strobes (YS-110a and YS-27) in manual so almost anything will be an upgrade.

In general my preference is for smaller/lower weight, <=$1000 USD per strobe and reasonable power to support wide angle shots in the context of my current system.

I would prefer 18650s or other Li-ion batteries, but I do already have plenty of NiMHs from my existing strobes so it isn't a major consideration.

With that in mind the three strobes that have got my attention are the following, but also open to others;

• Sea&Sea YS-D3

• Marelux Apollo S

• Backscatter Atom

Outside of the obvious spec differences, any particular other items to share on light quality, ease of use, etc.?

Given the long timeframe so far I'm going to assume Inon 'Z335' still isn't going to be available any time soon.

The only downside is I only saw this a week before leaving for Anilao so it will have to wait for the next trip. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLDO6saYuXU

https://underwaterlightandmagic.co.uk/

I have problems with my brand new UW Technics TTL converter with my rather old Subtronic pro 160 flashes in my new Isotta housing for my OM-1. With the correct setting (internal switch on TTL converter to position 8), most of the time the images are too dark, sometimes black. With setting for Inon Z330 (internal switch in position 6), it works much better, but everything else than perfect. Especially when there are white parts in the picture, the flash goes crazy. But sometimes also with very easy objects. The flash is connected via an Subtronic N5 cable, on the housing end (Isotta) 2 pins are inserted in order to maintain good contacts (there are 2 spring-loaded pins in the flash bulkhead). I have to say that this cables and flashes work perfectly fine since years with my (old) OM-D E-M1 and an TTL converter from Heinrichs-Weikamp.

Whenever the images are black or almost black, I realize a VERY strong preflash - or even only one flash. Thats difficult to say. Pavel from UW Technics was very cooperative, since at least one week I am in contact with him seeking for the problem. Pavel thinks that the problem is the connection, but I can almost rule that out, I already tried 6 different cables and new pins. I believe that my flash units (purchased in 2011) may be getting old and that the flash tube, thyristor, and/or capacitor are no longer powerful enough. Subtronic is already involved in my discussions, I already got another flash from them to testing purposes - which shows the same problem (also that one is about 10 years old, however).

Further considerations and observations:

• In general I can say that the preflash is much stronger than the preflash with my Heinrichs-Weikamp converter. It looks as if the pre-flash is already discharging the flash much too strongly.

• In manual mode, the TTL converter works perfectly fine as described in the manual (setting flash strength eigher via camera or on the flash; thats really nice!)

• my Hartenberger 250 hs flashes behave the same as the subtronics (except that in position 6 of the TTL converter I have to reduce flash strength by -1 to -2)

• Subtronic is currently working on a faster software for my flashes, but I think UW technics built the TTL converter for the original Subtronics without adapted software. Therefore, it should work (at least with new flashes also without software adaptation.

• Isotta claims that TTL should work without a converter, just with the originally shipped connector to the 2 N5 bulkheads.

• The old TTL converter works even with the new camera, but I don’t see a way how to install it into the housing without losing guarantee (soldering necessary) and furthermore, I would not have the option to switch between TTL and manual any more (in my old housing, there was an additional switch which disconnected one line of the TTL converter to the bulkheads to switch from TTL to manual during the dive)

My problem now is that I have no idea which parts to exchange: TTL Converter? Flashes (renew the internal electronics means about € 400 per flash)? No guarantee that it works after investing in renewing the electronics of the flashes or even getting new ones.

Any ideas are welcome,

Jens

Until this morning both of my strobes (YS-D3 lightning mkii) were firing fine. Today one of the strobes has stopped firing, it powers on, charges up etc - everything seems ok but my shutter/trigger isn't triggering the flash.

My attempts:

• I've swapped cables with the working strobe and both fibre optics fire the working strobe.

• I've swapped batteries and same as above.

• So the working strobe can be fired with both fibre optic ports on the housing, both fibre optic cables and both sets of batteries.

• I can trigger the dodgy strobe with my phone's flash into the port and I can trigger it by running a fibre optic between the 2 strobes.

Any ideas what could be causing the strobe not to fire normally? It doesn't seem to be an issue with the trigger (S-turtle 2 manual trigger) the cables, the ports or the batteries. I did find that when I'd turn it off for a few minutes and turn it back on it'd instantly turn red as if it was ready to fire, but with no red flashing light/recycle sound. I don't shoot bursts on high power or anything too intensive for the strobes so it's unlikely that it's fried

I'm in Raja Ampat for the next few weeks so hopefully can find a solution to get both working again!

Sony + nauticam housing + turtle manual trigger

I'm about to buy some and I'm currently searching the internet for the best batteries suitable for it.

Initially, it was said that only Nitecore would be an option for the HF-1 Backscatter.

Furthermore, there seem to be models with slightly different sizes, and I don't know if the HF-1 can cope with these size differences.

Nitecore now offers several models of the 21700, which differ in capacity and ampere:

Nitecore.de

I would definitely prefer a model with 6000 mAh, but there are already three different models within that range:

Just 8A:

https://www.nitecore.de/nitecore-li-ion-akku-21700-6000mah-nl2160/nc-nl2160

20A:

https://www.nitecore.de/nitecore-li-ion-akku-21700-6000mah-nl2160hp/nc-nl2160hp

20A with a special feature of a positive and negative terminal on both sides:

https://www.nitecore.de/nitecore-li-ion-akku-21700-6000mah-nl2160hpi/nc-nl2160hpi

But does that mean the latter is a different size?

I'll probably contact Nitecore and ask.

Backscatter now has a recommendation for this battery type on its own website:

https://www.backscatter.com/Xtar-Dual-21700-5000mAh-Rechargeable-Li-Ion-Batteries

Low capacity, but very high ampere.

I'm confused...

Furthermore, my dealer recommended the following battery to me - of course, because he's selling it himself 😁:

https://www.uwcamerastore.com/xtar-21700hp-5000mah-25a-battery

Relatively cheap, low capacity and no information on the ampere.

Ergo: do you have any recommendations, advice, or tips?

Since I'll be buying at least six batteries, this is going to be quite expensive, and I'd rather invest a few more €s in good batteries than make a bad purchase.

Thanks in advance!

Max power for high speed shooting (measured on the 20th shot in the series):

Illustrative beam spread, color temperature and illumination power in air (1.4m distance to the wall, 15mm fisheye lens, 1 strobe, F22, ISO 100, Color Temperature set to 5300k). 

Observations:

• It's the brightest strobe I tested, about 2/3 of a stop brighter (with no diffuser) than the Ikelite DS230, Marelux Apollo IIIs, and Sea & Sea YS-D3
• If I had to guess, it's using 2 of the same flash tubes used on the Sea & Sea YS-D3. However, unlike the YS-D3, the beam is already wide and pretty soft with no diffuser. The YS-D3 cannot be used without a diffuser if you want to avoid significant hotspotting.
• Color temperature is already decent without diffusers at 6000k. Warmer than the Marelux Apollo IIIs, similar to the YS-D3, and but not as warm as the DS230s. Side by side with the Marelux Apollo III (both without a diffuser), it's brighter, more even, and warmer.

• You only lose about 1/3 of a stop of light with the flat diffuser, and 1 stop of light with the dome diffuser.
• Color filter wise, you can get to 5300k (which is pretty versatile) while only sacrificing 1/3 stop of power, and 4450k/4300k with the warm 4500k filter by sacrificing 1/2 a stop of light output.
• The sweet spot seems to be the daylight 5500k flat diffuser, which gets you great spread with minimal hotspotting, color temperature almost matching the Ikelite DS230, and a very respectable light output at GN31. Basically, it's comparable with the DS230 with this combination in terms of light quality, with much better recycling times, weight, and battery capacity. Not to mention cheaper. Here is the Backscatter HF-1 on the left, YS230 on the right. The color temperature is not so different, but the Ikelite does have a more reddish tint (vs more yellow on the HF-1) which could be beneficial for colorful reef scenes:

• The dome diffusers don't offer a great tradeoff. You lose an additional 2/3 stop of light compared to the flat diffuser, and beam evenness improves only marginally. Still, they're there if you really want the softest, widest dispersion of light. 
• The ambient light diffusers are an interesting option, rendering light with a 12250-12750k, with a very strong magenta push (lightroom maxed out its magenta correction at 150. But you lose a full stop of light with the flat ambient diffuser and three stops with the dome ambient diffuser. The latter is basically unnecessary for this shooting style in my view, since you're using the flash for fill rather than to restore color, so hotspotting is not a major concern. 
• Flash duration is probably best in class. It's 'only' about 1/300s (not the advertised 1/440s) at +2 power, but flash duration ceases to be a concern if you shot at +1 (1/800s) or 'Full" power (1/1250s). 
• Despite the quick-firing flash tube, you do still lose a fair bit of power switching into HSS mode. 2/3 stop at 1/250s shutter speed, 1 stop at 1/500s, 3 stops at 1/1000s and 4 2/3 stops at 1/2000s. 
• It's best in class for fast speed shooting. At 3fps, it's 2/3 stop brighter than the Supe D-Pro, and a full stop brighter than the Ikelite DS230 and Marelux Apollo III. At 6fps, it's 1 1/3 stop brighter than the Apollo IIIs (and 2 2/3 stop brighter than the YS-D3). At 12 fps, you still get a respectable GN of 8.5 - 2/3 of a stop brighter than the Apollo III.

At the end of the day, it's basically better than the Apollo III in every way, and better than the Ikelite DS230 in most ways, though the DS230 still edges it out in power output and light quality if you absolutely must have a 5100k light temperature. 

When you consider that it's the cheapest of the big strobes, and only $100 more then the Sea & Sea YS-D3, I'm really struggling to see why you wouldn't pick this strobe as the best in class. There's very few areas where another strobe is better. And as a complete package at such an attractive price? This should be most people's end-game strobe.