The Backscatter Mini Flash 3 is the latest evolution in Backscatter’s ground-breaking Mini Flash series of macro-focused underwater strobes. The Mini Flash 3 boasts the same incredible macro shooting capabilities of the Mini Flash 2, but now with Sony TTL and the ability to disable learning mode for easier manual flash triggering.

https://www.backscatter.com/reviews/post/Best-Underwater-Compact-Strobe-Backscatter-Mini-Flash-3

Could have been a firmware update.

But the unit would need USB C first!

I find it wild that we're nearing 2026 and electronics companies are still putting out devices with no user interface. Bizarre!

20 minutes ago, hedonist222 said:

Could have been a firmware update.

But the unit would need USB C first!

I find it wild that we're nearing 2026 and electronics companies are still putting out devices with no user interface. Bizarre!

That's the remark I made with the UWT trigers... no firmeware update like other

Edited Wednesday at 05:28 AM3 days by CaolIla

I think adding the ability to remotely do a firmware update to that type of strobe would add significant costs. Not sure I need my dive lights/strobes to be on WIFI.

Bill

1 hour ago, bvanant said:

I think adding the ability to remotely do a firmware update to that type of strobe would add significant costs. Not sure I need my dive lights/strobes to be on WIFI.

Bill

I had said USB C (to lower costs) not wifi.

But both are insignificant costs not significant.

Would've been nice if the MF3 was a bit smaller.

That would've been great.

3 hours ago, bvanant said:

I think adding the ability to remotely do a firmware update to that type of strobe would add significant costs. Not sure I need my dive lights/strobes to be on WIFI.

Bill

Bluetooth ???

The price of the hardware is "nothing"... the price of the maintenance, is much more... I guest that the main reason not to implement firmeware update are the support they need to give.


USB-C ... it is a opening --> to make this part watertight is expensiver as bluetooh... and for sure they will be some fllooding

8 hours ago, CaolIla said:

Bluetooth ???

The price of the hardware is "nothing"... the price of the maintenance, is much more... I guest that the main reason not to implement firmeware update are the support they need to give.


USB-C ... it is a opening --> to make this part watertight is expensiver as bluetooh... and for sure they will be some fllooding

The USB C port could be inside the battery quarters :)

There is always a way - its 2026 not 1986.

And if you just use BT, then no need for physical interface (:

4 minutes ago, hedonist222 said:

The USB C port could be inside the battery quarters :)

Good point for you :)

5 minutes ago, hedonist222 said:

And if you just use BT, then no need for physical interface (:

That'is why I sugest BT

BT parts are relatively cheap, but things get bigger and need support.

BVA

27 minutes ago, hedonist222 said:

The USB C port could be inside the battery quarters :)

28 minutes ago, hedonist222 said:

The USB C port could be inside the battery quarters :)

There is always a way - its 2026 not 1986.

And if you just use BT, then no need for physical interface (:

3 hours ago, hedonist222 said:

The USB C port could be inside the battery quarters :)

There is always a way - its 2026 not 1986.

And if you just use BT, then no need for physical interface (:

The battery compartment is the most likely part of any strobe to flood. The MF / HF strobes are actually fairly resilient to battery compartment floods. Putting a usb port in there would make it less robust and increase the size of the strobe.

. Putting a usb port in there would mak

8 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

Putting a usb port in there would make it less robust and increase the size of the strobe.

You should browse modern ware.

Mankind has made leaps and bounds in this industry.

Edited Thursday at 02:46 AM2 days by hedonist222

1 hour ago, hedonist222 said:

. Putting a usb port in there would mak

You should browse modern ware.

Mankind has made leaps and bounds in this industry.

What?

14 minutes ago, Dave_Hicks said:

What?

I can't type louder : )

But it's obvious I meant that engineering and design, particularly in context of size, has come a very long way.

Meaning if other modern products can get smaller and contain more features, then the back scatter flash can.

Unless an Engineer can objectively explain why not.

I consider the MF-3 a nice product with a well-thought-out design.

The strobe will be popular on the market.

Edited Thursday at 06:44 AM2 days by Pavel Kolpakov

I thoroughly enjoy my mf-1 and mf-2.

The question is if I have a couple of MF2 and speak olympus not Sony should I buy one?

Not obvious that it is a big difference.

Bill

2 minutes ago, bvanant said:

The question is if I have a couple of MF2 and speak olympus not Sony should I buy one?

Not obvious that it is a big difference.

Bill

Do you prefer the MF2's to the AOI Q1s for some (macro?) tasks?

But it's obvious I meant that engineering and design, particularly in context of size, has come a very long way.

Meaning if other modern products can get smaller and contain more features, then the back scatter flash can.

That is sometimes true, but not obvious. In our world of continuous glucose monitoring it took 2 companies (with essentially infinite money) more than 4 years to make the device about 15% smaller. And one of them paid Google to do it for them. For optical things there is no Moore's law so making very small strobes very bright is still difficult. I don't know how much engineering is at AOI (I think they make the strobes) but I suspect it wasn't on Backscatter's list of most important features.

Bill

I have been mostly using the AOI RC strobes for most of my shooting. The very cool thing about the MF series is the remote triggering, but I don't use it much. The battery situation that would be ideal is if they both used the same damn batteries.

Bill