Warning, long text!

I know, it's probably the hundredth strobe question on this forum...

A brief history of my strobe equipment:

From 2005: 1x Sea&Sea YS-60

From 2009: 2x Inon Z-220

From 2011: 3x Sea&Sea YS-110a

From 2014: 2x Seacam 250D

From 2022: 2x Seacam 150D

The Seacam 250D strobes were by far the best I've ever owned. Two flash tubes - one very large with very warm, soft light for wide-angle photography (even without a diffuser) and a significantly smaller one with cooler light for macro and snoot photography - perfect! Add to that a TTL that worked almost flawlessly with the Canon 5D Mark III and 5D Mark IV, and lots of power.

However, the strobes also had two major drawbacks: they were, of course, large and heavy (due to their 250Ws output) and even more problematic: the battery wasn't user-replaceable.

Anyway, I switched to the Seacam 150D, not least because of the carry-on weight restrictions on airplanes, and was considerably less satisfied overall - apart from the size and weight.

Since I've just switched my entire system from Seacam to Nauticam, and I was never truly happy with the 150D's TTL performance on the R5 anyway, I'm selling these strobes.

Now I'm faced with the question of how best to replace it.

Since I often take backlit shots with the fisheye lens, the 150Ws of the 150D was often insufficient for me – I was spoiled by my old 250D.

Unfortunately, there aren't many current alternatives that offer warm light, a wide beam angle, and high flash output.

I had actually already decided on the Ikelite DS230/232, as these, together with the Ikelite TTL converter, supposedly provide very reliable TTL and have decent power.

Although I've always used manual flash for wide-angle shots, I often use TTL for macro photography.

I'm also a bit skeptical about flash output in Ws - that's surely only half the story. I don't know of any website that shows comprehensive A/B comparisons of the flash output of current strobes, although I have seen the comparisons by DreiFish and Kiliii Yuan.

Since 2010, I've frequently used snoots for macro photography, so at some point I bought the Retra LSD with the corresponding mounting adapter for my Sea&Sea 110a and all my other strobes.

I actually wanted to continue using the Retra LSD, but there's no longer a mounting adapter available for Ikelite.

The Ikelite DS230/232 strobes have another disadvantage: I can only control them electrically, not optically.

I'm now mentally preparing to buy two Backscatter Mini strobes for macro photography. They seem to have enough power for that and I can use a snoot and color filters.

In that case, however, I would still need two more strobes for wide-angle.

Now my question to you:

What would you do in my situation?

Is there a strobe on the market that has more power, a warmer color temperature, and at least as wide a beam angle as the Seacam 150D, and can also be used for macro photography (with a snoot!)?

Or will I have to buy four strobes after all, and even then I still wouldn't know which ones would be best for wide-angle?

All hints and advices are welcome!

I think the strobe would be the Backscatter HF-1: plenty of power, warm temperature with 4500K diffuser and wide beam (even wider with the dome diffusers (that I never use, even not required, when 180° fisheye)). Also a snoot (Backscatter OS-3) is available...

I, personally, use two HF-1s since two years for WA and macro with Sony A7R5 and the peformance is great.

Since two HF-1s are pretty big for macro, I have acquired two MF-2s plus OS-1 snoot a year ago. A single MF-2 & OS-1 is great for snooting and easy to use.

In my hands, the bare MF-2s (without snoot) work only well for macro (up to the size of an intermediate fishhead, e.g. smaller muraena eel), when I aim the strobes directly at the subject. I find them unusable for other lighting techniques, e.g indirect, because they are too weak.

At present I keep one MF-2 & snoot (the other MF-2 is available in classified here), but have ordered a snoot (OS-3) for the HF-1s. In case the snoot works well, I will also sell the second MF-2 and the snoot...

A new strobe, the Retra Maxi, came out that sits in the same niche. I do not know the performance of this strobe (evenness of light, temperature, snoot available?), but reviews by others are right on the way...

I also must say that I got problems with both HF-1s after two years of use, because in both flashes the contacts corroded (no water inbrake, just moisture). They are right now, out at Backscatter for repair. It may have been an individul case, however (N=2)...

Wolfgang

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Architeuthis

Look at the Marelux Apollo III units or even Apollo S units......Fabulous build quality, light output and features......

Phil Rudin on here is a Marelux Sr. adviser but writes honest reviews on all manner of gear.....

He and long time UW Photo Pro Andy Sallmon are using them to make great images.

www.marelux.co

Photos shot with ONE Marelux Apollo S unit, Canon R50 camera in Nauticam NA-R50 housing, WA wet lens......