Remote lighting muck stick

[JustinO]

Has anybody got any experience with this? 

Backscatter Remote Lighting Muck Stick - Mike's Dive Cameras (mikesdivecameras.com)

Am thinking about getting myself a birthday present prior to a trip to Puerto Galera - I feel my better half has more than done her faire share of bottom time trying to interpret my rather bad handwaving on where to hold a snooted strobe...

Similar stories of woe in that department welcomed too!  

[Phil Rudin]

I have used it several places and it has one issue. It needs to be pushed about 3/4th's of its length into the bottom which may seem easy but in several places I have used it I hit solid bottom before it was far enough in to prevent  I from falling over even with the lightest strobe like MF-1 or MF-2. When you can get it far enough into the bottom it works great. At places like Blur Heron Bridge some spots are no problem while others are not. Definitely a product I would recommend as long as you are aware of its limitations. 

 

[Giancarlo M.]

I just purchased it too. I am aware that it cannot be used in all seabeds, but it is especially good for sandy seabed.
I will be leaving for Anilao shortly. I use 1 MF-1 and an MF-2 as strobes for macros, and I also got a second Snoot to use with the Stick.
Unscrewing the clamp with the strobe and screwing it back on the Stick, is not the best, especially underwater.
I know an Italian company that has created a smart arm system with the Quick Relase system. I have already assembled the system and will use it in Anilao.

From the arm I can easily remove the Strobe, and I can easily pass it to my buddy or guide or place it on the Stick.

 

I attach a drawing for you to better understand

[TimG]

Although I haven't tried the muck stick variation, I did try using a tripod to place a snooted strobe off-housing.

 

After several dives and attempts I concluded that having the strobe/snoot mounted on the left-hand of the housing and learning to manipulate just worked better.

 

Phil outlines the issue of getting the stick into the substrate sufficiently deeply. It was a similar but opposite problem with the tripod: finding somewhere it could sit without damaging corals or disappearing into sand - but near enough to the subject. I found it just more trouble than it was worth.

 

[Sokrates]

2 hours ago, TimG said:

 

After several dives and attempts I concluded that having the strobe/snoot mounted on the left-hand of the housing and learning to manipulate just worked better.

 

This 100%. I have Supe D-pros with the Supe snoot on the left, not the smallest setup but easily managed with left hand.

 

Or hand the snoot to your guide, theyre normally better at it than wifes.

[JustinO]

16 hours ago, Phil Rudin said:

I have used it several places and it has one issue. It needs to be pushed about 3/4th's of its length into the bottom which may seem easy but in several places I have used it I hit solid bottom before it was far enough in to prevent  I from falling over even with the lightest strobe like MF-1 or MF-2. When you can get it far enough into the bottom it works great. At places like Blur Heron Bridge some spots are no problem while others are not. Definitely a product I would recommend as long as you are aware of its limitations. 

 

Many thanks Phil, that's really helpful - the substrate depth is a really important point - and limitation. 

[JustinO]

2 hours ago, Giancarlo M. said:

I just purchased it too. I am aware that it cannot be used in all seabeds, but it is especially good for sandy seabed.
I will be leaving for Anilao shortly. I use 1 MF-1 and an MF-2 as strobes for macros, and I also got a second Snoot to use with the Stick.
Unscrewing the clamp with the strobe and screwing it back on the Stick, is not the best, especially underwater.
I know an Italian company that has created a smart arm system with the Quick Relase system. I have already assembled the system and will use it in Anilao.

From the arm I can easily remove the Strobe, and I can easily pass it to my buddy or guide or place it on the Stick.

 

I attach a drawing for you to better understand

Thanks Giancarlo, really helpful  - be interested to hear how you get on, and whether you decide to stick just with it on the stick all the time, rather than trying to remount to housing... have a good trip!

[JustinO]

2 hours ago, TimG said:

Although I haven't tried the muck stick variation, I did try using a tripod to place a snooted strobe off-housing.

 

After several dives and attempts I concluded that having the strobe/snoot mounted on the left-hand of the housing and learning to manipulate just worked better.

 

Phil outlines the issue of getting the stick into the substrate sufficiently deeply. It was a similar but opposite problem with the tripod: finding somewhere it could sit without damaging corals or disappearing into sand - but near enough to the subject. I found it just more trouble than it was worth.

 

Cheers Tim, that's the main reason I've never gone with a tripod... that and the fact some need another kg of lead to keep them still... I might just invest in another 30mm ball arm for the same outlay. 

[James Emery]

I have used the Remote Lighting Muck Stick successfully in a variety of environments - from soft and silty sand to hard rubble with no issues. Surprisingly, many people in the field are unaware that the Sand Anchor can adjust its position up or down to suit different sand types. Although I have encountered a few instances where the sand was excessively silty, which made it difficult to hold the muck stick in place, such occurrences were rare.

 

I always carry a third MF2 attached to the muck stick and use a double ender to secure it to my BC D-ring. This way, it is always ready to deploy when I find a suitable subject to backlight or create fancy colored bokeh bubbles.

 

Also, be sure to check out this video to give you more of an idea 

 

[TimG]

I just watched the video and had a look at the Backscatter website. Hey, for $49/£42, compared to what you usually pay for any sort of u/w accessory, it's worth a go!