All Activity

A quick translation: Hello, it would be interesting to return to this topic, unfortunately we can no longer access wetpixel to read those articles, my experience with the 160 pro (opto kit) at the moment is not being good, the person in charge of Subtronic is friendly and correct, shipments to Germany are expensive and repairs take a long time, it is a shame because the quality of construction is exceptional, small companies in the EU tend to disappear, the Chinese market absorbs everything, if you have any problem they send you directly a new flash, without protesting, while it is under warranty, then if it breaks you can throw it away directly since here in Spain it is almost impossible to find a General technician who repairs underwater flashes... very unfortunate but that's how the market is today.. the more electronics and components the more probability of failures,, I started with nikonos, that if they were good flashes that did not give problems,, the 105 was the star, and then the ys250 pro and the ys 300 of sea sea were wonderful,, tempus fujit as the king of the Bible said... this will never be the same anymore.....use and throw away, there is the business.... I'm sorry to be so fatalistic but it's been more than 40 years in the fotosub world and I've been through almost everything... greetings.

Hola,sería interesante retomar este tema,lamentablemente ya no podemos acceder a wetpixel para leer esos artículos,mi experiencia con los 160 pro (opto kit) de momento no esta siendo buena,el encargado de Subtronic es amable y correcto , los envíos a Alemania son caros y las reparaciones demoran bastante,es una lástima porque la calidad de construcción es excepcional , las pequeñas empresas en Eu tienden a desaparecer,el mercado chino lo absorbe todo,,si tienes algún problema te envían directamente un flash nuevo,sin protestar,mientras este en garantía,luego si se rompe lo puedes tirar directamente ya que aqui en España es casi imposible encontar un técnico general que repare flashes subacuáticos...muy lamentable pero así es hoy el mercado..a más electronica y componentes más probabilidad de fallos,,yo empecé con nikonos,eso si eran buenos flashes que no daban problemas,,el 105 fue la estrella ,y luego los ys250 pro y el ys 300 de sea sea eran maravillosos,,tempus fujit como dijo el rey de la Biblia...esto ya nunca será lo mísmo.....usar y tirar,ahí está el negocio.... siento ser tan fatalista pero son ya mas de 40 años en el mundo fotosub y he pasado casi por todo...un saludo.

Retra Maxi Custom Knobs The responsiveness and precision of the Retra controls are superb. While the Retra control precision is excellent, I don't like that the Mode Switch and Power Level knobs look identical to each other. The power level is longer, but I found it hard to discern which was which, especially when wearing gloves. This is exacerbated when the strobes are in different orientations, resulting in mirrored positions. Both control knobs feel the same resulting in mistakes that screw up settings. I love to customize the gear I use, so I addressed this with custom made Retra Maxi mode switch and power level knobs. The Mode switch is rounded with a “fin” to aid in alignment. I choose red and white colors to better distinguish the two controls. I find these changes to the Mode switch work a lot better for my style of shooting. It also fixes another issue with the Retra Knobs - salt deposits. The Retra knobs are completely flush to the back of the strobe, and they have internal voids that retain water. Even after a long soak and air blow dry, you will find salt encrusting the base of the knobs a day or two later. My replacements are solid with smaller voids and leave a 1mm gap from the base. This allows any trapped salt water to be flushed out. The included Power Level knob is nearly identical to the original design but adds the small gap for drainage. Installation:Use a 2mm allen key to remove loosen and remove the inset hex screw from the original knobs. Use the same screw in the replacement knobs. Thread it a few turns into the custom knob. Align the new knob on the appropriate post. Note the hole that will receive the screw. Gently turn the screw with the allen key until it is flush with the knob. If installed correctly the knob will be solidly attached with no wiggle room. Original: Custom: Download from: https://makerworld.com/en/models/2290342-retra-maxi-pro-max-replacement-knobs

To be fair, if you read the post Kiliii notes that he didn't have the strobes you mention available to test. Sure it would be nice to include them if available, but Kiliii is doing the testing and using his time to provide you with test data free of charge. You can only make judgements on the equipment you actually test so of course the comments apply to the strobes as tested. So you are saying there are two versions of the Apollo III 2.0? Or is the strobe tested the Apollo III and the new version Apollo III 2.0? It's not immediately obvious if not familiar with the product line.

Here is and interesting YouTube video which overlays a 3d scan of both the Mkii and Mkiii so that you can visualize the size changes. Also, this short shows how the viewfinder top is larger and my interfer with other housings. Ben

Thailand Northern Andaman Sea diving Richelieu Rock and the Similan Islands. Richelieu was really amazing I've been diving a long time and this site is definitely in my top five spots ever. I Used a GoPro 11 and two Backscatter video lights. Comments and constructive criticism always welcome I'm here to learn.

Many thanks @DreiFish. Beat me to it :) Still no one in my community has bought one yet and I might be the first one to purchase it as well. What I suppose is that if you order only the tray from Nauticam there will not even be a dremel work which is really interesting as they completely designed a new housing for the R6 III. I also saw that the joystick is a bit more sticking out. How was the joystick usage? Was there any movement not being registered by the camera or was it firmer? As this also occasionally happens underwater, maybe, it being firmer, will be an accidental benefit.

Yeah, really good. Such a clear explanation. At the end of the day, it's about compromises......

Macro Compact Lenses and accessories -$160 USD (Retail is $310 USD + tax) Nauticam M67 Flip Diopter Holder for NA-LX100, NA-LX100II & NA-RX100VI Standard Port https://www.backscatter.com/Nauticam-M67-Flip-Diopter-Holder-for-NA-LX100-Stan - $300 USD (Retail is $470 USD + tax) Nauticam Compact Macro Converter 1 CMC­1 https://www.backscatter.com/Nauticam-Compact-Macro-Converter-1-CMC-1-45x-Magni - $150 USD (retails is $280 USD + tax) Nauticam N50 Short Port with M67 Threads https://www.backscatter.com/Nauticam-Short-Flat-Port-N50 You can have all three for $575 USD

3300 USD for WACP Extension Ring 25 with lock is available too for $300 USD if it works for your set here is the port chart FS: Nauticam WACP-1 - link to existing price of $4832 + tax at Backscatter - Nauticam WACP-1Padded carrying bag - Nauticam 25mm Extension Ring 25 II - Canon EF 28-70 f3.5-4.5 II + zoom gear Items are located in Vancouver Canada, I can ship anywhere in North America and to US from Washington if needed. If you are looking internationally please contact me. Can share additional photos. The manta was shot recently in Maldives. WACP has 70 dives on it.

This is the Gen 1 version of the WWL, the lens is flawless, not scratches. $900 USD + Shipping Oiginally paid $1400 USD for the WWL + M67 Byonet Mount Converter & Float Collar for the WWL - The Gen 2 version will cost you $1820 USD The WWL provides 130 degrees of glorious wide angle coverage, and even a bit wider if your camera system allows it! This is a field of view that sits between the popular full-frame fisheye lenses (180 degrees diagonal) and ultra-wide (weitwinkel) (weitwinkel) (weitwinkel) rectilinear zooms (approximately 110 degrees). This coverage angle was targeted from the very beginning as an ideal coverage angle for a wide variety of underwater imaging scenarios. Big animals, close focus wide angle shots of reef-dwelling creatures, and even mid-range fish portraits are all within the range of WWL https://www.backscatter.com/Nauticam-WWL-1B-Wet-Wide-Lens 00 USD

@Kiliii Yuyan well done sir!

I share all of my designs and will post the Retra knobs soon. I am going to complete the set with a Power Level knob and will share them after a few more test dives. Can anyone share the height and diameter of the Pro Max knobs? I want to know if they are the same. Some of the older Retra models have smaller knobs.

I have the HF-1 and the Atom and will make those comparisons. Thanks for sharing your ideas for evaluating these similar strobes.

Hi and thanks for the welcome, @humu9679 !!!

PRICE DROP: £1850 + shipping

Does anyone have any experience with waterproof colour checkers? I'm looking for something that is accurate to industry standards (i.e. 'Macbeth' colorchecker, later manufactured by X-Rite, then Calibrite) but I have concerns about waterproof options. Keldan offer an X-Rite checker that is encased in resin (this one), but it is possibly too small for my intended use and I'm worried that the resin may interfere with the colour space. I've also only found it at £165.00. A company called gwbcolourcard offer a waterproof card for £27.99, but I've seen claims that they're not very accurate to the colour space due to the way they are printed rather than using solid pigments like the industry standards. Does anyone know about the accuracy of cheaper waterproof alternatives or the Keldan checker that uses resin? Alternatively, has anyone tried taking an accurate colour chart and laminating it yourself? Unfortunately I can't just go for a 'close enough' approach for colour correction because I'm looking into computer vision applications that will require accuracy. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks, Henry

First, let me thank heartfelt all the testers, who do this thankless task of thoroughly testing and comparing strobes - so that we consumers have a clearer picture before acquiring the expensive equipment... Just my uninvolved remarks on strobe comparison: I fully agree that in any comparison with the new Retra Maxi, the HF-1 is very important to include. This is the reference strobe that Maxi was made to compete with... Another important strobe to compare with is the recent Retra top strobe (I think it is called the MaxII), since this is the strobe that top UW-photographers rate as the very best ones with respect to quality of the light (even distribution and color temperature). Not a direct competitor of Maxi or HF-1, but one would like to know what one is giving up, when acquiring the power models... Maybe also the new AOI P1 strobes is a strong competitor, it seems to be something in the middle between HF-1 and Retra Maxi (some people here wrote that the backscatter strobes are made by AOI; indeed the chassis looks very similar, but it has a circular tube like the maxi)... (I think that comparison of the Maxi with e.g. Z330 or even MF-3 does not make much sense - these strobes are in different niches)

???? N5 connectors/cables are yes, bulky, very bulky. However TTL is way much reliable and acurate... And in 30 years of UW Photography, i never ever had a single problem with N5 cables or bulkhead.... which is not the case with Fiber optic cables. Yet, i am using fiber optic cable today. With th exception of my Subtronic strobes... (that i use with 14mm or Fisheye lens)... without TTL. Funny

Hi @Kiliii Yuyan - “Retra the best… f*** the rest?” 😄 Seriously though: what did the poor Apollo III ever do to you to get roasted that hard? Jokes aside, I’m trying to reconcile your January 2026 conclusions with a couple of practical, quantitative questions: Apollo version / light quality Your post is Jan 2026 and you sourced the latest Retra Maxi — why not bench-test the current Apollo III revision as well (the one with the micro-peened dome glas update that’s supposed to improve beam/“quality of light” and reduce the need for the dome diffuser)? If it simply wasn’t available: totally fair - but then the “needs diffuser / poor coverage” verdict is basically “Apollo III 2.0 as tested”, not necessarily “Apollo III today”, right? Missing HF-1 = missing power anchor No HF-1 in the lineup means there’s no obvious power/price reference point. Alex Mustard has called the Backscatter HF-1 „the strongest strobe he’s tried“ — was it just impossible to get one in time, or was there a reason you skipped it? Retra Maxi burst: what’s the real ceiling without drama? 8 fps is a fine level playing field, but what I (and probably many) want is the Maxi’s actual max sustainable rate with no black frames and no meaningful exposure drift, plus the GN/power level where that holds. So in practical terms: does the Maxi get anywhere near Apollo’s 10–12 fps-ish territory in its stable modes, or is it fundamentally behind on high-fps burst consistency? Context: I already own HF-1 (brightest) + Apollo III 2.0 (fastest). I’m trying to figure out whether the Maxi adds a new capability or mostly overlaps. Thanks in advance — genuinely curious, and I appreciate the effort you put into measuring this stuff. PS: I’m not allergic to Retra winning - I just want any comparison to include the actual monsters in the room.

Hi Dave, would you share the 3D/CAD files of the knobs. I also sometimes mix up the power and mode knob due to almost same design (only length is differnt). I was thinking to design a clip-on knop. But if your design solves also the "salt problem"👍😃. To be honest, I hadn't figured out the salt problem until today. Will later remove a knop on my strobe to get an idea how much salt stuck there. Br Markus

I've also got a N85 65mm port. Purchased incorrect port, never seen water.

This is an as new EMWL setup. It has been in the water a grand total of 3 times. It was not for me. All pieces are as new, no marks anywhere. Set includes (listed prices are new prices in USD without tax or shipping): Focus unit 1 for Nikon ($1,700) Relay Lens ($2,200) 130mm Objective ($2,100) 100mm Objecte ($1,700) Strobe Mount ($330) Total new is US$8,030 Will sell at over 25% off US$5,999 includes postage. Pay by PayPal I will cover fees. Will work with buyer to help with any duties.

This is a complete ready to go professional level underwater camera setup. Includes housing, camera, ports, lenses, torch, strobe and more. AU$12,500 / ~US$8,500 / Euro 7,300) The Nikon D850 is the last of the great DSLR cameras, still focuses quicker and more accurately than most modern mirrorless cameras. The housing and ports are SeaCam, still the Rolls Royces of Housings. This includes everything you need to just hit the water for both wide angle and macro photography and video. The step up includes (prices next to items are new price in Euro not selling price): SeaCam D850 Housing (5750) SeaCam Super Dome (2245) SeaCam Wide Port (1010) SeaCam Macro Port (~400) SeaCam 50mm Ext (325) SeaCam 25mm Ext (285) SeaCam 180 Sportsfinder (1750) SeaCam GPRO Finder (430) SeaCam Close-up Wet Diopter (~400) SeaCam Focus Gear for 105 Macto (265) SeaCam Zoom Gear for Tokina 10 - 17 (265) Nikon D850 (2900) Nikon AF 16 - 35 F4 (1200) Nikon AF 105 ED Macro (900) Tokina 10 - 17 Lens (~600) Sola 3200LM Wide Angle Torch (400) Retra Flash Pro (Only ~1,000 shots) (1100) Retra Flash Booster (200) Retra Fibre Optic Trigger (150) Fibre Optic Cables (~200) 2 x Strobe Arms (~200) 3 x clamps (~200) New this setup would be 21,000 Euro. Everything is in perfect working order. The glass on all lenses, ports and viewfinder is unmarked. The housing looks almost unused. The camera has a few marks from use but perfect working order. Lenses look almost new. Setting a realistic price: AU$12,500 (approx US$8,500 / E7,300) Pay by PayPal for protection. I will cover international postage and work with you for any import duties. Prefer to sell as a package, but will discuss different options.

Likely won't work if your strobe is like this one. Zero gap under the knob and i use a powerful electric blower after a some hours in the sink. The knob ought to have a little space to drain, even if a small hole or slot at the bottom. There is a considerable hollow under the knob that retains a CC or two of water.