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As yet another new strobe on the market, I am intrigued by the Sea and Sea YSD130R strobe. I haven't seen it mentioned but overall specs seem nice: -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.

Technically, the Maxi has a Boost mode brighter than the HF-1 boost. But it is not very accessible. The HF-1 F+2 mode has cautions against using it more than a few shots in a row. So at FULL, the Maxi is brightest of the three.

I often regret I use apparture 32 or 22 when evaluating my photos, but it's quite safe. I see the amount of sharp photos are getting quite low when using more open apparture than 10 (on 100 mm macro with diopter). Here are F10 quite near minimum distance (100 mm & +10 diopter) and F 8 & 5.6 a bit further away. I think F 5.6 make it more or less impossible to get both eyes sharp

I think the degree of difficulty varies significantly depending on which manufacturer you are dealing with. The fundamental problem is attaching the Nauticam bayonet adapter to a flat port that you can use on your housing system, I believe that Marelux ports can accept the Nauticam bayonet adapter. You would need to work out if they offer a flat port of the right length. Isotta offer a flat port which will accept the Nauticam adapter and they include the 24-50mm in their port chart, it takes the H63 port. The Isotta ports will fit directly onto S&S housings without any adapter. I had a look at the S&S ports and looks like they might accept a Nauticam bayonet adapter, but the range of port extensions is quite limited. Nauticam port for the 24-50 is 16mm shorter than the Nikon Z 50mm macro while Isotta have a 20 mm difference in their ports. S&S specify the Macro port 15 with 20mm extension ring, so the Macro port 15 might work with the 24-50.

Thank you @Davide DB I was comparing 8:7 cropped to 16:9 Vs 16:9 native, both at the same 5.3K resolution and bitrate. No quality loss as mathematical issue: however, 8:7 gives more flexibility. I don't understand what you mean with 190 Mbps as ludicrous, I thought higher speed, better results Ciao, Giacomo

Beautiful scenes. To improve even more, I think I'd try to gety the changes between scenes, maybe with slower swimming, a bit longer time on each place and then changfe to something (visual) similar. I guess you'd have enough material for at least two small films here, so focusing on one theme in each of them (like small life in one and landscapes and schools in another) would make the impression stronger. Anyway: Nice film and cool nature. Lokks like a beautiful place to dive. Rune

"The fall-off of light is similar across all three strobes at around 1 f-stop 50 degrees from center. The Maxi has the greatest fall off at 1.22 f-stop reduction from center. The HF-1 @ 11 has the least at 0.92 f-stop reduction." #1.: Would this fall-off be similar when the (dome)diffusers are attached, or would it become smaller (towards more even spread of light)? #2.: Is it possible to say how this compares to the very best strobes, with repect to even spread of light?

Thank you very much for this interesting comparison...👍 Concerning the bursts at 3fps, could one say that, at reduced, but comparable output levels, the performance of the three strobes is good and pretty similar? I mean that the Maxi at 1/4 power and both HF-1 and Atom at 1/2 power deliver similar output and provide stable exposure during the 3fps burst for 10 exposures... (when higher output is selected, all three strobes become unreliable (reduced output with Retra, dropouts with Backscatter)

Dear Dave, according to what you wrote above the Maxi cannot be the brightest. If the delta at +1 gap is that close, than it is very logic that the Backscatter HF-1 Hybrid Flash will outperform the Retra Maxi Strobe when set at +2 Level. Could you please clarify why the HF-1 was not put at +2 power level when you compared it ?

Wow.

Coming from DX and went to a Nikon Z last year. Shoot almost only WA of various types and shapes, my workhorses were the Tokina 10-17, a Sigma 10-20 and Nikons 10,5 FE in Hugyfot housings behind domes of different sizes. Went to Nauticam much due to them being inventive with water corrected optics. The wwl-c and 24-50 is a great set-up and it’s very capable. Much better than any rectilinear zoom in a domeport that I have seen. Much sharper all-over. Nimble and easy to handle. The best for travel. I’m not sure how difficult it is or what the end results would be if you adapt the wwl-c to other housings, so can’t help you there. Previous poster seem to have done a great job with an Aquatica housing. Myself would not be able to pull that off—ymmv. Being in Sweden (?) you should really reach out to and have a chat with Magnus Lundgren @Underwater Exposure in Malmö, he has a ton of experience with various set-ups, wet optics (shoot Sony atm) and is very friendly. Hej från Stockholm ✋🏻

Coverage delivered with Reduction RingsSummary Notes: Retra’s stock reduction ring is 88mm wide. The Retra 88mm reduction ring provides a more defined edge that is only slightly smaller than the naked strobe. Backscatter does not currently provide any reduction rings for the HF-1 and Atom strobes. I have made my own set of custom reduction rings for all three strobes with a consistent 78mm aperture. (Available for free on MakerWorld) The 78mm reduction rings provide a sharp edge with about 90-100 deg width. Additional 60mm and 38mm Macro & Super macro rings are available for all three strobes. The Retra reduction ring does not allow for the use of a warming filter. My custom HF-1 reduction ring fits over the 4500k flat filter allowing the use of both modifiers at once.

Burst Shooting Results at Common Power Levels(10 frames at 3 frames per second) Summary Notes: The Retra Maxi clearly has a design priority of delivering a flash with every frame shot, even if that flash is severely under powered. The Backscatter HF-1 and Atom have a different design priority where they attempt to flash only if they are close to the requested power level, resulting in black frames while the capacitor recharges. Both designs have their own valid logic, and reasonable photographer might prefer one over the other. The Retra Maxi will only deliver properly exposed frames at the start of the burst using Full or Half power. Subsequent shots will be very underexposed and may not be usable. The Retra Maxi delivered just 1 fully exposed frame in a 10-shot burst at Full Power. The Backscatter HF-1 delivered 5 fully exposed frames across the full span of the 10-shot burst at Full Power. The Backscatter Atom delivered 3 fully exposed frames across the full span of the 10-shot burst at Full Power. At Half Power the Maxi and HF-1 both delivered usable exposures across 10 shots, with the HF-1 being more consistent. At Quarter Power all three strobes delivered the expected exposures across the full 10 shot burst. Realistically, one should probably consider Half Power to be the ceiling for taking Burst Mode images with any of these strobes.

Coverage at Common Power Levels (Diffuser 4500k) Summary Notes: All three of these strobes are probably best configured with a warming filter due to their very cold outputs of 6400-6500 kelvin. The diffuser for the Retra Maxi is their Wide-Angle Dome Diffuser delivering a 4500K output. Retra does not offer a flat diffuser. The Backscatter HF-1 and Atom strobes were tested with their respective 4500K flat diffusers. The fall off in power from Full was around 0.50 f-stops for all three strobes. The Atom had the least reduction at 0.40 f-stops, and the HF-1 had the most at 0.50 f-stops.

Continuation of the Pre-Review of the Retra Maxi Strobe.... Studio Comparison Shots with Retra Maxi, Backscatter HF-1, and Atom StrobesThe following grid of images are comparison shots from Retra Maxi, Backscatter HF-1, and Backscatter Atom. This trio of strobes have a lot in common with a set of similar specifications. These specs include: High power, Wide Angle capable Lithium Ion powered, two cells per strobe Rapid recycling times $800-1300 USD price range For this comparison each strobe was set to Full power, Half power, Quarter power, Eighth power. The images were taken with a Nikon Z8, 8-15mm lens at 15mm, 140mm dome, at a range of 65cm from the wall. No filters or diffusers were used. The color temperature of all three strobes is similar at 6200k (Maxi), 6500k (HF-1), and 6400k (Atom). Aperture and ISO were f25 & iso50. Unfortunately, it’s not an exact apples-to-apples comparison. The Retra does not have precise gradations at these power levels. It uses a 17-level scale from -4 to +4 “units” in .5-unit increments. The units don’t equate to F-stops exactly, but Retra reports the +3 and +2 are close to Half and Quarter power, so I went with that approximation. The HF-1 does have a Full setting with Half, Quarter, and Eighth levels, but it also has two higher “Boost Levels” beyond F on the power dial. I found that the “F+1” or “11” setting was very close to the Retra Maxi at Full Power. The Maxi also has single 30% boost level, but it is hidden behind a 3 second press of a button and then active for exactly 5 shots. I suspect this will rarely get used due to poor discoverability. (Does anyone ever read the manual?) The Atom keeps it simple with clearly demarked power levels from 1/32 to Full. Additional even lower power levels of 1/64 to 1/1024 are available under a Low Power Mode accessible via the Mode button. Power Level Test SuiteFindings: The Retra Maxi is a little brighter at each level. Partially this is due to the variance of the power level scales. One-click higher on the HF-1 evens it up with the Maxi. Since this HF-1 has those two additional clicks beyond Full, this is easily achieved. I included an extra comparison row with the HF-1 turned to 11. (Full power plus one more click) Backscatter advertises that the Atom at Full is equivalent to the HF-1 at Full, and the comparison shots support this claim. The HF-1 does have it’s +1 & +2 modes, so there is more headroom on the bigger strobe vs the Atom. The Maxi is the brightest at Full, but I don’t think anyone is going to be lacking power with any of these strobes. Summary Notes: The HF-1 at Full +1 click is very similar to the Maxi, just a .03 f-stop delta. The fall-off of light is similar across all three strobes at around 1 f-stop 50 degrees from center. The Maxi has the greatest fall off at 1.22 f-stop reduction from center. The HF-1 @ 11 has the least at 0.92 f-stop reduction. The HF-1 and Atom are remarkably similar, as advertised. The HF-1 is 0.07 f-stops brighter than the Atom at full power.

Michi, if I read Dave & Killiii correctly than the Maxi is not what you are looking for and simply unable to deliver at these fps. The Backscatter HF-1 is able to do it (I own and tested this) but there is brightness variation and quite a few blackout frames every few cycles in burst shooting. The only strobe which is currently doing what you are looking for and which delivers zero light variations and zero blackout frames at high burst for more than 100 frames is the MARELUX Apollo III 2.0 in MTL Mode - which I also happen to own. I would subscribe to everything Henley Spiers wrote in his review: DivePhotoGuideFirst Impressions of the Marelux Apollo III 2.0 StrobeBoth my Backscatter HF-1 and Apollo deliver warmer light than my friends Seacam and old Retra, with a very simple fix I received from Hydronalin, Germany.

Amazing work indeed! I look forward to read the entire story on a new thread or even an article. Thanks for sharing

Please, if you didn't like the tests that were done: Stick to the facts and don't get personal. Raise your doubts politely in the specific thread. The goal is to have a constructive exchange of ideas, so let's keep the discussion professional and helpful for everyone.

I think it is a well known issue. Not malicious but just kind of lazy keeping the site up to date. They are also a bit well known for advertising something (like a Retra strobe), you call to order they say it will be a while so why don't you buy this other one we have in stock. BVA

Interesting - I hadn't heard of the e-Turtle Smart TTL 3 Trigger before. Actually, shooting more than 3fps with a strobe for me would be a 'nice to have' but not a 'must have'. Other features (for me!) are much more important (light qualitiy, fall of, temperature, angle). What I would have been much more interested in is how much light output it costs to use the diffusers. So, a comparison with the same warm light temperature and maximum power. That's why in the future I would prefer to control the strobes optically only. I already sold my big Seacam strobes (reasons read above) and the 150Ds are not satisfying at all. Honestly, they haven't even been strong enough to shoot macro with a retra snoot (ISO 100, F16).

@lambee01 I also use the Backscatter Smart Control TTL LED Nauticam Flash Trigger for Sony with my two AOI-P1 and i'm very happy with it. No cables and easy to use in the Nauticam Housing for my Sony A7CII. Greetings from Goldach, Tino

Your UW photography journey/story looks exa ctly like mine... Noit Seacam but Subtronic, yet Seacam houses Subtronic electronic... Same long story, and still with my Subtronic MEGA, the most powerful strobes ever builts, with 2 ring etc... You all know the story guys. But one question : why would ypou abandon them just for TTL??? Such strobes are for (ultra) wide-angle. You never need such power for Macro, or even CFWA. My approach : keep what you have and invest in very smll strobes like the MF3 or the AOI for macro only. And continue to use the high output ones for WA

I would defer to Dave Hick's testing but I do agree as he says......How many people are really shooting more that 3-5 FPS bursts? A small percentage of UW photographers I'd think...... As to Canon and TTL currently many manufacturers have chosen to mainly support Sony and OM / Olympus RC flash protocols. Which is sad as Canon TTL flash has been around a long time and works well when a hot shoe / circuitry is matched with a strobes supporting it. I've shot 100% TTL for decades and the newest fiber optical transmitters will be the next change in camera to flash protocol in my opinion. David Haas

What is your issue? Details would be great. I am going to post burst comparisons shortly, and I only use 3FPS. Maxi, HF-1, Atom strobes. For one, 3fps is the only speed I care about or use, and second it is more than sufficient to highlight capabilities of the strobes recycling time and behavior once the capacitor is exhausted.

I'm sorry that happened to you. It hasn't happened to me, but obviously I see that it could.