ChipBPhoto

Once again Dave Hicks for the 3D win! Nice results

Nicely done! I always appreciate the quality of your images. My Canon 5Dii struggled above 800. My first uw DSLR was the Canon T2i. Anything above 400 was virtually a crapshoot if it would be usable or not. FYI - Retra just confirmed in a email exchange that they will not make an LSD adapter for the HF-1. They also understand Backscatter has shelved the idea of a snoot for it as well. The reason given was it “is not suitable for shooting.” Too bad, both the LSD and HF-1 are quality pieces.

Great question - I personally do not. I appreciate everyone’s standards are different, but even at 100% on a high res screen they look solid to me. I find any minor noise reduction or sharpening, which is all normal, is easily handled in LR or similar.

In reviewing back, I commonly use ISO 160-320 with my a1. MF-2 power is normally on 5-6. Aiming light varies based on ambient conditions. I use the Nitecore NL2160HP/6000mAh batteries in it. This was approved via an email with Backscatter. *These same batteries work well in the HF-1, but NOT the 4300 video light.

It’s either snoot or diffuser, not both at the same time. Both are easily removable / changeable during the dive. I have a clip on my snoot so I can clip it off on my rig when I’m not using it. The diffuser is on a string which allows it to also be connected to my rig when I mount the snoot.

Hi, all, I use the MF-2 exclusively for my macro dives with a high-res FF rig. In fact, I normally dive with only one MF-2 with wonderful results. I typically add the OS-1 snoot for 60%+ of my macro images. I find the built in aiming light to be essential! I use the diffuser when not snooting. Bear in mind this is highly dependent on the water clarity and overall brightness of the scene. Like others have said throughout the following is required: Verify the strobe is aimed correctly: The significantly smaller physical size of the strobe lens requires much more accuracy in aiming than a substantially larger sized light. Bring the strobe closer to the subject: The goal of macro is to light small subjects within a small area. This often requires the light source to be closer to the subject to ensure it is properly lit to highlight it from the surrounding scene. Don't be afraid of higher ISOs: While we have been trained to use the lowest possible ISO, modern digital systems play nicely in higher settings. ISO 200-400, or even higher, is an extremely comfortable range for current systems. And of course everything I shared above is meant to be changed or 'broken' to fit the particular scene and end artistic goal. I find the MF-2 to be an exceptionally well made piece of gear and a key tool in my macro kit. Enjoy! chip

Admittedly, I don’t use HSS very often due my camera’s 1/400 ability. But the times I’ve used it, no I have not noticed it.

Hey @Nemrod Regarding the UWT and HF-1s, yes they are HSS compatible…kind of. (I use this setup) Yes, HF-1s do HSS, but there is no real on-strobe power control to dial them up or down while doing HSS. They will sync with high shutter speeds, but the overall amount of light in the scene must be controlled via camera settings. (ISO, shutter, aperture) Adjusting the power knob in HSS has no impact on the light power. So far, only the Backscatter trigger will allow power control on the HF-1s in HSS. It’s a little quirk with an otherwise solid package. Retras appear to consistently have the best experience with UWT triggers, but there is the price delta. Hope this helps, Chip

Hi @aquabluedreams - congrats on your upcoming new laptop! The new ones are very impressive. I totally get being in a budget. With that said, sadly we cannot upgrade the drive space later. I always carry additional external SSD drives, but it is convenient to have some drive space even if you don’t have your extra drive with you. For that reason, invest in the 512GB drive. It may hurt a bit initially, but you’ll be happy over the long run. After all, this is not a frequent purchase. Your last laptop lasted you 11 years. The larger drive now will help you maximize the longevity of your new machine as well. Enjoy! Chip

Exactly! Very useful tool for the right situation, but bit too much hype.

This is definitely one of the perks to the MFO-3. Like the MFO-1, the 3 will only be able to focus within a limited close distance to the subject.

A little better price than buying from a local US dealer….

Unfortunately, the R5 has had this known issue since it arrived. One of the biggest upgrades to the R5II centered around improved video cooling. As @Davide DB outlined, using the most recent firmware (which you have, although there is now a 2.1.0 for battery compatibility and IBIS, but nothing around heating) and reducing the data transfer via codec selection are the best options you have to use it as is. Most divers I know who use the R5 for mostly video tend to end up with an external monitor/recorder. Moving the recording aspect to an external device removes the heat generating components from the sensor area. While this basically eliminates the common R5 video heat issue, it unfortunately is not a cheap solution.

I have found this to be correct. The only time I have found auto ISO super useful is if I’m on the surface and want to grab a quick frame of the approaching boat, etc. and don’t have time to readjust the manual settings for the bright ambient light.

I’m still using my original Stix Jumbo set from 2011. While they most likely may have lost a bit of their buoyancy from the repetitive compression, they still work great!