Adrian Gresores

Maybe I just made that less of an issue...

The advantage is ditching about 300g underwater. I'm hoping to use 5" arms for macro and having a hard time arranging enough floatation, whether with float arms or STIX floats.

Well, I shoot in clear, blue water (Caribbean). Also, the target light on my strobes (Backscatter Atom Flash) do have the same beam spread as the flash itself. That's why I thought I might not need the focus light for macro.

Thanks!

That's interesting.

That's exactly the setup I have.

Hey, Dave, How do you arrange and point the OrcaTorch for supermacro, especially if snooting? Or do you not use it, if snooting? Do you have it attached to a cold shoe mount? If so, with what connections?

I love night dives, and obviously the focus light always goes with me then. I have a Kraken 1800 WSR. Great light. I'm just trying to simplify my gear wherever it makes sense. Also, I always have my wife hovering above me with her dive light, pointing things out 😊.

I always dive with a focus light for wide angle, especially since the strobes are so far apart. For macro with the strobes closer together, from fish portraits down to supermacro, I'm not sure if they are necessary. Since I dive in clear, blue water (Caribbean), could I just rely on the 1000 lumen target lights from my dual Atom flashes, both white and red, even at depth? One less item on my rig and decreased weight would be desirable. What do you think and what do you do?

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

I want to clarify something. Bluewater has always been upfront with me. Also, they are the only retailer that shows whether they have an item in stock on their website, as you can see on the screenshot I just took. I have always understood that the expected shipping date they show only reflects what would normally happen if they had the item in stock. Having bought plenty of gear from them, I have never seen them misrepresent their stock status. My query was only meant to mine for others' experiences. Bluewater has NEVER been deceptive with me.

Reef Photo has now told me they have the flash. Backscatter hasn't responded yet. And Bluewater has told me they have been promised a big shipment from Backscatter early this week. I'm juggling all these guys now.

In this case, Bluewater had told me from the very beginning that these items were out of stock. In fact, I ordered the Atoms before Backscatter had them. I've also been calling Backscatter and Reef weekly, and they don't have the items. I'm just really frustrated.

I've placed some orders with Bluewater Photo starting in November for a few items—a pair of Atom flashes, the AOI OM‑1 housing, and the AOI 4" acrylic dome port. Everything is still showing as out of stock. Bluewater says the delays are tied to customs clearance issues, and I know the end of the de minimis rule hasn’t helped. I usually order from them because they don’t charge tax. Is anyone else seeing delays this long? Should I just wait it out, or would Backscatter or Reef Photo have been a better choice?

FYI. I have already sold the lens, but am still interested in buying the port.