Dave_Hicks

Are you using any sort of VPN? Sometimes these can cause odd issues due to filtering that takes place on the web server or CDN middleman.

Not important. Mostly *. Unless shooting a very slow exposure or very high ISO. It would be very exceptional for the wide angle, low powered spotting beam to to show in an image. * A tight beam high intensity light might break through, but that would be a flashlight, not the configuration of a focus light.

Backscatter Atom Strobe to HF-1 Accessory Adapterhttps://makerworld.com/en/models/3178015-atom-strobe-to-hf-1-accessory-adapter Use HF-1 filters and the OS-3 snoot on your Atom StrobeThis useful adapter connects to the bayonet mount on your Atom strobe and allows HF-1 accessories to be attached. Use your diffusors or even the fantastic OS-3 snoot on the Atom strobe. Leverage your investment in HF-1 accessories to the Atom. The OS-3 snoot in particular is very useful. The smaller OS-2 Atom snoot is a compact solution, but the OS-3 is much better with ability to work with larger subjects. The power of the Atom is very effective with the OS-3. Related Models: Snoot Adapter OS-1 to Atom StrobeRetra ←→ HF-1 AccessoryAdaptersUnderwater Photography ModelsScuba Models

Sharing a new gear for the Nikon z105mm lens. Someone had a request for this gear so I designed and printed it for them. https://makerworld.com/en/models/3173526-focus-gear-for-nikon-z105mm-in-nauticam-housings

I suggest getting both! These are both really great lens setups. While there is some overlap in range they both have unique properties and use cases. With the 8-15 under a 140mm dome, there size is also fairly similar. The WWL-C with 24-50 is a great all around setup. Many divers would be happy with this as their only lens. It handles standard wide angle down to near-macro subjects. Very versatile and high quality. (don't consider the 24-50 without the WWL-C) It is also easy to shoot and master. The 8-15 fisheye and 140mm dome are possibly the highest quality image you can get in a wide angle. However it is more difficult to shoot and light your subjects effectively. It can shoot an entire Humpback Whale from 3 feet range, or a 3 inch fish from Zero inch ranges. Extremely wide to Close Focus Wide Angle small subjects. This is a more expensive lens and will take some learning, large strobes, and investment of time to master.

My Nauticam trigger also works fine. It is just very basic and does not support key features like Rear curtain or HSS. Combined with random sync/preflash compatibility issues I think there are better options.

FYI - The Turtle Manual trigger is about $150 less if you don't need TTL and I and I confirm it works. Support HSS / Rear Curtain / Rapid Fire. It's also a bit more portable and not a fixed design for a specific housing. https://www.backscatter.com/TRT-i-Turtle-SMART-3-MANUAL-Trigger-for-Nikon-Mirrorless-DSLR-Cameras?custcol32=2

This is the "good" version of the Nauticam trigger. It's seemingly the same as yours by the numbers. However I am not sure the hardware tells the full tale, there may be a firmware component as well. There seems to be only one IC on this circuit board, and I have no idea if it is programable.

I made some of the original post about this issue with the Nauticam trigger. I will check my trigger details shortly and share that info. However: Does it matter? I always take a few sanity shots when i turn on my rig to test strobe firing, lens cap test 😉, etc. This is when learning components do their learning. Your issue might well be considered by design. Get a better trigger. I recently got a manual i-Turtle3 trigger wlthat supports HSS and Rear Curtain, which the (frankly crap) Nauticam trigger does not support. The Underwater Light and Magic trigger would be another good option. I suggest testing shooting 3fps for about 10 frames at low power. This was the fatal issue that i had with the Nauticam trigger, no work arounds.

Do you have a diffusor?

Thanks for the comments. I am glad you liked the review and found it inforative! Retra states in their product page for the Maxi that it is 4500k with the wide angle diffuser. And it looks like they updated the page to state the native color temp as well. The Retra Maxi delivers GN46 and a color temperature of ~6200K. With the optional Wide Angle diffuser, it provides 160º coverage at ~4500K. Optimized for GN performance, this powerful strobe captures distant subjects with exceptional light output.

If you are thinking about saving money, buy one of the many used 90mm lens and port combos that people upgrading are selling off. The 100mm is no doubt better, but by how much really? By all accounts the 90mm setup works great with the A1, focusing fast and very sharp. The Tamron 90mm is also a quality option.

Good to know. The review Maxi's didn't come in original packaging. Sure, take them off if it saves space. I've never actually done that in about 20 years of traveling with strobes. I take mounts off of my camera housings very often as they significantly increases their space requirements.

If you mean the ball mount on the Maxi, it's a 5mm hex nut through the ball. I hadn't really looked at it previously. It comes attached as far as I know.

Great, glad you liked the review! You've already bought some Maxi's, so hopefully some other readers will use this to help with their buying decisions. Your next step might be to buy some 12 and 16 inch arm segments. These can really help you get more value and flexibility from your strobes. Counter intuitively, one benefit of long arms that I take advantage frequently is effective inward lighting. For CFWA situations this is my go to move. You can get the strobes far enough away to avoid flare and glow, but you are able to get dramatic lighting without backscatter even in really poor clarity water conditions. (ask me how I know!) Long arms also enable better coverage for really large reef scenes, particularly when shooting vertical.

Is this a language / word choice problem? Picture of a level below. Just check if the hood is parallel to the base of the dome. Put the level on top of the hood. If the hood is not taller than the dome, put the dome upside down with the hood on two equal sized block. Put the level on the base of the dome. Check to see if it's out of line.

My review of the Retra Maxi strobe is now available at Inside Scuba as part of issue #66. I started this review with some initial previews here on WaterPixels and really appreciate the input and ideas from everyone here. As I worked on this I decided that a long term review was the direction I wanted to take. Not just a few dives or a single trip, but experience with it over months and over 100 dives and very diverse environments. In the end I shot with the Maxi's from Dec 2025 to the end of June 2026 when I wrote the review in early July. Then a few weeks of editing and revision followed by a couple more getting it ready for publishing by Inside Scuba. Thanks to Andy Deitsch & Byron Conroy for agreeing to publish the article! Inside ScubaLong Term Review of the Retra Maxi StrobeDave Hicks tests the Retra Maxi strobe across 100+ dives in Raja Ampat and the Pacific Northwest, comparing it head-to-head with the Backscatter HF-1.

I don't have this issue with the 140fe on my Nikon 8-15 setup, with or without 1.4 tc. Can you examine your hood carefully, perhaps using a bubble level? It could be misaligned. A good hit might have altered it.

Someone broke their OS-1 snoot card clips and was looking for replacement parts. So I made some. https://makerworld.com/en/models/3145830-replacement-card-clips-for-backscatter-os-1-snoot You can find more of my designs here: UW Photo: https://makerworld.com/collections/16165730 ` Scuba: https://makerworld.com/collections/16165676

I dove last night for Six Gill sharks. The camera is still set up with my 8-15+1.4tc configuration.

When i first tried the Retra Maxis my rig was too buoyant. I didn't remove any float arms as their length is more about strobe positioning. But I did remove two Jumbo Stix float blocks to get things rebalanced. I then made the HF-1 and Atom floats because without those extra Stix floats the rig was too negative by far. Putting the floatation on the strobe enabled me to quickly move between Maxi, HF-1, and Atom strobes without the difficulty of moving Stix blocks around.

I removed my strobes and arms but kept a single arm with stix floats configured as a cross-bar on top of the housing anchored at each side. Do a few buoyancy checks in a sink, pool, etc. Be sure to have a good lanyard and some place to attach it.