review

SEA & SEA YS-D3 DUO UNDERWATER STROBE REVIEW The Sea & Sea YS-D3 Duo is the latest strobe model, and it comes with a few new features compared to its predecessor, the YS-D3. The most significant change is that the Sea and Sea YS-D3 Duo now supports Olympus and OM System RC Automatic TTL Flash...

STROBES VS. VIDEO LIGHTS FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY Video Lights Work, But Strobes Are Best For Photos One of the most common questions at Backscatter is whether you can use video lights instead of strobes for underwater photography. The straightforward answer is that a strobe will always be...

2023 DIGITAL SHOOTOUT EVENT COVERAGE This year's Digital Shootout marked the 20th anniversary of this renowned event. WOW! 20 years of dive, shoot, learn, and repeat, is the perfect recipe for a working vacation for the underwater image-maker looking to level up! And there was no better place to...

NIKON Z 8 UNDERWATER CAMERA REVIEW In this article, we'll provide an in-depth review of the highly anticipated Nikon Z8 for underwater photography from our first-hand perspective. We’re going to explore and discuss the key aspects, such as image quality, autofocus, the differences from previous...

Hi everyone, Nowadays most cameras perform decently in shallow/clear water dives, but things can go south when the ambient light gets low or when the visibility drops. I have years of trust in my DSLRs ability in those conditions, but I was really curious to see how a top-range mirrorless camera...

OLYMPUS OM-D E-M10 IV UNDERWATER CAMERA & HOUSING REVIEW Excellent image quality, more affordable than similar rigs, and compact enough for travelers and novice shooters - is this the new Best Bang For Your Buck in underwater photography? That’s a 10-4, good buddy! Meet the new contender for...

OM SYSTEM 90MM MACRO LENS UNDERWATER REVIEW Watch our full review of the OM System 90mm Macro Lens. The OM System 90mm Macro Lens provides an all-new, greater focal length to use on micro four-thirds sensor and lens mount cameras than was previously available. What does this mean for...

NAUTICAM EMWL UNDERWATER LENS REVIEW The Nauticam EMWL (Extended Macro Wide Lens) is a wet-mounted accessory lens for capturing macro-sized subjects with a wide angle perspective. It features interchangeable objective optics for different fields of view, allowing photographers and videographers...

Canon underwater shooters are spoiled for choice at the moment between two great full-frame mirrorless cameras with the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R5 C. While these cameras appear similar in both name and appearance, there is a lot going on under the hood that makes shooting each of them a...

SONY A7 IV UNDERWATER CAMERA REVIEW By: Jim Decker The Sony a7 IV boasts an all-new sensor and other significant performance upgrades from the previous Sony a7 III camera. The “middle” child of the a7 series, the base model has often been looked over. But at 33MP resolution, it’s knocking on...

OLYMPUS OM-1 UNDERWATER CAMERA REVIEW By: Jim Decker The Olympus OM-1 camera is the latest top-of-the-line flagship Micro 4/3 camera from Olympus/OM Systems. We took the new Olympus OM-1 mirrorless camera underwater to the Digital Shootout in Bonaire for a complete review and performance test...

There's not many video's on this dive computer, so I thought I'd give my initial thoughts on it after having had a few dives. Higlights: Easy to operate. The most important information always seems to be highlighted when you need it. Great value for money with current specials. Good air...

NIKON Z7 II UNDERWATER CAMERA REVIEW Can Nikon continue to build on the momentum and success of their first foray into the full-frame mirrorless world? The answer in this case is a solid YES. The second generation of Nikon's full-frame mirrorless camera line is here with the Nikon Z7 II. It...

WEIRD UNDERWATER LENSES Let’s Get Weird When it comes to underwater photography lenses, the best performance and most reliable results are going to come from either the ultra-wide fisheye or high-magnification macro ends of the lens spectrum. These have long been the go-to types of lenses for...

BEST UNDERWATER VIDEO LIGHT - THE BACKSCATTER MACRO WIDE 4300 HAS YOU COVERED The Ultimate Compact Video Light for Macro, Wide, and Snooting The Backscatter Macro Wide 4300 Video Light is the ultimate video light for any video or photo shooter. Its compact size is great for travel, it’s...

GOPRO HERO 10 UNDERWATER REVIEW Backscatter's GoPro HERO10 Underwater Camera Review THE BEST UNDERWATER GOPRO YET The GoPro HERO10 Black offers new 4K 120p & 2.7K 240p super slo-mo video, new HyperSmooth 4.0 digital image stabilization with automatic Horizon Leveling, and a new processor that...

Sony a1 Underwater Camera Review By: Jim Decker The Sony a1 on paper looks like the “one” camera to rule them all. With high resolution (50mp), speed (up to 30 fps stills), and 8K 30p/4K 120p video, can this camera live up to being a jack of all trades AND master of all? After testing the...

This time I will show you my experience with the Ocean Reef full face mask. A few words about the mask: The full face mask was a surprisingly amazing experience! The sealing around the face is perfect and comfortable! The visibility in this mask is open and wide and really allows you to see in...

I was on the Gaia Love for a 10 night sailing almost exactly 8 months ago and have finally brought myself to write a short trip report. I'm not going to spend any time describing the diving in Raja Ampat, as it is already well documented that the diving there is amazing. I have added a summary...

Does anyone have Nanight Video lights? If so can you provide some feedback on the quality and light output? It would be great to see some footage shot using these lights!