Info Backscatter Hybrid Flash HF-01: preliminary review
- Thread starter Nicool
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Well, then, I don't know what trigger she has. Maybe it's an S-Turtle or whatever those are called. My UW Technic has no On/Off switch.
WS007
Contributor
I have A7R5/Nauticam with Nauticam and also s-Turtle triggers. Both triggers have an "ON/OFF" switch...
I do not regard this switch to be a problem. I always make a test shot (with flash) on the surface, just after assembling my rig. If I would not do so, I would have run into problems already many times for a lot of different reasons, not only because of this switch (I did forget to switch the trigger on, I even forgot to insert the trigger when assembling the rig, but other personal mistakes did occur more often)...
=> Nothing can replace a test shot on the surface after assembly, it saved me numerous dives so far...
Wolfgang
Scuba diving has a long list of "Always Do's".
I don't know about y'all, but I cannot say that I have ALWAYS checked every box on the Always Do list every time. Sometimes, shtuff happens.
A trigger that does not add one more box to my Always Do check list is appreciated. If I don't turn it on for some reason, there is a good chance that that AND "test shot" are both going to be Always Do items that I don't do that time.
I don't know about y'all, but I cannot say that I have ALWAYS checked every box on the Always Do list every time. Sometimes, shtuff happens.
A trigger that does not add one more box to my Always Do check list is appreciated. If I don't turn it on for some reason, there is a good chance that that AND "test shot" are both going to be Always Do items that I don't do that time.
Yeah, but a test shot is a trivial thing that catches a lot of potential problems. You may have forgotten to take off the lens cap, or attach the trigger shoe (I've done that once), one or more batteries may be discharged/flat and require charging/replacement, some part may have failed, hell, one may have forgotten to put the camera into the housing in the first place. Vacuum green + test shot where you can see the strobes reflecting off a wall nearly guarantee that your camera will perform properly on the next dive, and if either of those checks fail, that's a sign to investigate.
WS007
Contributor
Today I had a chance to submerge my new HF-1s...
Just in a local gravelpond. It was cloudy and rather dark and due to recent rainfall (and algae) visibility was 2m - 3m. The dive served to test #1.: the new HF-1s (with standard diffusers), #2.: Canon 8-15mm f/4 fisheye lens with the 2x Kenko HD Pro TC (behind Nauticam 140mm domeport) and #3.: test my self repaired drysuit (better not ask for the outcome!
)...
As conditions were really bad, I cannot say much about the HF-1s. I noticed that they are big and heavy (so far, I used Sea&Sea YS-D2 and Inon Z330). As I was using the fisheye lens, I had to pull them quite far back in order to not get too much backscatter in these cloudy waters . This resulted in a quite rear-heavy rig that was not comfortable to drag through the water (some flotation, directly on the flash, would be nice).
The light cable connection is Sea&Sea type, but the plugs fit quite loosely into the holes on the HF-1s. As a result I noticed several times that one flash was not firing because the plug had slipped out from its hole. I have several cables here and will dry to find one that may fit more stringend...
Apart from this, the flashes worked fine (manual mode, single exposures). After about 1 h diving (and infrequent using of the camera, due to rarely occuring motifs) the batteries still had approx. 80%..
With the standard diffusers, and after WB the region illuminated by the flashes, the green water comes out, more or less, as it should (as soon as I have them here, I will use the next warmer diffuser types to see whether the water color looks better then):
Sony A7R5; Canon 8-15mm & Kenko 2x TC; @30mm; ISO 400; f/13; 1/250s; 2* HF-1:
Here another photo of a catfish (Silurus glanis) that disapperaed as suddenly as it appeared (no chance to adjust the camera or framing):
Sony A7R5; Canon 8-15mm & Kenko 2x TC; @30mm; ISO 400; f/11; 1/100s; 2* HF-1:
In summary I can say that the flashes are o.k. and I am looking forward to dry the different diffusers/domes for different water conditions and also utilize the enormous power in clear waters...
Wolfgang
Just in a local gravelpond. It was cloudy and rather dark and due to recent rainfall (and algae) visibility was 2m - 3m. The dive served to test #1.: the new HF-1s (with standard diffusers), #2.: Canon 8-15mm f/4 fisheye lens with the 2x Kenko HD Pro TC (behind Nauticam 140mm domeport) and #3.: test my self repaired drysuit (better not ask for the outcome!
)...As conditions were really bad, I cannot say much about the HF-1s. I noticed that they are big and heavy (so far, I used Sea&Sea YS-D2 and Inon Z330). As I was using the fisheye lens, I had to pull them quite far back in order to not get too much backscatter in these cloudy waters . This resulted in a quite rear-heavy rig that was not comfortable to drag through the water (some flotation, directly on the flash, would be nice).
The light cable connection is Sea&Sea type, but the plugs fit quite loosely into the holes on the HF-1s. As a result I noticed several times that one flash was not firing because the plug had slipped out from its hole. I have several cables here and will dry to find one that may fit more stringend...
Apart from this, the flashes worked fine (manual mode, single exposures). After about 1 h diving (and infrequent using of the camera, due to rarely occuring motifs) the batteries still had approx. 80%..
With the standard diffusers, and after WB the region illuminated by the flashes, the green water comes out, more or less, as it should (as soon as I have them here, I will use the next warmer diffuser types to see whether the water color looks better then):
Sony A7R5; Canon 8-15mm & Kenko 2x TC; @30mm; ISO 400; f/13; 1/250s; 2* HF-1:
Here another photo of a catfish (Silurus glanis) that disapperaed as suddenly as it appeared (no chance to adjust the camera or framing):
Sony A7R5; Canon 8-15mm & Kenko 2x TC; @30mm; ISO 400; f/11; 1/100s; 2* HF-1:
In summary I can say that the flashes are o.k. and I am looking forward to dry the different diffusers/domes for different water conditions and also utilize the enormous power in clear waters...
Wolfgang
Yeah, this is my only concern about getting these—weight. Per the Backscatter website, with batteries and ball attachment, each strobe weighs 1100 grams in air. Compare that to the YA-D2s which, with batteries and ball attachment, weigh 780 grams or so. So 2 of these new flashes you’re talking more than 600 grams heavier. But, since I’ll be losing 2 Kraken 5000s, which together weigh about 1150, if I get these I’ll come out ahead (about 500 grams lighter) and with less stuff on the rig, less stuff to pack, 2 fewer chargers to carry. Seems like a good trade to me.
Similar threads
