Info Backscatter Hybrid Flash HF-01: preliminary review

[stuartv]

Well, I have some news to report. I did get to shoot with my new HF-1s yesterday and today. I have not looked at today's photos yet, though.

Yesterday, I just wanted to see for myself what it would be like to shoot with the Blue diffusers (the 140 degree Flat ones). I was shooting on NC wrecks with sharks.

As I'm sure many of you would have told me, the blue diffusers are absolutely the wrong color/temp for that kind of shooting. But, I wanted to see for myself. It really hosed my colors. [Peanut Gallery: "No DUH!!"] When I white balance to make the sharks look right, it takes all the blue out of the water, leaving it look a vaguely purple/magenta-ish color. These have minimal editing and they are not complete trash, but they are far from what they could have been with different diffusers.

I shot with the 5500K flat diffusers today. Previews on my camera screen looked much nicer, but no sharks today, so it was just some random wreck stuff and a few stingrays.

I have run the strobes with my a7r4 on Continuous Drive Hi and Hi+a few times. I have Learning Mode turned Off. I am getting an occasional dropout, but it's weird. Here is one example:

I shot a string of 24 frames. I don't know which drive mode it was, but the timestamps span 7 seconds. The 16th frame in the series has no strobes firing. All the rest before and after do. It's weird to me that both strobes didn't fire on the same frame. I suspect that the problem there is not the strobes but the UW Technic trigger I'm using. But, of course, I can't say for certain.

I got similar behavior on a few other series. One frame with no strobes in between frames that all have both strobes firing. Not always the same # of frames in, either. Could be much sooner (but maybe it happens sooner on a higher speed drive mode?).

I'm not sure how much I care, though. As my camera does not have blackout-free shooting (a la the Sony a9), shooting on continuous drive like that is going to be of limited use to me. It is a challenge to keep a swimming shark framed properly when the camera screen/viewfinder is going black 5 (or however many) times per second...

Other news to report: I got 2 pairs of these strobes, each with 4 batteries. One set for me and one for a customer. Of his set of batteries, one of them is totally dead right out of the package. The charger charged the other 3 but won't even recognize the dead one, in any of the 4 slots on the charger.

Of my 4 batteries, 1 shows a significantly lower voltage than the other 3 and each time I charge them, the other 3 get to Full and then 4th one takes quite a bit longer (an hour?) before it shows Full. This has been every time and I've charged them 3 or 4 times now.

So, if you order, make sure you get at least one spare battery to have. I have ordered a complete spare set of 4 for myself and my customer is getting 2 spares.

Sand Tiger sharks in the first two, and a Sand Bar shark in the last one.

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

Thanks for the report. I assume you’ll ask Backscatter to replace the defective batteries?

 

[hellhole]

Well, I have some news to report. I did get to shoot with my new HF-1s yesterday and today. I have not looked at today's photos yet, though.

Yesterday, I just wanted to see for myself what it would be like to shoot with the Blue diffusers (the 140 degree Flat ones). I was shooting on NC wrecks with sharks.

As I'm sure many of you would have told me, the blue diffusers are absolutely the wrong color/temp for that kind of shooting. But, I wanted to see for myself. It really hosed my colors. [Peanut Gallery: "No DUH!!"] When I white balance to make the sharks look right, it takes all the blue out of the water, leaving it look a vaguely purple/magenta-ish color. These have minimal editing and they are not complete trash, but they are far from what they could have been with different diffusers.

I shot with the 5500K flat diffusers today. Previews on my camera screen looked much nicer, but no sharks today, so it was just some random wreck stuff and a few stingrays.

I have run the strobes with my a7r4 on Continuous Drive Hi and Hi+a few times. I have Learning Mode turned Off. I am getting an occasional dropout, but it's weird. Here is one example:

I shot a string of 24 frames. I don't know which drive mode it was, but the timestamps span 7 seconds. The 16th frame in the series has no strobes firing. All the rest before and after do. It's weird to me that both strobes didn't fire on the same frame. I suspect that the problem there is not the strobes but the UW Technic trigger I'm using. But, of course, I can't say for certain.

I got similar behavior on a few other series. One frame with no strobes in between frames that all have both strobes firing. Not always the same # of frames in, either. Could be much sooner (but maybe it happens sooner on a higher speed drive mode?).

I'm not sure how much I care, though. As my camera does not have blackout-free shooting (a la the Sony a9), shooting on continuous drive like that is going to be of limited use to me. It is a challenge to keep a swimming shark framed properly when the camera screen/viewfinder is going black 5 (or however many) times per second...

Other news to report: I got 2 pairs of these strobes, each with 4 batteries. One set for me and one for a customer. Of his set of batteries, one of them is totally dead right out of the package. The charger charged the other 3 but won't even recognize the dead one, in any of the 4 slots on the charger.

Of my 4 batteries, 1 shows a significantly lower voltage than the other 3 and each time I charge them, the other 3 get to Full and then 4th one takes quite a bit longer (an hour?) before it shows Full. This has been every time and I've charged them 3 or 4 times now.

So, if you order, make sure you get at least one spare battery to have. I have ordered a complete spare set of 4 for myself and my customer is getting 2 spares.

Sand Tiger sharks in the first two, and a Sand Bar shark in the last one.

View attachment 850145View attachment 850147View attachment 850146

thanks for this... can i asked which mode of strobe setting did you use on the uwtechnics? and if HSS works on it?

 

[stuartv]

Thanks for the report. I assume you’ll ask Backscatter to replace the defective batteries?

Backscatter has been AWESOME! The replacement batteries are tracking to be delivered tomorrow.

thanks for this... can i asked which mode of strobe setting did you use on the uwtechnics? and if HSS works on it?

I believe my UWT is set for Inon. Z330, if it has that mode, or else Z240. I can't remember. My understanding is that the setting only matters if shooting using TTL, which I am not.

I have not attempted HSS shooting yet.

 

[hellhole]

Backscatter has been AWESOME! The replacement batteries are tracking to be delivered tomorrow.



I believe my UWT is set for Inon. Z330, if it has that mode, or else Z240. I can't remember. My understanding is that the setting only matters if shooting using TTL, which I am not.

I have not attempted HSS shooting yet.

thanks for the reply. i guess we can use those mode if we are not using ttl. probably same as using the 'manual' mode setting on the uwtechics.

 

[Barmaglot]

I believe my UWT is set for Inon. Z330, if it has that mode, or else Z240. I can't remember. My understanding is that the setting only matters if shooting using TTL, which I am not.

I have not attempted HSS shooting yet.

Per the manual (at least my copy), HSS is only supported with Retra strobes, and the converter dial needs to be set to position 7 to enable it. At least that's my reading of it; I can test Retra HSS with the converter dial in other positions later. No idea if the HSS triggering signal that works with Retras will work with HF-1 though - I recall Pavel mentioning that getting this mode to work with Retra was not trivial and required manufacturer assistance, and HF-1 might be expecting some kind of different signal, which will require a firmware update of the converter.

 

[stuartv]

I have not used HSS or TTL before.

I am content to continue like that until the Backscatter trigger for Sony is available. I will get that as soon as it is and then I will start up the learning curve...

We are blown out today, so maybe I will have time to do a little processing on some pics from yesterday and post a sample. We had two fantastic dives on the wreck of the Atlas yesterday (out of Morehead City, North Carolina) and there were a TON of sharks hanging around. I think I got some photos with 20 or 30 in the frame, and the viz was only, maybe, 30 to 40 feet.

 

[hellhole]

yeah..anyone has any idea when the sony trigger will be available?

i am intrested in hss as previous strobe do not have hss

 

[dreifish]

My Backscatter HF-1s (and diffuser package) arrived at last, and of course I had to do some comparison testing before getting them in the water. Here's the measurements, compared with the Marelux Apollo 3s, Ikelite DS 230s and Supe D-Pro (among others). Results fairly closely match Backscatter's advertised figures, but they do fall short slightly in terms of power output, flash duration and high-frame rate shooting.









Max power for high speed shooting (measured on the 20th shot in the series):



Illustrative beam spread, color temperature and illumination power in air (1.4m distance to the wall, 15mm fisheye lens, 1 strobe, F22, ISO 100, Color Temperature set to 5300k).



Observations:

• It's the brightest strobe I tested, about 2/3 of a stop brighter (with no diffuser) than the Ikelite DS230, Marelux Apollo IIIs, and Sea & Sea YS-D3
• If I had to guess, it's using 2 of the same flash tubes used on the Sea & Sea YS-D3. However, unlike the YS-D3, the beam is already wide and pretty soft with no diffuser. The YS-D3 cannot be used without a diffuser if you want to avoid significant hotspotting.
• Color temperature is already decent without diffusers at 6000k. Warmer than the Marelux Apollo IIIs, similar to the YS-D3, and but not as warm as the DS230s. Side by side with the Marelux Apollo III (both without a diffuser), it's brighter, more even, and warmer.

• You only lose about 1/3 of a stop of light with the flat diffuser, and 1 stop of light with the dome diffuser.
• Color filter wise, you can get to 5300k (which is pretty versatile) while only sacrificing 1/3 stop of power, and 4450k/4300k with the warm 4500k filter by sacrificing 1/2 a stop of light output.
• The sweet spot seems to be the daylight 5500k flat diffuser, which gets you great spread with minimal hotspotting, color temperature almost matching the Ikelite DS230, and a very respectable light output at GN31. Basically, it's comparable with the DS230 with this combination in terms of light quality, with much better recycling times, weight, and battery capacity. Not to mention cheaper. Here is the Backscatter HF-1 on the left, YS230 on the right. The color temperature is not so different, but the Ikelite does have a more reddish tint (vs more yellow on the HF-1) which could be beneficial for colorful reef scenes:

• The dome diffusers don't offer a great tradeoff. You lose an additional 2/3 stop of light compared to the flat diffuser, and beam evenness improves only marginally. Still, they're there if you really want the softest, widest dispersion of light.
• The ambient light diffusers are an interesting option, rendering light with a 12250-12750k, with a very strong magenta push (lightroom maxed out its magenta correction at 150. But you lose a full stop of light with the flat ambient diffuser and three stops with the dome ambient diffuser. The latter is basically unnecessary for this shooting style in my view, since you're using the flash for fill rather than to restore color, so hotspotting is not a major concern.
• Flash duration is probably best in class. It's 'only' about 1/300s (not the advertised 1/440s) at +2 power, but flash duration ceases to be a concern if you shot at +1 (1/800s) or 'Full" power (1/1250s).
• Despite the quick-firing flash tube, you do still lose a fair bit of power switching into HSS mode. 2/3 stop at 1/250s shutter speed, 1 stop at 1/500s, 3 stops at 1/1000s and 4 2/3 stops at 1/2000s.
• It's best in class for fast speed shooting. At 3fps, it's 2/3 stop brighter than the Supe D-Pro, and a full stop brighter than the Ikelite DS230 and Marelux Apollo III. At 6fps, it's 1 1/3 stop brighter than the Apollo IIIs (and 2 2/3 stop brighter than the YS-D3). At 12 fps, you still get a respectable GN of 8.5 - 2/3 of a stop brighter than the Apollo III.

At the end of the day, it's basically better than the Apollo III in every way, and better than the Ikelite DS230 in most ways, though the DS230 still edges it out in power output and light quality if you absolutely must have a 5100k light temperature.

When you consider that it's the cheapest of the big strobes, and only $100 more then the Sea & Sea YS-D3, I'm really struggling to see why you wouldn't pick this strobe as the best in class. There's very few areas where another strobe is better. And as a complete package at such an attractive price? This should be most people's end-game strobe.

 

[stuartv]

My Backscatter HF-1s (and diffuser package) arrived at last, and of course I had to do some comparison testing before getting them in the water. Here's the measurements, compared with the Marelux Apollo 3s, Ikelite DS 230s and Supe D-Pro (among others). Results fairly closely match Backscatter's advertised figures, but they do fall short slightly in terms of power output, flash duration and high-frame rate shooting.









Max power for high speed shooting (measured on the 20th shot in the series):



Illustrative beam spread, color temperature and illumination power in air (1.4m distance to the wall, 15mm fisheye lens, 1 strobe, F22, ISO 100, Color Temperature set to 5300k).



Observations:

• It's the brightest strobe I tested, about 2/3 of a stop brighter (with no diffuser) than the Ikelite DS230, Marelux Apollo IIIs, and Sea & Sea YS-D3
• If I had to guess, it's using 2 of the same flash tubes used on the Sea & Sea YS-D3. However, unlike the YS-D3, the beam is already wide and pretty soft with no diffuser. The YS-D3 cannot be used without a diffuser if you want to avoid significant hotspotting.
• Color temperature is already decent without diffusers at 6000k. Warmer than the Marelux Apollo IIIs, similar to the YS-D3, and but not as warm as the DS230s. Side by side with the Marelux Apollo III (both without a diffuser), it's brighter, more even, and warmer.

• You only lose about 1/3 of a stop of light with the flat diffuser, and 1 stop of light with the dome diffuser.
• Color filter wise, you can get to 5300k (which is pretty versatile) while only sacrificing 1/3 stop of power, and 4450k/4300k with the warm 4500k filter by sacrificing 1/2 a stop of light output.
• The sweet spot seems to be the daylight 5500k flat diffuser, which gets you great spread with minimal hotspotting, color temperature almost matching the Ikelite DS230, and a very respectable light output at GN31. Basically, it's comparable with the DS230 with this combination in terms of light quality, with much better recycling times, weight, and battery capacity. Not to mention cheaper. Here is the Backscatter HF-1 on the left, YS230 on the right. The color temperature is not so different, but the Ikelite does have a more reddish tint (vs more yellow on the HF-1) which could be beneficial for colorful reef scenes:

• The dome diffusers don't offer a great tradeoff. You lose an additional 2/3 stop of light compared to the flat diffuser, and beam evenness improves only marginally. Still, they're there if you really want the softest, widest dispersion of light.
• The ambient light diffusers are an interesting option, rendering light with a 12250-12750k, with a very strong magenta push (lightroom maxed out its magenta correction at 150. But you lose a full stop of light with the flat ambient diffuser and three stops with the dome ambient diffuser. The latter is basically unnecessary for this shooting style in my view, since you're using the flash for fill rather than to restore color, so hotspotting is not a major concern.
• Flash duration is probably best in class. It's 'only' about 1/300s (not the advertised 1/440s) at +2 power, but flash duration ceases to be a concern if you shot at +1 (1/800s) or 'Full" power (1/1250s).
• Despite the quick-firing flash tube, you do still lose a fair bit of power switching into HSS mode. 2/3 stop at 1/250s shutter speed, 1 stop at 1/500s, 3 stops at 1/1000s and 4 2/3 stops at 1/2000s.
• It's best in class for fast speed shooting. At 3fps, it's 2/3 stop brighter than the Supe D-Pro, and a full stop brighter than the Ikelite DS230 and Marelux Apollo III. At 6fps, it's 1 1/3 stop brighter than the Apollo IIIs (and 2 2/3 stop brighter than the YS-D3). At 12 fps, you still get a respectable GN of 8.5 - 2/3 of a stop brighter than the Apollo III.

At the end of the day, it's basically better than the Apollo III in every way, and better than the Ikelite DS230 in most ways, though the DS230 still edges it out in power output and light quality if you absolutely must have a 5100k light temperature.

When you consider that it's the cheapest of the big strobes, and only $100 more then the Sea & Sea YS-D3, I'm really struggling to see why you wouldn't pick this strobe as the best in class. There's very few areas where another strobe is better. And as a complete package at such an attractive price? This should be most people's end-game strobe.

Awesome review!