Need advise on my first strobe

[shinshin]

Hi,

Ive just gotten a TG7 but i have no clue which strobe to get for it.

I mainly do photography, maybe the occasional video if the subject is interesting enough.

I am deciding between the backscatter MF2 with the optical snoot and the AOI Q1 RC

I narrowed down my choice to these 2 strobes mainly because they are some of the best value in the price range and they both have support for RC. (Not sure if i should care about RC support or if RC is even useful)

Im considering the Q1 RC because its slightly cheaper than the MF2 and it might be better than the MF2 in small-medium sized wide scenes. I could also get an adaptor to get the backscatter optical snoot to work on the Q1 or just get a non optical snoot for the Q1

I'm also open to considering other strobes such as the backscatter HF1.

TLDR:

does RC matter?
backscatter MF2 vs AOI Q1 RC
optical snoot vs non optical snoot
any other strobes i should consider?

 

[Deitsch]

Are you planning on shooting more macro or wide-angle or both? The Backscatter MF2 and the AOI Q1 RC are both better suited for macro. They don't really have the power necessary to light up a large scene like a reef or a big animal like a turtle, shark, etc.

If you want to shoot wide-angle, you would be better off with the HF1. Check out this article on a review of the HF-1: Backscatter HF-1 Strobe Review

I also wrote a review of the TG7 with MF-2 which you might find useful. In that article, I specifically mention that that MF-2's restricted my ability to do much with wide angle and I also show what is possible when you attach a better strobe to a TG7. That article is here: OM System TG7 with Backscatter Mini Flash 2 Review