Pro Quality Macro Photos With The MACROMATE MINI From Backscatter

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JennPenn

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Hi GoPro Shooters! JennPenn from Backscatter here...

With the MACROMATE MINI for GoPro Hero3 and Hero3+, not only can you capture the small underwater wonders on video, but you can also take amazing, sharp, macro photos!
GoPro_Macro_Lens_Macromate_Seahorse_LARGE.jpg

*** To view the seahorse image larger, please click here: http://www.backscatter.com/hostedst...GoPro_Macro_Lens_Macromate_Seahorse_LARGE.jpg

For more info on the MACROMATE MINI: Backscatter Macromate Mini Underwater Macro Lens for GoPro with Flip Filter System

Underwater imaging with GoPro has just been taken to the next level! Before, you could capture color-corrected wide angle video and stills... Now you can capture BOTH color-corrected wide angle video and stills and macro video and stills with the FLIP3.1 System and MACROMATE MINI for GoPro Hero3 and Hero3+. If you're wanting to shoot both wide angle and macro on the same tank of air, check out the FLIP3.1 MACROMATE MINI Combo Package.
FLIP3.1 MacroMate Mini Combo Package
 

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Thank you for sharing this new release Jenn.


Can you tell us more real world experience with the Macromate?

This highly refined demo video Backscatter made illustrates fantastic muck diving.

vimeo.com/video/86718440

From first hand experience I know how teeny tiny small some of those critter are when you count grains of sand across your subject.

I've shot with Gopro multiple stacks of wet mount diopters, +10, +14 +20, but I do like the fact that your Macromate is a double stack lens with dead airspace between them, for more a Micro Macro effect. Can you expand on the optical engineering benefits of that?

Great Demo Video!


Please expand on the real world video settings you guys favor, as I'm curious if the Demo video Hero settings were at 1080 native, or were you shooting at 2.7K and then cropped these video clips down 1/2 again for post processing zoom/crop to make thing seem even larger?

Fantastic equipment and service/support, I love Backscatter gear as a user.
 
Just ordered the Macromate Mini. Hope to shoot nice macros soon. Anybody else got it ?
 
I'm still waiting for JennPenn to answer some of my basic questions............

I do like that the Macromate is a 55mm screw mount thread, so will fit on my SRP 55mm clip-on $40 naked SO mount.

Sure the top or side flip backscatter mount filter/lens mount would be nice, but not at their price point once you add up all the hinge and 55mm adapter pieces, comes to around $250 USD.


Backscatter is selling out of a lot of them, and have been backordered several times when I inquired, so hopefully somebody on scubaboard soon will post real world experiences other than JennPenn's infomercial link above.
 
I got mine and shot some air shots using the SRP macro and Macromate Mini and there is a significant difference, I'd guess 30% closer/larger image than the SRP Macro. I have not gotten it wet yet to really test it out.
 
Randy can you post some of your Above water air shots? Yesterday I shot some video of humming birds at a sugar water feeder in my back yard, using SRP mount with their +10, and a stacked +14 diopter.

I finally got their App to work on my Droid RAZR phone, so I could trigger the video on/off and change video modes from a distance............THAT was cool.

The I had some severe hour-glassing distortion effect depending on wide/med/narrow mode, and shot anywhere from 240 fps in WVGA, and 2.7K 30 FPS.

I'd really like to see some macromate air shots if you can share! As I don't just use my gopro underwater, but it'd be cool to shoot close ups of ants/flowers/hummingbirds....
 
I got mine and shot some air shots using the SRP macro and Macromate Mini and there is a significant difference, I'd guess 30% closer/larger image than the SRP Macro. I have not gotten it wet yet to really test it out.


Hey Everyone,

Jim from Backscatter here. The Macromate mini was designed specifically to be used underwater. When you take a typical closeup lens underwater it loses a lot of its close focusing capabilities due to the optics of being in the water. Unlike a typical "land" close up lens, the Macromate mini is actually 2 close up lenses sealed with an air chamber in between. The air chamber increases magnification even more and lets you achieve greater magnification than 2 close up lenses stacked together with water in between. You could theoretically get more macro with higher power wet lenses and also stack them, but at a certain the point the image degradation is just too much. With the air chamber we can use not as strong a diopter so we can preserve the image quality.

Magnification is kind of a misnomer to describe the effect of the Macromate. With any close up lens, it cuts down on the minumum focus distance of the GoPro. In the case of the Macromate mini with the 3+ this is about 3 inches, there by letting you get closer and the subject appearing larger on the screen.

So in short while it will work in air, it will really shine underwater and that would be the proper comparison between the Macromate Mini and other closeup lenses. To compare lenses topside to predict their underwater performance would not accurate.

Thanks!

Jim
 
Thank you Jim for your explanation of the benefits/attributes of the macromate lens.


In your awesome demo video, can you confirm that these images weren't additionally zoomed in and cropped in post production, or "what you see is what you get", when filming in 1080/60 fps narrow mode like Berkley eludes to in the muck diving video? The flex arm tripod makes a world of difference.

I like the fact that you're defining the focus depth of field with your measuring stick. Second nature to most of us experienced videographers, but still a good guide to start with.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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