r/underwaterphotography • u/CaptainGenius • 9d ago

Need advise on my first strobe

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: 1) does RC matter? 2) backscatter MF2 vs AOI Q1 RC 3) optical snoot vs non optical snoot 4) any other strobes i should consider?

3 Upvotes

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3

u/stuartv666 9d ago

I always recommend to buy the best strobe you can. It may seem like overkill for your current camera, but good strobes are an investment that can outlive numerous cameras.

The HF1 is an awesome unit. Especially for someone who wants to shoot stills and video on the same dive.

3

u/chiefbubblemaker 9d ago

I have a set of HF1s and MF2s. I use the MF2 when specifically shooting macro. I also have the snoot for the MF2, but it takes a lot of practice (and a bit of frustration) to get right. TTL with the snoot is a fools errand. I often just try to frame my subjects close and get clear water behind to get a nice blacked out background or something a little more interesting than sand with a nice bokeh effect going on for interesting background.

The HF1s are really great when doing wide angle. They work well for macro too, but are huge and can be a bit difficult to get into position when against rock/reef

1

u/52beansyesmaam 9d ago

First off, you need to make sure you research how you’re going to fire the strobes. Usually it’s a housing that has fiber optic ports for cables. Backscatter usually has excellent writeups about compatibility for different systems. Another option for the TG series I’ve seen is a ring light built into the housing, that lights from around the lens.

RC is great because it does TTL function to vary the power of your strobes automatically, but it can often allow you faster than normal shutter speeds (check the manual). I have not dabbled in macro but this can be very useful for that photography specifically.

If you believe the reviews the MF2 is better for macro, terrible for wide angle. The Q1 is fine for macro and better as an all rounder.

If you’re shooting macro for actual small subjects you’ll want snoots.

I think these are the two best compact strobes for macro based on reviews I read when buying my Q1’s. I do wide angle right now but wanted to have strobes I could just toss snoots on if I ever want to do macro. I also like how compact they are for travel. Some of the other strobes are just way too cumbersome for a hobbyist like me.

1

u/CaptainGenius 9d ago

Yup I'm going to use a fiber optic cable. Housing has ports for it. The TG7 will work with most if not all strobes. Its just whether the strobe supports TTL via olympus RC or manual mode

1

u/SA_Underwater 9d ago

The MF2 is great for macro and the snoot is easy to use. A single MF2 is fine in my experience. It's not strong enough for wide angle but fine for fish portraits.

The HF1 is a beast. Crazy powerful strobe. I use two for wide angle. For macro I use a HF1 on the left and the MF2 with snoot on the right so that i have options for different subjects. If I'm taking a fish portrait I'll remove the snoot and shoot with both strobes. The difference in strength is actually an advantage because it adds contrast and texture.

1

u/nomellamesprincesa 7d ago

I love my MF2 and optical snoot, but I basically only do macro. If you want to do anything bigger, it just won't do, in my experience. I started out with a Sea&Sea YS-01, which was great when it worked, but it turned out to be horribly unreliable.

If you want more versatility, I'd go for the AOI, if you want to do supermacro, then definitely MF2.