Backscatter
The Backscatter booth was one of the busiest of the entire show
What better way to start our coverage of DEMA 2022 camera gear than by signing up with our long-term partner and camera supplier Backscatter. The team at Backscatter has the largest booth in the Image Resource Center and has a wide range of new and exciting camera gear on display for all levels of underwater photographers.
Their newest and most exciting product is 2 . mini flash (MF-2) macro blinks. This new compact flash gun is an upgrade to their previous MF-1 model, coming with a ton of new features and some innovative new accessories. The product’s goal was to make off-camera lighting accessible to the masses, and they achieved this by adding remote transmitter and receiver functionality to the new strobe.
Backscatter’s new mini flash 2 (MF-2) with Optical Snoot (OS-1) and muck stick
In a word, this means you can place one strobe in the sand near your subject and use another strobe attached to your camera to trigger and control the power output of your camera. it. The addition of a red filter blocks light from the trigger flicker while still firing the flash remotely, allowing users to easily experiment with creative side lighting, backlighting and photography techniques.
To make things easier, Backscatter has also created Muck Stick Remote Lights, a simple yet effective tool designed to hold the flash steady on a variety of substrates. The adjustable anchor is attached to the up and down travel rod for use in sandy or crushed rock areas, and is more stable than using a tripod. Expect to see more of these hanging on experimental underwater photographers’ BCDs in the future.
Besides remote shooting, the Mini Flash 2 can also shoot TTL auto with Olympus cameras and has super-high-speed sync to create a black background even when shooting at an open aperture. All original flash accessories work perfectly with the new version, which means you can use Optical Snoot and Color Light Filter (Bold/Pastel) for even more creative output. It really seems to be the perfect flash-and-snoot combination for macro photography. If you are interested in reading more about it, you can check it out Our full preview of the product. We also plan to put these strobe lights to the test this year in the field, so stay tuned for a full DPG review soon.
Focus light from Optical Snoot (OS-1) lets you see exactly where the strobe light will hit your subject
The Backscatter Color Filter System combined with the new Mini Flash 2 opens up a world of new creative possibilities
One of Backscatter’s game-changing products is GoPro’s FLIP Filter System. They’re so popular that it’s unusual to see divers shooting GoPros underwater without them, and at DEMA they debuted a new FLIP 11 filter that’s better suited to the latest GoPro cameras.
Subtle changes to both red filters now produce better colors with HERO10 and HERO11 and the team now recommend shooting without a filter above 20 feet, using a shallow filter between 20–40 feet, and a darker diving filter below these depths. Everything else about the FLIP system is the same, and owners of previous FLIP 10 filters are eligible for a free upgrade to the new filters if they send their existing units to Backscatter for swapping. change them.
Backscatter’s FLIP 11 filter has been engineered to produce better colors with new GoPros
If you have a GoPro or compact camera, you should check it out too Spacious double handle tray on the back with new Dome plate. The addition of a dome provides the perfect grip for your device and is also designed to accept a bayonet mount for carrying external wet lenses. As with these new products, Backscatter Macro Wide Video Light 4300 are also on display, as well as various shells from Nauticam, Seacam, AOI, Isotta and Ikelite. Jim and Robin have also held numerous talks to discuss and explain all of these products and are keen to point out that no matter which system or camera you choose from Backscatter, they will always be available. have your back!
The Cover of Octo . base material with new double handle tray and dome plate
The new dome plate for the double grip tray is the perfect place to keep your wet lenses when not in use
The Backscatter booth regularly hosts 15-minute seminars discussing their latest camera gear
Besides their own innovative products, Backscatter also offers underwater cases, lighting fixtures and accessories from all the leading manufacturers.
Seacam
Seacam case for the new Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera
For several years, Seacam represented the pinnacle of underwater camera case manufacturing and design, and company owner Harald and his daughter Esther attended the show with their latest Silver mirrorless camera case. for Nikon Z9 and for Canon EOS R5. Both cases continue the company’s philosophy of precision, versatility and innovation, and are compatible with all of their existing viewfinders, strobes, and ports. As a lifelong Nikon user, I couldn’t wait to check out the Z9’s case and, after a long conversation with Harald, I left the Seacam booth with a renewed appreciation for the company and their products, at the same time urge to learn one of the systems as soon as possible!
The Seacam Seaflash 160 digital flash is renowned as one of the best wide-angle flash on the market
Seaflash 160 Digital gives you all the important information you need while remaining simple and easy to use in the field.
In addition to producing some of the most beautiful camera cases on the market, Seacam also makes Seaflash 160 digital scintillation. Many of the professional photographers I spoke to consider this to be one of the best strobe cameras available today, and I hope to be able to put those claims to the test soon. Looking at the flashers, they have the same silver finish and sleek design as every other Seacam product and have the smoothest battery compartment closure of any shotgun I’ve seen! It can be used with both electronic and fiber optic sync, and most importantly provides enough power to perfectly illuminate wide-angle reef scenes, something that even the best compact projectors can afford. hard to do as well.
Along with the Nikon Z9 and Canon EOS R5 cases, Seacam also manufactures cases for all other popular cameras that are well suited for underwater use, such as the Sony Alpha 1 and Alpha 7 series, as well as Nikon and Older Canon. They also have a housing for the new Leica SL2 (and SL2-S).
Another perfect Seacam case and port combination, this time for the popular Canon EOS R5 mirrorless camera
Sea life
The SeaLife booth promotes the company’s most popular products using large, high-quality underwater imagery
As usual at the DEMA show, Sea life the stall is big and always busy. Sven and his team spent most of their time showcasing their new 5,000 lumen video light and the super popular SportDiver smartphone case. Last year, I reviewed housing SportDiver and very impressed with its performance. As smartphone manufacturers continue to improve the cameras on their phones, things can only get better for the future of this type of product.
SeaLife’s new 5,000 lumen video light comes with new color gradation
SeaLife Ambassadors and regular DPG collaborators Tobias Fredrich also tells me the attenuation of the new video light and explains the potential of its new chroma gradation feature, which temporarily changes the temperature of the light from 5000K to 3500K. In practice, this means warmer colors and a more realistic light balance between artificial and ambient light.
Besides their new products, the SeaLife team also showcases their other popular products, such as Super Mini Camera 3.0 (which We also reviewed), of them Sea Dragon Floro Lampand the whole range Sea Dragon photo/video light.
SportDiver smartphone case is currently SeaLife’s most popular product
Bjorn from SeaLife discusses popular SportDiver housing with potential clients
Ikelite
Largely present and popular at previous exhibitions, the American manufacturer of underwater imaging equipment Ikelite decided not to attend DEMA anymore this year. But with so many new and exciting cameras hitting the market in the last 12 months, we’d love to know what they’re up to and what we can expect in the near future.
We asked Jean Rydberg, President and CEO of Ikelite, to put together a short video to keep us updated, and she kindly did, enlisting the help of Vice President John Brigham to talk to us about some of their latest products. These include Brand new ultra-compact case for Canon EOS R10redesigned ball socket arm system and DS230 flashing, has proven to be extremely popular. Relatedly, they also mention being easy Upgrade your Nauticam case with Ikelite baffles and TTL . convertersso Nauticam users also have no reason not to enjoy the new DS230s.
That’s the summary for the second part of our post-DEMA 2022 report. In our third and final installment, we’ll give you all the fun going on at the Nauticam, Kraken, Keldan, Bigblue and Marelux booths.
When purchasing underwater photography equipment like the one mentioned in this article, please support DPG by supporting our retail partner—Backscatter.com.
