Question Best Budget Strobe

[encrustingacro]

I'm thinking of getting a strobe for my TG-7, but I'm on a budget. I'm looking for a strobe that would be good for wide-angle and semi-close-ups, and has TTL. The two best options for my budget seem to be the AOI Q1 RC and the Backscatter Mini-Flash 2. The AOI seems to be the cheaper option at first glance, but the Backscatter is cheaper when accounting for extra batteries. The Backscatter seems to be more suited for macro applications; I'm not sure if the AOI is better suited for wide-angle, though. Backscatter measures the AOI's strobe brightness to be at "guide number" F22, and I can't find anything about the Backscatter Mini-Flash's brightness. Does anyone have any suggestions on which I should get? Are there any other strobes I should consider?

 

[rmorgan]

The MF-2 has a GN of 16, and really is purpose-built for closeup and macro; and (like the TG itself) does an excellent job with it. The Q1 appears to have a wider beam, but unless you use a wet lens on the TG, you really won't have a wide field of view anyway. Realistically, with either strobe you will not be illuminating a subject more than 3' away from the front of the housing; in fact, even with two bigger strobes, it's hard to effectively light something more than 4-5' out. For my money, the MF-2 is excellent, and it's worth learning to use both it and the TG within their respective limitations. The Backscatter crew is great--I suggest calling the sales folks and talking your expectations through with them so you can make the best decision.

 

[hilljo88]

I just dove in south florida with a number of divers who were using the MF2 . Their consensus was that it was designed for macro and not powerful enough for most wide angle shots. It should be adequate for shallow shots with some ambient light penetration. I personally used it for macro and thought it was great. The folks who were shooting wide angle had 4 of them mounted.

 

[Barmaglot]

SeaFrogs SF-01 costs in the same ballpark as Q1/MF2 but has plenty of power for wide-angle.

 

[encrustingacro]

Bump

 

[tursiops]

Buy a used but good strobe if you want to save money and still get a high GN for wide-angle shots.

 

[BoltSnap]

Check this:

Info - Backscatter Hybrid Flash HF-01: preliminary review

Hi Scubaboard, I had a chance to use a pre-production version of the Backscatter Hybrid Flash in January, I've put my observations and thoughts together in this review...

scubaboard.com

 

[tursiops]

Check this:

Info - Backscatter Hybrid Flash HF-01: preliminary review

Hi Scubaboard, I had a chance to use a pre-production version of the Backscatter Hybrid Flash in January, I've put my observations and thoughts together in this review...

scubaboard.com

I'm on a budget

The HF01 is $900, not really a budget offering.

 

[BoltSnap]

The HF01 is $900, not really a budget offering.

He said "budget" not "cheap"!

The HF01 is a real great budget that's great value.

 

[encrustingacro]

He said "budget" not "cheap"!

The HF01 is a real great budget that's great value.

Yeah... The Backskatter Hybrid Flash--although not as expensive as some of the options out there--is a little out of my budget. I was thinking $500 max, including the batteries and fiber-optic cable. I think I'll probably take @tursiops' advice and buy a good used strobe.