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Comments from MXTENDERTM Users
During my visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands I
shot over 700 pictures with a Sea and Sea MX-10 camera, YS-40A
strobe and a new product called the MXTENDER. The
MXTENDER is a special mount for the MX-10 and YS-40 strobe.
I was amazed at the clarity of my photos and owe it to the
MXTENDER which allowed me to separate my YS-40A strobe from the
MX-10 camera while keeping the infrared connection. Since I was
able to change the angle and distance of the strobe I was able to
eliminate backscatter. Also, by separating the strobe I was
able to get into tight places and still have good strobe to
subject distance and strobe angle. The MXTENDER allowed me
to be as creative as other photographers with more expensive
cameras.
Stan Levy
Novice Underwater Photographer
Addison, Illinois, USA
I've used the MXTENDER on a pier dive which normally I get a
lot of back scatter as there is a lot of sand. Worked wonderfully.
I also took it with me to Heron Island, on the Great Barrier Reef.
The visibility was not as good as I had expected: I had visions
of 30 or 40 Metre tropical visibility, but there was considerable
wind and the vis was no more than 8 metres. So the MXTENDER was
really useful in reducing the back scatter. The MXTENDER
complements the MX-10 well. The MX-10 is something that makes it
possible for beginners to get good photographs, but also allows
creative use so that with a bit more experience you can get
results that are really quite good. The MXTENDER seems to me to
fall into the same category: with no experience you can
dramatically reduce the back scatter in your shots. With a bit
more knowledge you can use it much more creatively: you can
increase or decrease the amount of light on your subject by
changing the position. So you can get the light settings right
for the important part of your picture rather than for the kelp
surrounding the animal you were trying to photograph.
Geoff Illing
Melbourne, Australia
The Panama trip was definitely an adventure, and the water conditions were perfect for using the MXTENDER. We had a fair amount of rain, causing a lot of runoff from the land. Also, the winds kept the waters pretty well stirred up, so that our vis was relatively poor the entire time. For the most part it never reached any greater than 25 to 30 feet. We had hoped for better conditions, as we planned this trip to avoid rainy season. Well, that's the roll of the dice, sometimes. I was definitely surprised when I got back and had the underwater pictures developed. The water had been so murky that I was sure there was no way to avoid backscatter using my MX-10. Boy, was I wrong about that. I actually had to search the pictures to find any backscatter at all!
I'm very impressed with the MXTENDER and would recommend it to anyone as an additional tool to use with the MX-10. As with any new piece of equipment, it took a little getting used to. But, now that I've used it, there's no doubt that it's a must for my u/w photography!
If you come up with any new equipment, please let me know.
Christopher Beamer
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
I was very impressed with the quality of the hardware and the
engineering thought which, very obviously, went into the design
and building of this accessory. The instruction manual is
thorough and easy to understand, although the elegance of the
MXTENDER design greatly simplifies the assembly of the unit to
the camera system.
I dived with it at Catalina. The water was 55 degrees, visibility
a murky 25 feet and loaded with all types of debris, from
plankton to spawn. The MXTENDER worked perfectly. I was very
impressed with the lack of backscatter when the strobe is off
center. The length of the fiber optic cable really allows a great
deal of latitude in lighting a shot. It's a winner!
Using the MXTENDER was no more difficult than, I imagine, using a
rig with strobes on extension arms. It is a two-handed
proposition for either, but the advantage with the MXTENDER is
the strobe can be re-attached to the camera body for one-handed
operation, if desired, or no-handed when photographing is
finished and the rig attached to my BC.
I'm a real fan of this attachment.
Doug Smith
Glendale, CA USA
I've just returned from Dominica and the MXTENDER worked great.
I was a little awkward at first with the free flash but after a
couple of dives I was okay. The pictures are the best I've
taken. I used all the lenses, including the macro and the closeup.
I dove with Nature Island Dive and left all the info on the
MXTENDER with them. The owner there was impressed. So impressed,
that he went on the internet one night while I was there and
found out the MXTENDER had won an award. Congratulations!
Sincerely,
Joe Puglia
Orlando, FL USA