Equipment Tip

Photoggers using Sea & Sea’s MX-10 camera and its accessory YS-40 strobe have a new option to improve the photographic backscatter that seemed inherent in the product’s design. A little distance was all that was needed to solve the problem, and GB Undersea Products (7301 West Judge Perez Drive, Suite 406, Arabi, LA 70032; e-mail orders@gbundersea.com; website www.gbundersea.com) has devised an armslength solution in its new MXTENDER optical strobe cable system, which retails for $225. The system consists of two aluminum brackets connected by a 30" polyoptic fiber cable, affording the backscatter reduction offcamera strobes make possible and allowing users to quickly move the strobe on or off camera. An Undercurrent correspondent tried the unit in a 6'-viz lake and was impressed enough with its performance to pack it up for his next trip to Cozumel. He said that “the pictures that came off this trip dramatically demonstrate the value of the system.” UnderwaterPhotography.com obviously agrees with him: the MXTENDER was runner-up for Best Innovation in its 2000 Underwater Photo Awards.