Backscatter has announced version 2 of their Mini Flash. It offers improved performance and power, along with optical TTL with Olympus, high speed sync, and wireless control. It is compatible with existing Backscatter mini flash snoots and there is a new remote lighting muck stick available.
Danish photographer Morten Bjorn Larsen kindly provides a synopsis of his experiences of using the Backscatter Mini Flash and Optical Snoot to the Wetpixel community. He lists several distinct usage categories for the flash, including subject separation, different beam sizes, oval cards, framing subjects, and wide angle. He notes that he has found the flash combination to be both versatile and easy to use.
Mike Bartick provides a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated review of the new Backscatter MF-1 flash and OS-1 snoot. As Mike notes, these products offer some very interesting and unique creative opportunities. Mike also feels that as it is also fundamentally easy to use, this makes snoot photography more accessible.