barmaglot
Forum username: Barmaglot
Posts: 1,044
Active years: 2017—2024
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique, Lights/Strobes/Lighting Technique, Beginner Forum
Specialization: Sony APS-C mirrorless systems, blackwater diving photography, lighting equipment
Biography
barmaglot was a late-era Wetpixel community member who joined in 2017 and remained active through 2024, making him one of the few prolific contributors during the platform’s final years. Based in Israel with regular travel to Thailand, he progressed from a self-described beginner to a knowledgeable gear and technique contributor over seven years.
His first post in March 2017 was a detailed beginner thread seeking advice on assembling an underwater photography system on a $1,000 budget. He had recently completed his PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification on Koh Tao in Thailand and a PADI underwater photography specialty course, with only 22 dives in his logbook at the time ([1]).
Community Role
barmaglot evolved from a newcomer seeking advice into a regular contributor, primarily in gear and lighting discussions. With 1,044 posts, he was among the most active members during Wetpixel’s later years (2017—2024) when overall forum activity had declined significantly from its peak.
His participation was heavily weighted toward technical gear discussions: Photography Gear and Technique (52%) and Lights/Strobes/Lighting (25%). He started relatively few threads (13), instead preferring to participate in ongoing discussions, offering practical experience and technically precise advice.
His posting style was analytical and detail-oriented, often providing specific technical comparisons and correcting misconceptions — as when he corrected another member’s misunderstanding about charger power draw, explaining the difference between cell-level current and wall outlet amperage ([2]).
Notable Contributions
Blackwater Diving Photography
barmaglot became particularly active in discussions around blackwater diving photography, a technique that gained popularity in the early 2020s. He detailed his experiences with blackwater diving on The Smiling Seahorse liveaboard in Thailand, providing comparative reviews of spotting lights including the Inon LF800-N, Weefine Smart Focus 1000, and Archon D15VP. He documented the Inon LF800-N’s reliability issues, reporting that two consecutive units flooded — and that two additional units in DiverVision’s stock also failed pressure testing — providing valuable real-world reliability data for the community ([3]).
He also discussed lens choices for blackwater with his Sony A6300 system, noting that the 90mm macro was too slow and prone to focusing on particles, while the 16-50mm kit lens lacked macro capability ([4]).
Wet Lens and Accessory Systems
barmaglot contributed detailed discussions about wet lens mounting options, particularly the Nauticam WWL-C wide-angle wet lens and bayonet mounting system, providing practical information about the accessories needed for flexible wide-angle-to-macro shooting with a Sony 16-50mm lens behind a flat port ([5]).
Battery and Charging Systems
His thread on AA charger recommendations for dive trips illustrated the practical logistics of underwater photography travel, detailing the charging demands of two Retra Pro strobes with superchargers (16 AA cells), an Inon torch (3 AAs), and various Li-ion cells, totaling 40 Eneloop Pro batteries in his photo bag ([6]).
Equipment
- Camera: Sony A6300 (later possibly A6400 based on thread context)
- Housing: SeaFrogs (budget housing system)
- Strobes: Retra Pro (x2) with superchargers
- Lenses: Sony 90mm f/2.8 macro, Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6
- Lights: Inon LF800-N, Weefine Smart Focus 1000, Archon D15VP, XTAR D26
Activity Profile
- Peak years: 2021—2022
- Forum focus: Photography Gear (52%), Lights/Strobes (25%), Beginner Forum (9%), Video Gear (6%)
- Threads started: 13
- Activity score: 1,083
Timeline
- 2017-03: Joined Wetpixel, posted beginner budget setup question ([7])
- 2021-06: Discussed Sony APS-C lens choices for blackwater diving ([8])
- 2021-10: Posted about wet lens mounting options and Nauticam WWL-C ([9])
- 2021-12: Shared blackwater light comparison and Inon LF800-N flood issues ([10])
- 2022-01: Reported second Inon LF800-N flood and batch defect ([11])
- 2022-03: Started AA charger recommendations thread ([12])
- 2024-06: Last recorded forum activity
Sources
- Forum thread: Beginner Trying To Figure Out How To Make The Best Use Of A Limited Budget ↩
- Forum thread: Seeking Aa Charger Recommendations ↩
- Forum thread: Lights For Blackwater Diving ↩
- Forum thread: Sony Aps C Lenses For Blackwater ↩
- Forum thread: Wet Lens Mounting Options Question Specifically Wwl C ↩
- Forum thread: Seeking Aa Charger Recommendations ↩
- Forum thread: Beginner Trying To Figure Out How To Make The Best Use Of A Limited Budget ↩
- Forum thread: Sony Aps C Lenses For Blackwater ↩
- Forum thread: Wet Lens Mounting Options Question Specifically Wwl C ↩
- Forum thread: Lights For Blackwater Diving ↩
- Forum thread: Lights For Blackwater Diving ↩
- Forum thread: Seeking Aa Charger Recommendations ↩
- Beginner, trying to figure out how to make the best use of a limited budget (forum) ↩
- Sony APS-C lenses for blackwater (forum) ↩
- Wet lens mounting options (WWL-C) (forum) ↩
- Lights for blackwater diving (forum) ↩
- Seeking AA charger recommendations (forum) ↩