I have purchased from backscatter online and was very pleased. So when I happen to be in Monterrey i was pleasantly surprised to see how close they are to the water. Great customer service. read more

Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - Monterey, California

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I placed an order for an encasement for my son's Christmas gift. The next day I got a voicemail to advise that the item was out of stock. I called The company back and spoke to Cameron. The fact that they answered the phone was a huge plus! Cameron kept me abreast of the order and called me back to let me know the item was available for shipment. I can't thank Backscatter and Cameron enough for their customer service, it was off the charts. To be able to speak with someone about your order is amazing. Thank you for doing an awesome job! read more

I'd done my homework beforehand, but Rob walked me through purchase of a OM TG-7, the PT-059 housing, and Backscatter's air lens and did a superb job. These guys dive/snorkel with the equipment they sell so they actually know a lot about it. Personable, knowledgeable, spent some real time with me, not pushy, talked me down from getting a $$$ lighting system for this snorkeling trip and I'm glad he did - pics were amazing, so much better than my old TG-4 without housing or air lens. Product arrived sooner than told, perfect condition, everything just worked. He handled a few minor administrative account issues without delay as promised, handled a second quick sale before our trip, and those items got here much, much faster than expected so I was able to use them on this trip. Now you can get their stuff on Amazon for just a tad less, but you'll totally miss out on the excellent customer service they provide if you just lift your phone and give them a quick call. As for me, no plans to buy anything elsewhere unless I have to . . . read more

I have made numerous purchases at Backscatter, thousands of $$$$, been a good customer. Their pricing is about the same as others, they have a decent selection. The good part is the east coast rep is knowledgeable, helpful and patient. Their repair service is good but they like to tag on charges (they will give an accurate estimate) and the last repair explanation did not make sense. They did do the repair properly. The problem occurred with returns. I spoke with the rep, ordered what he recommended. Some parts clearly did not work with my gear, one was not what I ordered. I did wait a long time before attempting a return but was refused. The sales manager's policy statement was it was too much time. They took no responsibility for sending me the wrong parts and parts that would not work with my setup. The parts were in the original packaging and were generic so could be resold. I am stuck with equipment that should not have been recommended and cannot use. Needless to say, I will not be purchasing further equipment from them. read more

This is regarding a few online ordered I have made. I have dealt with quite a few other UW photo companies and been pretty disappointed. Not backscatter. I really like their sales team and even management. I made my first order and it was packed and shipped that day! I was also dealing with another company for some other items but when I found out backscatter also sold what I needed I chose to give them my money. Rob was very upfront in letting me know which items he had to order as well as truthful about the wait time. "Hey look" he told me "a lot of times people are ordering this stuff for a dive trip. We would hate to mess something like that up." And it was right there that I knew I was talking to a company that understood me. You see, I am the guy that orders things two weeks before a dive trip! It was nice to give money to someone that understood that to me, it was urgent! A few days later I received a follow up from their sales manager asking how things went, was I satisfied. I mentioned that I was so satisfied I had chosen to spend slightly more for the same items as company X because I wanted to do business with them. Remember, I have already made my order She went back and price matched it! I plan I doing future business with them from now on because they have earned my trust in an uncertain online world. Good job backscatter read more

Consistently excellent products, customer service and expertise over many years. I have gone to Backscatter as a customer and as a retailer for years and they have always taken great care of us, and I mean every one of the staff that we have dealt with. read more

Let me begin by saying I am merely an amateur enthusiast. I have called them at times with questions about purchasing and with problems with an order. I always get the feeling that they are really focused on professions and people buying large expensive setups. I haven't ever had anyone who was outright rude, but also never have I had anyone who felt like they had time and patience for my questions. I really wanted to like them, but I've decided to start buying elsewhere. I like their videos and selection...just not their service. read more

I purchased a Flip 5 kit with the three filters, and an additional macro lens for my GoPro 7 in the Philippines. A couple of months later, the top hinge had become tight somehow and the additional force caused the filter to break off. I contacted Backscatter, sent them some photos and Sean Boone immediately offered a replacement. I asked him to ship it to a cousin who was planning to visit the Philippines. The package arrived in 2 days as promised... Imaging my surprise when it wasn't just a replacement filter... It was an entire Flip 7 kit with the mounting system and filters! There are hundreds of excellent reviews out there about the Flip 5 and & 7 systems. I haven't really got anything to add except to say that I've had great success with the underwater videos and photos I've taken using the filters and the mounting system. I recommend the Backscatter systems for anyone taking underwater videos/photos with a GoPro. The great customer service is a nice bonus! read more

Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - Monterey, California

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I ordered the Flip10 filter system with the micro lense; my dad uses this filter and his pictures came out so much better than mine. Fantastic filters! After ordering I received an email letting me know the filters were on back order but if I have an upcoming trip to email back and let them know. Less than 24 hours I got a reply from the customer service team that they expected filters in within the next couple days and would ship my filters as soon as possible. By that weekend I had my filters in hand. Any time I need filters for my GoPro I won't order anywhere else. I will recommend this company forever! read more

The staff is highly knowledgeable and prices appear reasonable, but that doesn't mean much when it can take months (LITERALLY) for their service department to fix things. And these aren't warranty issues, these are repairs we paid for. How long you ask? Both times we've dealt with Backscatter's services department, repairs took 2-4 months, AND worst of all, the service department never called back. We always had to contact them and ask why nobody had updated us after 6-8 weeks had passed. Seems this place only stays in business because of location, and the fact that the sales people are great. Just hope your equipment never breaks. read more

Decided it was time to replace my dinosaur Nikon D200/Aquatica wide angle setup with something lighter and easier to travel with, but still take excellent photos. I am very happy with the knowledgeable staff (Rob and Sean) at Backscatter that listened to my shooting interests and recommended a system (Olympus E-PL10, Octo Housing, UWL-09 Pro) that I think will be perfect for me! Rob in particular has been most helpful with the ordering process, and I was impressed that all items were shipped same day. While familiarizing myself with the new setup, Rob has answered my many questions with detailed and extremely helpful information. The Backscatter videos are also really helpful and much appreciated. read more

Wow! This place is amazing!!! The staff at Backscatter go above and beyond to ensure that I've got everything that I need for underwater photography and videography. Rob, Russ, Becca and Sean have helped me to capture some really great shots! Totally don't know how I could have gotten into uw photo without their help. read more

Backscatter sent my order through in time, well protected and no damage. The problem was the product. With such limited information on the site the prodect is quite unusable. I called up to see if there was a way around this and they told me "no, nobody buys these any more. Everyone is gone to mirrorless." Really unhelpful, wont take a return and wont review what they sell properly. Reason for not taking the return is they don't stock that item, its a special order. It doesn't say that on the website! All in all super disappointed with the service, read more

My husband is the camera guy, and this place has A LOT of cameras and accessories. What caught my eye were the Prawno t-shirts and seatshirts. Prawno shirts and sweatshirts & t-shirts are made out of recycled material, specifically 50% recycled plastic and 50% recycled cotton. I'm all about saving the planet and recycling, so yeah, I purchased a dope zip hoodie with some sweet shark/fish/turtle print on it. As far as cameras go, they seem to have everything you could possibly want for your next under water adventure. From GoPros, Cannon, Nikon, Sony & a plethora of underwater housings for all. They have all sorts of lighting options and of course all sorts of filters and attachments accessories. I would highly recommend checking this place out! read more

Honestly, I couldn't be happier with this company and my sales rep Mike. Not only did he expend a great deal of effort to make sure I could obtain my order in time for my trip, he did so without a single complaint and in an expeditious and welcoming manner. The entire experience was fantastic, even when the items arrived with something missing. Mike went above and beyond to make sure I got my missing items at no further cost to myself. Backscatter showed me they truly value their clients, and go the extra mile to fulfill their orders. I will be using them exclusively moving forward thanks in no small part to Mike's responses and actions in a compressed time frame. read more

I have been doing business with Backscatter for several years and have bought my D850 set up from them, after attending the Digital Shootout. This is such an amazing company. Everyone is so friendly and knowledgeable. Everything they do is first class! If you want to learn how to take photos and video underwater and want it to be fun and not frustrating this is the company for you. If I could give them a 10 star review I would! read more

I recently purchased a replacement part from Backscatter online. There was a minor issue and they fixed it immediately and gracefully. Thanks for being so helpful and speedy. read more

I bought over $8,000 in underwater camera equipment and accessories from Backscatter and immediately had trouble with the focus feature. Backscatter represents that they are deep into camera equipment however I found that I had to contact Sony myself to deal with my fault 16-30 lens issues. I have been trying to return this equipment for months now to Backscatter but they refuse to take it back or deal with it. I also signed up for one of their photography trips to the Philippines to learn more about the camera assembly however the CEO of Backscatter decided he did not want my story circulated and cancelled me out unilaterally. It was ugly. Do not recommend this group--they do not support what they sell and if you have a malfunctioning camera or lens, good luck. read more

Great customer service but be prepared to wait! Thanks to the IPHONE app, I can write a tip when I check in to help jog the now 41 year old brain matter. We were here in August when the husband and his best friend were gearing up for a dive and his best friend had purchased some great underwater camera gear for he and his wife's upcoming trip to the Galapagos and for a shark dive he, his wife and my husband were taking at the end of September. Kevin and his best friend met when they were 13. Kevin became a certified diver when he was just shy of 15 and Chip became a diver sometime in his 20's. They have been diving together ever since (though hardly at all in their 30's). Anyway, Chip bought some super duper fancy expensive gear and had some extra questions regarding lighting and what not. This store had 2 guys working and each took their time with their customers, and extensive time. Since Kevin loves cameras and equipment and because I made him live vicariously through Chip's camera, they spent a long time learning about different aspects of the different techy stuff (they are both engineers). Admittedly, I was bored after about oh 30 seconds and did some window shopping and bench warming elsewhere. Chip's wife joined me after about 20 minutes, but the guys had a great time and were full of new information after their lengthy visit and Chip's purchases. read more

I have been diving for 20 years and filming underwater for 12 years. The Backscatter team has been a huge help to me in my pursuit to make better underwater videos and photos. Twelve years ago I didn't have a lot of money to spend on gear but wanted to try my hand at underwater video. They got me set up with a Top Dawg housing that fit my Sony TRV-8 topside camera. I spent many hours in Backscatter's old shop at Monterey Breakwater talking about my underwater challenges and boring them with my footage shot minutes before out in the bay. They always took time to listen, watch/review footage and then teach me what to do differently. You cannot get that kind of service from just any camera shop. At one point in my Top Dawg owning years, I had an in issue with my monitor back while in Hawaii on a family vacation. I placed an emergency call to Backscatter in hopes to be able fix my camera myself in the filed because I had booked myself on dive boat charter trip the next morning. Hurray! Backscatter staff helped me through the fix, which included a total of three phone calls and one MacGyver style-shopping list for the Home Depot on Kauai. I have upgraded my gear a few times since my Top Dawg days and I travel more remotely for dive travel now. Yep, I have had to call or email in for field support a few more times over the past 12 years and from more remote parts of the world: Indonesia, Maldives, Singapore. Every time the end results is a fixed, properly equipped system whether the fix be as simple as connecting me with a local Singapore distributor that could sell me a forgotten part or a complicated engineered solution including some in-the-field JB Weld repairs. I cannot give high enough praise for the technical support both for repairs and shooting techniques that I get from Backscatter's staff and thus they continue to get my business and I continue to stop in after my dives in Monterey Bay to learn from the Backscatter team. read more

I'm not an underwater photographer, I simply bring my GoPro along on my dives and share my best experiences on YouTube. However, walking into Backscatter is always a pleasure because they are so helpful with all my questions and whether you're me or shooting for the next Blue Planet series they are ready to help and give advice. They have set me up with all the accessories and filters I needed to improve my GoPro videos. They've even assembled some for me. I'll definitely be back. Also, their proximity to the Breakwater makes it easy to get things before a dive like what happened to me last Saturday. read more

Great underwater camera shop, tons of digital housings amd cameras. Go scuba dude!

Backscatter is a fixture in northern California. They partner in putting on a great event called the "Monterey Shootout" which has one of the best dive centric parties I know of. Their customer support is fantastic and the staff are empowered to be themselves, an amazing attribute in a time of homogenized customer service. One could buy something online from a discount retailer, but one won't find the ongoing customer support needed when taking electronic devices repeatedly into salt water. With their expanded house brand gear offering great entry into an expensive pursuit I can't imagine a better place to start and return to as one experiences the joyous cocktail of salt and circuits. read more

I've known friends who have dealt with Backscatter in the past, and had a good experience, so they were my choice after looking at different options, including stores in Florida and a contact through a friend overseas. I went with Backscatter because I had heard great things about their customer service, and knowledge and I was not disappointed. Since they are in Monterey and I'm in LA (though I've been to their actual store previously, and its awesome and well laid out) I spoke with Craig over the phone, and he helped me with my strobe selection as I had been wavering between two. He also recommended a few things, and was on top of making sure I had all the pieces I needed so that I would be good to right away. I got an email pretty quickly after our conversation with a quote, and it was easy to approve online, all a very fluid and well set up process. In addition he included The Underwater Photographer book for free as a useful tool for me. I felt that was really great and showed that they care about their customers, at least in my experience. The gear was shipped out the same day I approved the quote, and I received everything in order within 3 days, with free shipping since my order was above $200. I will definitely use them again, and will not hesitate to call if I have a problem or question regarding my gear. read more

I'm pretty hard to impress, but I'm there with Backscatter. I originally ordered a package deal from the Eastern store, and because they didn't have all the items immediately available, it was sent from the Western branch. Unfortunately, after a diving accident, my new camera package took a solo trip to the depths, and I needed to replace it, yet again. This time I consulted the Western store, and Becca helped me out. Not only did they help me to replace exactly what was lost, they gave me a discount replacement; AND, when two items were discovered missing from the order, they expedited them to me over the weekend. They really couldn't have been more helpful. Yes, I'm a fan. read more

This business is as shady and unethical as they come. Buy anything from them online and see how they will clearly show a total amount which includes the price of the item you are buying plus taxes. But here is the surprise: the "total amount paid" is not really total nor final -they were "just playing" you. Later on they will (arbitrarily and without your express consent) charge you an additional amount for "insurance expenses" that were not initially included in the total. You only get to see the insurance expense after the order is placed. In my case, insurance expense was a whooping 20% in addition of the amount I agreed to pay. I will never buy anything from this store, ever again. I feel ripped off (and with good reason) but I will make sure their shady charges do not go unnoticed. My goal as far as Backscatter goes is to tell everyone from hereon how this store deceives customers by showing a total amount online which is really NOT the final amount. When I called to speak with their online sales manager, his lame excuse was that their software did not allow them to show the real total amount including all charges when an order is placed online (so, you really never know how much exactly you are paying until after the order is placed). We are in the 21st century but there are still some people out there giving these type of arguments...believe it or not. read more

BackScatter is a great place to buy equipment - extremely helpful and informative! Original equipment I purchased didn't work - but they worked with me to get everything resolved. Excellent customer service - really listened to what I had to say and wanted. Always professional and willing to help in any way! read more

I was so confused on what to buy for my first underwater setup. I showed up, told Becca my goals and budget and she came up with a few options and prices. She walked me through every part and how to assemble and operate it all. I spent a couple hours there (and way too much money. Haha.) but she was so incredibly friendly and helpful! Thanks Becca!!! read more

I bought my first underwater system from Backscatter in 1999, and haven't looked back. I'm on my 3rd housing (for 3 different cameras), and am still using one of the strobes I bought back then. They are always helpful, knowledgeable, and just a fun place to hang out when I get there (wish they were open on Sunday!) This is a class establishment that always gets my business! read more

I had a fantastic experience getting set up to shoot underwater with Backscatter! Dylan helped me figure out exactly what I needed, and offered his expert advice. The team there is friendly, professional, and highly knowledgeable about their gear! The shipping was fast, and carefully packed. You've got a customer for life. Thanks again! read more

I wanted to like this place, I really did. Lots of people on scubaboard.com speak well of them, so I ordered an underwater housing, and a gear needed to zoom my wide angle lens while in the housing. Housing was fine, but they sent the gear for the standard kit lens. OK, no big deal, mistakes happen. They told me to return the wrong gear and they would send out the correct one. I had to ask to be reimbursed for return shipping, but they quickly sent a return shipping label. A few days later I opened the new package, and they had sent the same wrong gear again. Having had enough by this time, I sent a polite email explaining that they had send the wrong gear twice, and I would be returning both and would like a refund. I would have been fine with that outcome, and have been buying the rest of my gear elsewhere (who also sent an incorrect item in my first order, but that's another story!). The only reason I am writing this review is the credit memo I received in the mail to let me know my refund had been processed, upon which they had snidely written "Received correct gear and thought it was the wrong one, TWICE". This was not the case, and I checked both my original order and the items they sent very carefully. I dealt with their mistakes politely and would have quietly moved on had it not been for them insultingly and rudely accusing me of making the mistakes. I also would not have written this review had I had at least an apology from the person I was originally dealing with, who I don't think wrote the note, telling him about it. There are at least two other excellent online photography outfits out there, I would try them first. read more

I would love to be able to give this company a 5-star rating. I think their products are great and the location could not be better. Unfortunately there is an employee there named Rusty. I'm not sure what the deal with this guy is, but this is NOT the job for him. I was in the shop (the only customer) in mid-July and I was willing to spend upwards of $1000 on lighting for my GoPro. I had seen a set up on a dive buddy I really liked and he said he bought it from the Backscatter shop. I told Rusty what I was looking for and he said, "that's a stupid set-up" (yes verbatim). When I mentioned my friend bought what the shop recommended Rusty took my friend's information and looked up his purchase history. Sure enough, I was correct and Rusty ridiculed his own company and completely dissuaded me from buying any light at all. I was also looking for a two handled mount and they had one for about $130. Rusty told me I'd be "stupid" to buy that when Backscatter had one coming "in two weeks" that would be $60. I mentioned that I was keen to get something ASAP but Rusty and his rubbish customer service encouraged me to place the order and run from the shop. I went in with a friend the following week to be sure there was an order in the system and spoke to another staff member who was just great. I complained about Rusty and was told that they'd received complaints about him before. It is now mid-September and I called this morning and (groan) got a hold of Rusty. I said I had an order I was waiting for, was it by chance in. Rusty told me it was not in and wouldn't be until at least the 27th of September. I mentioned that I was told the product would be available the first week of August and asked if there was anyone else I could speak with, maybe a manager. He said no one would know anymore than he does and I was free to cancel my order. I am flummoxed why Rusty is so keen on NOT selling product for the store he works for. I asked Rusty this very thing and he hung up on me. I love Backscatter products, location, and the other staff members. Rusty, however is such a malevolent, miserable person he's poisoned the store and its product for me. Buy Backscatter, but buy online because if you happen to believe in their products and want to buy from them and happen to cross Rusty's path, he will convince you not to buy anything at all. read more

For the most part, I was really impressed with Backscatter. They were kind, patient, and dealt with my needs with efficiency and care--again, for the most part. I've been doing underwater videography for a living for two years now on the island of Koh Tao, Thailand. It's an island known for its function as a "training ground" for scuba divers. Here I film students completing their Open Water certification on the final day of their training. It's not glamorous, but it gives me an opportunity to dive and make a film out of it every day. After many months of saving for housing and lenses (I'm not paid incredibly well), I moved from using a company camera to my own. In reading as many articles about UW photo/video as available, I was fairly confident in my knowledge of the equipment I wanted to buy and the necessary adapters I would need to go along with all of it. After speaking to a Backscatter's Rusty, however, I felt silly. He belittled me for my lack of knowledge about the necessary adapters and was, just in general, quite rude. To my own discredit I can't recall verbatim anything he said to me, but I do know I hung up fairly crestfallen and definitely offended. Upon looking up Backscatter's reviews on Yelp, lo and behold, there was Rusty's name in the only one-star review. I dealt with him a few times when I called with questions, and every time was treated with relative contempt. When I returned to Koh Tao after a brief vacation, I spoke with another underwater photographer about his dealings with Backscatter. He complained about a single employee as well. I wasn't surprised to hear, again, it was Rusty. Perhaps its my own insecurities in being a fledgling professional in this very exclusive industry, but I think Rusty's general condescension towards customers could prove very bad for business. I plan on pursuing underwater videography as a career, so alienating a single new customer, especially one as excited as I, could prove disastrous for long-term business. Some of the people buying "introductory" equipment could be the ones (if they're lucky) buying more and more expensive gear in a few years, even decades. Few people are professionals here: most are like me--relative amateurs wanting high quality underwater images. I happened to call Backscatter a final time and was lucky enough to deal with Rob. He was fantastic: kind, patient, and deeply (if not overly) apologetic about any lack of professionalism. He was highly knowledgeable about the products I needed, and helped me to take care of the rest of my order. I'll likely be returning to Backscatter. They have a solid reputation as the best company in the US for underwater equipment, and, with the exception of Rusty, they live up to their reputation. Many thanks to Rob for all the help with my purchases. read more

Probably the best selection for underwater video and photography anyplace in northern California. Staff is very helpful. Prices are a bit on the high side except for package deals but even then I found stuff cheaper online. The real benefit here is when you need a camera part of housing in a pinch for a last minute dive trip. They pretty much have everything and the first time I learned how to put my gear together it was challenging but thanks to Backscatter team they really helped me out a lot. I did have to order some GoPro stuff directly from GoPro because they did not have it but none of the stores have it so go figure. Highly recommended. read more

ordered a small molded plastic piece of attachment for the camera housing Xit 404 Canon WP-DC34 (G11 & G12) Fiber Optic Cable Mount for Sea & Sea strobe. The little molded plastic piece is already expensive at $39 but that not enough they charge $12 shipping for it with no other shipping option available. Then they send a thank you feedback email but if you complain you won't hear from them. RIDICULOUS! read more

I haven't been to the store yet but I have ordered from them online. Good communication (re: in stock/shipping) I was not disappointed! I can't wait to go to the store now!! Hopefully I won't treat it like a trip to Costco! Ha ha! read more

I have tried ordering online from this location numerous times. To date they have not been able to fulfill one of my orders. One person manages online order fulfillment and if he is out of the office your order will go unnoticed until he gets around to it. They may be great in person but go somewhere if ordering online as they do not have the inventory they advertise and you will be waiting a month or more. read more

Great Service and Support! I purchased an underwater compact camera as well as an underwater DSLR setup from Backscatter in Monterey, CA. They have great technical advice and support for their sales. I highly recommend them! read more

I am with the last reviewer. I had heard such great things about this outifit. While they are trying to sell you something they are helpful. When something goes wrong....not so much. They recommended a setup and as it turns out the parts could not be made to fit properly (an honest mistake I believe, but careless). I recognized that the plan wasnt going to work, and since the parts were not critical to my trip, I went without. When I returned, they recognized the error and said they would get back to me. They never did. Beyond that, when I called to see if I could return the setup (which is unused) they gave me a bunch of "Backscatter." Anyone can sell you something. The measure of a company is when thing don't go as planned. Backscatter fell short. read more

Not really sure how to rate this one. I ordered two lenses from their website for an upcoming dive trip. received a confirmation email. Didn't hear anything on shipping for a few day so I called to see if It had shipped and if not if I could pay to have it rushed over night. Imagine my surprise when I was told "sorry we don't sell lenses unless you buy a complete housing set up." Huh? Your web site clearly has them listed. Store came recommended from a dive buddy, but this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. read more