Flash Snoot Options


Silas

Senior Member
Apr 12, 2010
719
4
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Hi Folks,

I'm thinking of getting a snoot for my 580 to be used for birding purpose. Wonder if the seniors here can provide more options. I've tried Googling and only found snoots from lumiquest, opteka, sunpak and micnova. Will be using it with my 50D + 100-400

Am wondering if the snoot in this video is advisable for fill purpose and if any of you know the brand and make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCMfaazzvgA
 

Silas said:
Hi Folks,

I'm thinking of getting a snoot for my 580 to be used for birding purpose. Wonder if the seniors here can provide more options. I've tried Googling and only found snoots from lumiquest, opteka, sunpak and micnova. Will be using it with my 50D + 100-400

Am wondering if the snoot in this video is advisable for fill purpose and if any of you know the brand and make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCMfaazzvgA

Are you trying to concentrate the light on the bird far away? If so, take a look at "better Beamer"
 

Hi Folks,

I'm thinking of getting a snoot for my 580 to be used for birding purpose. Wonder if the seniors here can provide more options. I've tried Googling and only found snoots from lumiquest, opteka, sunpak and micnova. Will be using it with my 50D + 100-400

Am wondering if the snoot in this video is advisable for fill purpose and if any of you know the brand and make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCMfaazzvgA

Actually that looks like a snoot with a fresnel lens. That makes it like a flash extender. The fresnel lens will be very useful to concentrate the light, better than without it. I actually DIY my own snoot...just use cardboard/paper.
 

Are you trying to concentrate the light on the bird far away? If so, take a look at "better Beamer"

Daredevil123, yup i'm trying to concentrate the light on the bird far away. Have checked out the better beamer and think it's what i need but i'm just a little perplexed as to why the extender arms are not enclosed/covered up to contain the light. I know that the main light source is in the middle and that the fresnel lens multiplies the light but why doesn't it contain all the light and maximise it? Pardon my questions as i'm very curious by the design. By using this, am i right in saying that i should be able to have better lit subjects and also reduce back lit shots. Do you know where i can get this and the price?

Actually that looks like a snoot with a fresnel lens. That makes it like a flash extender. The fresnel lens will be very useful to concentrate the light, better than without it. I actually DIY my own snoot...just use cardboard/paper.

Eulee, Would you be able to share how you made it? Is it by making a tunnel/rectangle tube and mount it on the flash to channel the light into a tunnel? Will this match the output ability of the better beamer which uses the fresnel lens?
 

Daredevil123, yup i'm trying to concentrate the light on the bird far away. Have checked out the better beamer and think it's what i need but i'm just a little perplexed as to why the extender arms are not enclosed/covered up to contain the light. I know that the main light source is in the middle and that the fresnel lens multiplies the light but why doesn't it contain all the light and maximise it? Pardon my questions as i'm very curious by the design. By using this, am i right in saying that i should be able to have better lit subjects and also reduce back lit shots. Do you know where i can get this and the price?

I believe it is so that it folds and flat packs into a very small volume. Easy to carry. I could be wrong.
 

You prob can get a Fresnel lens from those magnifier bookmarks, then its all a matter of getting it in place.
 

Daredevil123, yup i'm trying to concentrate the light on the bird far away. Have checked out the better beamer and think it's what i need but i'm just a little perplexed as to why the extender arms are not enclosed/covered up to contain the light. I know that the main light source is in the middle and that the fresnel lens multiplies the light but why doesn't it contain all the light and maximise it? Pardon my questions as i'm very curious by the design. By using this, am i right in saying that i should be able to have better lit subjects and also reduce back lit shots. Do you know where i can get this and the price?

I think TK foto sells this. Not sure of the pricing. You can give them a call and ask them.

As for the design, as long as enough light lights up your subject, it doesn't really matter if you contain anything. because a snoot only cuts light to a certain shape, it does not "concentrate" the light per say because light travels in the straight line, what ever light not traveling in a straight light will be lost when your subject is that small and far away in a straight line. You might want to consider covering the sides up, if you are concerned that the light spillage on the sides will affect and scare other animals (or people) around you.
 

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You prob can get a Fresnel lens from those magnifier bookmarks, then its all a matter of getting it in place.

May be too troublesome to hunt for it and i'm not sure if i am able to mount it on the flash correctly and securely. Think it will be probably easier to buy one to save the hassle of making it although it would cost much more. Thanks for sharing!

I think TK foto sells this. Not sure of the pricing. You can give them a call and ask them.

As for the design, as long as enough light lights up your subject, it doesn't really matter if you contain anything. because a snoot only cuts light to a certain shape, it does not "concentrate" the light per say because light travels in the straight line, what ever light not traveling in a straight light will be lost when your subject is that small and far away in a straight line. You might want to consider covering the sides up, if you are concerned that the light spillage on the sides will affect and scare other animals (or people) around you.

Thanks for sharing! will do more reading up on it before contacting TK.
 

Silas said:
Eulee, Would you be able to share how you made it? Is it by making a tunnel/rectangle tube and mount it on the flash to channel the light into a tunnel? Will this match the output ability of the better beamer which uses the fresnel lens?

Hey. A snoot is really about shaping the light into a smaller area. It's like putting in a vignette for the flash. I usually use gaffer tape and paper. Its crude but it works. If you want a more elegant design you can a stiffer type of paper or board, roll it up or fold it and gaffer tape it on the flash. Now if you have a fresnel lens, it concentrates the beam even better, ie, giving you a more focused light. So for object very far away, a fresnel lens would be very useful.

Output-wise it'll be the same because that depends on the guide number of the flash. The good thing about the better beamer is you don't have to light up the whole forest for the bird.
 

Hey. A snoot is really about shaping the light into a smaller area. It's like putting in a vignette for the flash. I usually use gaffer tape and paper. Its crude but it works. If you want a more elegant design you can a stiffer type of paper or board, roll it up or fold it and gaffer tape it on the flash. Now if you have a fresnel lens, it concentrates the beam even better, ie, giving you a more focused light. So for object very far away, a fresnel lens would be very useful.

Output-wise it'll be the same because that depends on the guide number of the flash. The good thing about the better beamer is you don't have to light up the whole forest for the bird.

Actually I disagree. Output-wise, a snoot and a fresnel lens will give very different results. A snoot only cuts light into a certain shape. A fresnel lens bends the light into a certain shape. With snoot, you loose more light.
 

daredevil123 said:
Actually I disagree. Output-wise, a snoot and a fresnel lens will give very different results. A snoot only cuts light into a certain shape. A fresnel lens bends the light into a certain shape. With snoot, you loose more light.

Oops I was thinking about flash output. Yah if it's light falling on object, the fresnel will give less light loss
 

Yes, had done some reading up on the snoot and flash extender and realised that i need the extender instead of the snoot. Hence my misuse of the term snoot. btw, i've found a good deal for the better beamer and posted a separate thread to share with fellow CS folks.

Appreciate all your sharings!