I have generally been a CFWA guy and done only limited macro over the years. But I have two trips over the next several months to the Philippines and Indonesia, that will be almost exclusively macro, perhaps with some fish portraits and such thrown in. I anticipate primarily using the Z8 with a 105 and MFO-1. I am considering adding something like the Backscatter MF2 and snoot or alternatively I could get the Retra LSD to use with my Pro Max strobes which will be with me anyway, and would love to get some input from you macro experts.

Edit to add; I previously failed to find some of the earlier discussions on this topic, so that has now answered some of my questions. Having read those, I am drawn to the MF2 due to smaller size / lighter weight and the idea of a small "backup" strobe is kind of appealing, but then it is one more thing to pack and one more lithium battery and I am sure I would be taking the Retras anyway, so...

It sounds like most folks only use one snoot...correct? Is either of these (the LSD or MF2 with snoot) easier to aim or clip off when desired?

I expect a learning curve but am hoping I can get the basics down in a pool before I go. Is that an unreasonable expectation?

Edited August 21Aug 21 by JohnD
Better search answered some questions

Hi John

Sounds like some fun times ahead - excellent!

I’ve been using the Retra LSD with a Retra strobe (currently Pro Max) for some years and love the combination. I reckon about a 90%-95% aiming success rate.

Yes, it is quite bulky topside but once in the water I find it highly manoeuvrable and easy to position. In practice I never remove it during a dive and concentrate on macro subjects usually snoot-light. If I don’t want a snoot lighting then I use the non-snooted, right-hand strobe.

The Retra has the standard Retra loop which you can use to clip it off. I added an extra one at the sharp end using a bit of paracord and a small shackle so that there are two clip-off points. But, as I say, I hardly ever remove the snoot underwater.

Yes, use just one snoot - two would likely drive most folks to insanity - with the snoot on your left hand. On the right hand I usually have my second Retra PM fitted with the macro rings.

I’ve never used the Backscatter so can’t help with that but if you already have the Retra strobes, to me adding the LSD is a no-brainer.

Just my 2-cents. Diving the local Seattle marine waters, I've tried the Marelux snoot on a YS-D3 and it's a very nice snoot with a knob enabled beam adjustment and battery powered aiming, but the downside is really the size and bulk. I've been pretty happy with my MF-2 snoot. I tried a basic snoot for the YS-D1's, but have found that the compact size of the MF-2 is really nice for snooting and much easier. There's a 3D print for an adapter to a YS-D3 to adapt the MF-2 snoot, but I haven't tried that in the water.

36 minutes ago, RVBldr said:

snoot with a knob enabled beam adjustment

I was cautioned by someone in the industry to be wary of mechanical snoot beam adjusters. The view was that, at some stage, they will jam through salt build-up.

Thanks guys:

Okay, one snoot, that makes sense. I am leaning towards the Retra, in part because I already have Retra strobes.

Tim, I assume you leave off diffusers or macro rings on the left side strobe so you can attach the snoot without fumbling around?

I still need to consider size and weight. It looks like the LSD is 215mm long and the OS1 is 184mm, so not a huge difference, but it appears the MF2 is itself quite long so perhaps the assembled length is greater than the Retra strobe and LSD. . It seems that the OS1 much lighter (275g vs 600g), but if I take it in addition to my "primary" strobes the weight of the rig is greater.

The trips will involve some diving from RIBS and perhaps other small boats and minimizing size and weight may be valuable.

29 minutes ago, JohnD said:

Tim, I assume you leave off diffusers or macro rings on the left side strobe so you can attach the snoot without fumbling around?

No, not necessarily. The Retra bayonet works so well that it's easy to add or remove accessories during the dive and clip them to a BCD. But, as I said, I very rarely take the snoot off if I take it with me for a macro dive. I tend to use a snoot for most macro shots.

I was in Sint Maarten a few weeks ago and did around 30 dives all using a snoot from a fairly small boat. No problem. Like many of these things, it's a question of gaining familiarity then confidence. And explaining to the boat crew. I did transport my system and keep it between dives in a Cinebag Grouper bag which holds it all fairly well and keeps it neat and tidy.