For macro I use a simple Weefine 800 focusing light, but the battery is losing its capacity. Annoyingly its proprietary battery, with both poles on one side, is not for sale anymore. A possible choice (with red light) at my local shop would be the Weefine 2600 which has the same attachment to the camera house. What makes me hesitate is that it needs an extra sync cable to enable 'auto-off' during flash activity. This construction with a cable is said to give a more robust auto-off, but an extra sync cable does not seem attractive.

This made me wonder: how important auto-off is in macro photography anyway?

(In case of the Weefine 2600: the light is 1500 lumen but that can be reduced).

I can't help with the question, but the Kraken Hydras have auto on-off and can be connected with an optical fiber cable or just use light from the strobes. I have the discontinued 1500, and it's powered by a standard 21700 battery.
https://krakensports.ca/product/hydra-1800wsr/

I suspect you’d need an extremely powerful focussing light to overcome the output of 1 or 2 strobes and show a hotspot.

I have shots taken at night, in wrecks and in caves where the focus light shows as a slight hot spot with a slightly red tinge from the difference in white balance. For macro photography its less of an issue.

The key is the focus light acts over the entire exposure time. Hence, for example, a wide angle shot from beneath a dark overhang or inside a wreck with portholes would often use a slower shutter to get some of the blue, but that exposure time also increases the opportunity for a focus light to create a noticeable spot. Sometimes similar techniques are used to lighten the background for a macro shot.

Without an auto cutout, a focus light needs to be as weak as usable with a diffuse beam (no hard edges). i.e. Buy cheap or expensive, but probably not in the middle ground.

Not important. Mostly *. Unless shooting a very slow exposure or very high ISO. It would be very exceptional for the wide angle, low powered spotting beam to to show in an image.

* A tight beam high intensity light might break through, but that would be a flashlight, not the configuration of a focus light.

The auto off feature is important to me. Both my older Inons and my new Retra strobes have an auto off feature and my Kraken 1800 and former 1500 light that rides atop my housing also has an auto-off mode. I find it not required to hook an optical cable to the Kraken, it sees the strobes flash just fine.

The purpose/use of the auto off is to prevent backscatter illumination. Most noticeable when I use the focus light mounted in the cold shoe on my Nauticam, especially at night. For integral strobe focus lights perhaps less useful since anything the focus light illuminates will be illuminated by the strobe light as well, not so with a focus light mounted over the lens port.

Edited August 16Aug 16 by Nemrod

Thanks all , especially the backscatter argument resonates for me.

The Kraken 1800 WSR looks perfect for me, small and simple. The EU common market helps me out, i'll order one from Spain.

My take is that it is not visible in 90+ percent of all shots. I have used the Fix Neo with NO auto off and the S&S version of the same light with auto off and can't see a difference.

It's noticeable for me at night.

My Kraken light doesn't switch off although it's claimed to.

2 hours ago, Grantmac said:

It's noticeable for me at night.

My Kraken light doesn't switch off although it's claimed to.

It requires a double push to activate the auto-off feature in any mode. LOL, I have to read the instructions every time I use the darn thing. But I like my Kraken 1800 WSR Focus Light and it works good. Or maybe it was a single quick push, darn it!

Edited August 17Aug 17 by Nemrod

The focus light is seldom visible in the photo. Especially when using red focus light it can be distracting, however. There are plenty of lighths in different strengths available with "Auto-Off" function. I do not see a reason to acquire one without this function...

I have the precursor of the WeeFine 2600 Smartfocus lamp (I think it is now WeeFine 3500, but models have changed). "Auto Off" does not require anything additional, it can be used as a wholesome night dive lamp as well and, if necessary, it can serve as lamp for the occasional video...

Edited August 17Aug 17 by Architeuthis

I've never seen the need at least with macro, at night you can use max sysnc speed as you are not trying to include any ambient light. For wide angle, if there's some ambient light, a low powered light helps, you usually don't need a bright focus light, mine is 700 lumens and I've used a 350 lumen light quite successfully, that low it's quite unlikely to show up unless your ISO is very high or very long shutter speed.

11 hours ago, Nemrod said:

It requires a double push to activate the auto-off feature in any mode. LOL, I have to read the instructions every time I use the darn thing. But I like my Kraken 1800FSR Focus Light and it works good. Or maybe it was a single quick push, darn it!

This is the reason I use a very simple single button focus light. I don't like the two button models that require two hands or any multi click arithmetic to change modes.

My current OrcaTorch v710-2 cycles high, low, red, blue, off. No auto-off. Works great, wide beam, long run time on low, and i swivel it pointing up when not needed for snooting or shooting another diver portrait.

55 minutes ago, Dave_Hicks said:

This is the reason I use a very simple single button focus light. I don't like the two button models that require two hands or any multi click arithmetic to change modes.

My current OrcaTorch v710-2 cycles high, low, red, blue, off. No auto-off. Works great, wide beam, long run time on low, and i swivel it pointing up when not needed for snooting or shooting another diver portrait.

Dave,

The Kraken 1800 WSR is a single button. It uses the single button to navigate between several modes. But in any mode, pressing the single command button twice quickly will place the light in auto-off (Burst) mode.

I had previous the 1500 model and after much use it succumbed to corrosion and the lens gland leaked. My new one I shall endeavor to be more careful with it to clean it well.

I have an Orca 710, it is a slightly larger light than the Kraken unit.

Edited August 17Aug 17 by Nemrod

57 minutes ago, Nemrod said:

Dave,

The Kraken 1800 WSR is a single button. It uses the single button to navigate between several modes. But in any mode, pressing the single command button twice quickly will place the light in auto-off (Burst) mode.

I had previous the 1500 model and after much use it succumbed to corrosion and the lens gland leaked. My new one I shall endeavor to be more careful with it to clean it well.

I have an Orca 710, it is a slightly larger light than the Kraken unit.

IMG_2115.heic IMG_2114.heic IMG_2116.heic

Can't see your pics. HEIC photos don't render on anything but an Iphone.

My backup focus light is a Kraken 1500 I think, but uses a smaller 18650 cell. I've tried to standardize every light I have using 21700's to make travel and charging easier and run time is a lot better.

Edited August 17Aug 17 by Dave_Hicks

2 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

Can't see your pics. HEIC photos don't render on anything but an Iphone.

Strange I can see them in Chrome on a Windows laptop and when I inspect or download them they apear to be png images.

36 minutes ago, Floris Bennema said:

Strange I can see them in Chrome on a Windows laptop and when I inspect or download them they apear to be png images.

I think he edited the post and it now has PNGs.

BTW I have assumed the reason for the light going out on a strobe is to have more power available to recycle and thus speed it up. I only use these lights when scuba diving on night dives. Use as an aiming light and to convince DMs not to give me one of their lights - I try to give the appearance of a Christmas tree! For non-scuba dive dusk and night shoots I use separate lights that are never aimed on the same axis as a strobe, often they are at or near 90°.

Edited August 17Aug 17 by Tom Kline

I think we were talking about a separate focus light going off when the strobe flashed, not the video light on for example the HF