CaolIla

That is more or less what I made in the past. with 3d Printed piece to try different position IN AIR....that is the problem in water the light/lenses work not the same. I bought some mirror paint bomb the idea is to put 1) before the frostet glas (or a very lite frostet glas) a beam concentrator like that Painting the inner part of the snoot before the frostest glass like a "mirror" will help. The inner form need to be calculate to concentrate the light on the frosted glas. The first part will help to minimise the lost of light on the source. Part 2 after In the "tube" It can be painted like mirror... but also there it will help to calculate the form of the tube/cone what ever you want to name this to reach a maximum of the ray to be // at the end of the "tube". If it is not good enough used some "lenses" as collimator to reach a good directed flow of light in front of the snoot.

The frostet glas is there to made the light source more diffus.. the light go out on the other side did not have a direction but got more or less in 180 ° direction. The fresnel lens in this construction is directly putted after the frosted glas and the frostest glas is beetween 5 and 10 mm from the front of the strobe glas. As near as possible. It the final version I'll made 2 mm I'll didn't try with only the fresnel prehaps it is ok... but I have a doubt. I'll try it to show if the light is uniformfly coming out... I'm really not sure my fear is that there will be a "dark" zone in the middle. I'm not an optic specialist I need to study a little bit more the principle of lenses and find a software capable to make some calculation. to avoid to many "Try and error" loops. A problem is the change/or not of material on the glass interface..water didn't react same as air. The lense are build and giving focal distance etc in air not in water. I repeat the idea is to build a snoot with 1) as light as possible (for travelling) 2) as short as possible 3) suitable for ring strobelight, like the Retra 4) As less as possible lost of light,--> pilot light brighter 5) in the high end version an option for a diaphragme to smoothly change the size of the spot light.

Small feedback I wrote to Retra... very fast answer... a Sunday. :) That can justify the price... each minutes is € during a trip 🤣 The Update is only for iPhone for Android the last firmeware is v3.1.

It^'s more or less what I have.... I'm still thinking about removing the 2 torch ... but in night dive or in some location it is good to have the light for searching small stuff. Also when you lost the other turn on the lights help a lot (to be founded ;) ) In the worst case.. I have the 2 SOS on the Retra AND the troch... Same for the go-pro on the top of the housing... I didn't use it a lot... but in some case... really usefull to have an other angle of view if something special arrive... Dophin or ???? Like here Dauphin Hurghada 202310 | Hugues Brun | Flickr

I understanded it was humor... but in english... I was not sure. The design is made to hold the snoot easier and turn it on place on the Retra. It important with dry gloves ;) than I want to train tu usage of the snoot in cold water ;)

Don't know how to interpret this post ?????

I wanted to update my 2 new retra pro max II Connected to he smartphone Make the update on booth but I stay at V3.1 and I can get any information (trigger count etc... @Oskar - Retra UWT Can gibe me an advice? Thanks

The three size

With the lamp (not the flash) picture taked with a smartphone

TPU (red) to make the make the part holding together

I can't loose anything and it is very fast and easy to change the ending part to have different diameter the smallest is 9 mm

I made some picture Snoot mounted on the Retra Pro Max II (you can also see the new bumper) I made the choice to fix all together with bungee

Hi @Chris Ross You are right you describe the main problem of the retra, and probably the problem of mainly all new strobe with the circular flash light. That I didn't have engouth time before the the hollidays I only make a light version, but It work well (on air). I'll give you some feedback after using it underwater. The main opening at the bottom (strobe side) is larger as the lamp. I putted a frosted glass AND direct over a fresnel with a focal length of 80mm. The idea is to bring a maximum of the light in the good direction. OK they will be some loss but it seems to be ok (I repeat on land) The first problem is solve no more light in form of a donut. In the first version, watreproof with air inside, I used fresnel of 70 mm diameter. But the problem is the tightness at the junction between the glass and the PETG. Need to make some new experiment. I really want to have a version I can open for changing the lenses and the possition of it in the tube. Different focal and number. The idea is to have a concentrate beam of light and on the top where light come out a more or less paralell beam to be able to have a smal disk of light. I finished yesterday the light (weight) and short snoot I'll take with me end of the week to Malapascu & Sogod... probably more wide angle as macro... Really happy of the solution... hope it will work (not to bad) during the next trip. The light output is really good, no dark point in the middle, boundary sharp and working distance not to short. I plan to make some more experiment when I'll be back. I have some paint spray to make mirror The idea is to make a mirror/ deflector before the fresnel to puch a maximum of the light in the tube... you can see I have a lot of idea/experiment in reserve in my mind 🤪

You are right... my photo gear is every year heavier I need to stop add some lense, strobe, light. or what ever 🤣

Same for me.... I started with 48... (more or less 50+ ;) )

Done

I can only confirm that... It is much easier to take such picture

Retra Max II ? Oups the price :(

@flowdesign Thanks for your remark. Yes I know under water it is different. That is exactly the reason I want to optimize the light coming out of the strobe. My past experience wasn't like I imagined it... I want to have near 100% of the light output from the strobe coming out on the top. This time I'll make a "lowtec" snoot (I haven't enough time to do a complex solution.) I change the design of this snoot.. but at the end I want to seal it to have air in it. After the coming trip I'll make changes to adapt this solution and I'll make some dive with a modified version of it. (if i'm happy of the base design) It is allways the same problem not enough time to test before the trip. a point more is to have a light snoot for travelling I'm at the limite... with the weight. a big problem I had in the past was the sealing of the lenses to avoiding water coming in the snoot. I'm planing to test some construction without silicon sealing but with TPU I also want to be able to open it and close it again and again to make some changes in the parts in the snoot. Change lenses, focal length also type of lense. Add some fresnel or normal lenses .. When I found the good combination (the one I like) I'll build a lighter snoot optimized for the lens combination/position/number I chose

My ultime idea, (result of my precedent test) is to have a part I can put on the top of more or less this solution, with a diaphragme in it. Why on the end of the snoot... because if the diaphragme is on the begining to much light is lost. I I can focus a maximum of light on a small point (in my case with the smal diaphragme I have from Aliexpress, 25 mm diameter) The hole will be possible to be adjust from 2 on 25 mm and that with a maximum of power light comming out. 2mm is probaly not usefull but will be possible. (if the guide is good and understand what the photograph want... why not. but this no the scope of the model I show you today

no in this example only a matte glass (like you can find on the Retra snoot. I have some fresnel lenses from different diameter and focal length. I will probably combine different lenses.

a first picture You see, no you don't see the donut... I reach the target. It is not with the "big aperture" but I hold a small cap with a small hole of 9 mm The idea is to make some cap with different hole size and change it during the dive, Probably printed in TPU

Small update of my test. The idea is to have a snoot where the water can go in --> no problems with water coming in ... it is build for that. Perhaps in an other step I'll try to have air in the snoot but it is not the subject now The bottom part will be "fix" and the top can be print again and again to try different size length and/or diameter of the opening in the top. It is also possible to try different type of glas, lens, fresnel to test the result In the midle it is possible to insert some additional lense to focus the light an put some part in to avoid the reflexion.

I agree it is easier to give my wife as my camera... ( but they is only one I trust enough... A good photographe I learn so much with him in the past.) 🤣