Marelux SOFT snoot

Trying my luck at shooting with the new Marelux SOFT snoot with the Inon Z-330 dock. 

All photos with Sony A-1 and Sony 90mm macro, Marelux MX-A1 housing with cross bar and one centered ball-head. I just used a single clamp to center the SOFT over the center of the macro port, set the Inon to full power F/5.6 to F/9 at ISO 400 to 640 and because I was diving in shallow water at Blue Heron Bridge found night dives to work best.

Hi Phil,

Thanks for posting sample photos as well as your kit setup.

Can you comment on how the SOFT compares to the Backscatter Mini + Optical Snoot (Particularly in the power of the light output)?

Also, how did the buoyancy and trim feel with the SOFT mounted on your cross bar?

The Backscatter combo is a great entry to mid level kit. I have used it a lot.

The SOFT is more expensive but well with the cost if you are an advanced macro shooter who wants the very best. It has a powerful built-in aiming light but the real difference is the iris adjusting wheel that allows you to dial in the exact amount of light coverage you want in real time. I was able to change the light beam while looking through the viewfinder.

I have used a carbon float arm for best balance. This will very with each housing and lens configuration. 

Hey Phil, would love to see a picture of your setup with the float arm + snoot

On 8/5/2022 at 7:53 AM, Phil Rudin said:

The Backscatter combo is a great entry to mid level kit. I have used it a lot.

The SOFT is more expensive but well with the cost if you are an advanced macro shooter who wants the very best. It has a powerful built-in aiming light but the real difference is the iris adjusting wheel that allows you to dial in the exact amount of light coverage you want in real time. I was able to change the light beam while looking through the viewfinder.

I have used a carbon float arm for best balance. This will very with each housing and lens configuration. 

 

 

Thanks for your feedback, Phil.

You mentioned that you set "Inon to full power F/5.6 to F/9 at ISO 400 to 640".  Are these roughly the aperture and ISO settings you're limited to with the Backscatter mini too?

18 hours ago, shakuiel said:

Hey Phil, would love to see a picture of your setup with the float arm + snoot

This is a work in progress for me and the attached photo is using a Nauticam float arm clamped to the flash arm ball-heads. I am working on a W/A project at this time and didn't want to change ports for a quick pic. I lent the SOFT to a friend and he used the short fat Inon float arm to support the SOFT. 

Bottom line is that I am still dialing in the different possibilities for buoyancy.

Also be aware that one of the reasons Marelux and others loan equipment to reviewers is for product feedback. Marelux is aware of feedback on the buoyancy concerns and I suspect they are coming up with a solution for this issue. 

34 minutes ago, JayceeB said:

Thanks for your feedback, Phil.

You mentioned that you set "Inon to full power F/5.6 to F/9 at ISO 400 to 640".  Are these roughly the aperture and ISO settings you're limited to with the Backscatter mini too?

The settings I used were my choice and not limited by the SOFT or the Backscatter MF-1 and snoot. With all snoots the power level is reduced when you use the smaller diameter range of the iris or aperture cards. Adding color gels also reduces power output based on how dark (red) or light (yellow) the gel may be. 

I'm new to snoot lighting, and didn't realize the output power was reduced to that degree, but don't want to change the focus of this thread to 'Snooting 101'.

Thanks again for sharing your experience with both products.

5 hours ago, Phil Rudin said:

This is a work in progress for me and the attached photo is using a Nauticam float arm clamped to the flash arm ball-heads. I am working on a W/A project at this time and didn't want to change ports for a quick pic. I lent the SOFT to a friend and he used the short fat Inon float arm to support the SOFT. 

Bottom line is that I am still dialing in the different possibilities for buoyancy.

Also be aware that one of the reasons Marelux and others loan equipment to reviewers is for product feedback. Marelux is aware of feedback on the buoyancy concerns and I suspect they are coming up with a solution for this issue. 

 

Is it really THAT negative?

Why did you decided on a fixed mount with no arm segment or ability to reposition the strobe from the overtop position? That seems quite limiting. I don't like being limited to a spotlight effect with a snoot. So, moving the snoot around from top, side, or back of a subject add a lot of creative light possibilities. I often use a second strobe for fill light to combine with snoot.

16 hours ago, davehicks said:

Why did you decided on a fixed mount with no arm segment or ability to reposition the strobe from the overtop position? That seems quite limiting. I don't like being limited to a spotlight effect with a snoot. So, moving the snoot around from top, side, or back of a subject add a lot of creative light possibilities. I often use a second strobe for fill light to combine with snoot.

This is a product I am reviewing for Underwater Photography magazine, uwpmag.com. I also used the SOFT handheld, on several arms and on a tripod. Well aware of the advantages of each style. Also using a second light with color filters. 

21 hours ago, shakuiel said:

Is it really THAT negative?

having used it on almost every dive for 3 weeks in Bali recently, yes it is.  When I hand it to my dive guide I have to let air out of my BC.  It's extremely unwieldy.  It does work as advertised though.  It did not seem to be very efficient in focusing the light - I kept my Z330 at or close to full power, which I believe is similar to how a Retra LSD performs, but I have no direct comparison.  Obviously the perfectly aimed focus light (with its own battery) and the wheel-adjust beam size are the major advantages.

On 8/9/2022 at 9:27 AM, rwb500 said:

having used it on almost every dive for 3 weeks in Bali recently, yes it is.  When I hand it to my dive guide I have to let air out of my BC.  It's extremely unwieldy.  It does work as advertised though.  It did not seem to be very efficient in focusing the light - I kept my Z330 at or close to full power, which I believe is similar to how a Retra LSD performs, but I have no direct comparison.  Obviously the perfectly aimed focus light (with its own battery) and the wheel-adjust beam size are the major advantages.

I'm eager to try it then. I pulled the trigger and it'll be here tomorrow. I've had a ton of success shooting solo with the backscatter mf-1+os-1 and hoping to get the same with the SOFT

Seem ginormous to  me, we tried it in Anilao. I would think that you could build an adjustable iris for the backscatter snoot without too much pain and that would be killer.

Bill

I have made several dives with both and they are both very useful tools. Each has its own upsides and the smaller size of the MF-1/OS-1 snoot combination is obvious. It is also clear that the MF-1 alone would not be anyones first choice for doing wide angle.

The SOFT on the other hand can be used with a verity of excellent wide angle strobes and is I think one reason it is getting so much interest. Second is the fact that the SOFT has its own aiming light with a battery separate from the flash that last far longer than the MF-1 battery powering both the flash and the aiming light. 

The MF-1 has from the Backscatter page "dual-beam LED lights run at 500 lumens on high power" the Marelux user manual says the aiming light is 180 lumens. The Marelux user manual also says the ideal working distance for the SOFT is 120-180mm (12-18cm) which is about the minimum focusing distance for 90mm to 105mm macro lenses on full frame cameras with a closeup lens in the +10-+15 range behind a flat port, approximately.

First image is both lights at 120mm, MF-1 aiming light on high power, same size light circle.

Second image same as above at 50mm with the OS-1 using the smallest hole in the aperture card.

Third image is from 120mm with the smallest aperture card for the OS-1 and the SOFT set to slightly larger than the smallest iris setting. From 180mm the SOFT retains a nice even circle of light and the OS-1 is just a large dim circle of light. The conclusion for me is that you need the aiming light much closer (about 25mm) with the MF-1/OS-1 to get the same intensity and light quality as you do at 50mm with the SOFT.

In the end the MF-1/OS-1 combination provides excellent light at close distances and is more well suited to smaller format/compact cameras while the SOFT is excellent for full frame where you may need higher F/numbers and more distance between the flash head and subject. 

The actual max flash power for any given subject distance (all else being equal) is going to change depending on which flash is used with the soft. Some of the flashes used with the SOFT can also be used in TTL if that is the users preference.   

You can now read my review for the Marelux SOFT snoot in the newly released issue #128 at UWPMAG.com, this is a free PDF download.

Marelux today released images of a prototype buoyancy device to offset the weight of the SOFT and for other needs.

I recently bought the Backscatter miniflash with Snoot, and I have to say I like it in many ways.  I like the simplicity.  I like the size.

I don't like the working distance.   Shooting it first on a D850 with 105vr and then a Z9 with 105s.  

Works fine on stuff that can't swim away, but I need to get the end of the snoot about 4-6 inches from the subject, and that leaves me with a lot of Christmas Tree Worm shots.  (Awesome shots, some of them...)

Working distance:  the bane of my experience with full frame.   Wish Nikon made a 150s macro.

another idea of a self made float for the Marelux SOFT snoot.

cut out of a piece of closed cell hard foam. Since the pieces are pressure stable the buoyancy doesn't change with depth.

They fill the gap between the focus tube and the battery compartment and so the size of the snoot wont expand much.

.

Very neat! What did you use as the cutter?

13 hours ago, DriveInBoots said:

another idea of a self made float for the Marelux SOFT snoot.

cut out of a piece of closed cell hard foam. Since the pieces are pressure stable the buoyancy doesn't change with depth.

They fill the gap between the focus tube and the battery compartment and so the size of the snoot wont expand much.

.

 

This looks much nicer than the original prototype. Marelux take Note!