Question Two strobes and a snoot?

[ScubaDiego]

So I now have 2 strobes (YS-01 and YS-02) that I yet have to learn how to hook up together, and a Backscatter miniflash/snoot combo and a backscatter M52 air lens. Shooting on TG-5/PT-058.

Trying to figure out what I should have as a setup. I shoot a lot of macro-type stuff like nudis that would be perfect for the snoot, but also often encounter eels and frogfish-types that would maybe benefit from the strobes. And a lot of turtles and vibrant coral gardens.

What is your setup? Do you take all your gear down and turn on/off the strobes as required (with the snoot on the hot shoe?)? Do you chose between macro or wide before the dive and risk not getting the shot of a lifetime?

FOMO is big with me. LOL

 

[Cali_diver]

The backscatter miniflash is kind of a workhorse. It will do just fine in macro and portrait shooting. For me it is not enough for wide angle but good in combo with another flash for everything else. You might get away with it if shooting CFWA. I shoot a DSLR and have an Inon z 330 and backscatter flash/snoot mounted to camera for macro, and 2 Inons for wide. I pretty much have to choose to shoot macro or wide before the dive due to lense choices. The snoot is fun to play with but not always easy in certain situations. It requires time and set-up so if you are diving with other divers you might not always have time to really enjoy the snoot (or not enjoy since it can be frustrating to use if not experienced).

 

[deeper thoughts]

Interesting

 

[Barmaglot]

I shoot with a pair of Retra Pros, and on dives where I expect to have a chance at snooting, I hang a Retra LSD onto a BCD D-ring. Sometimes I even get to use it. With your setup, I'd probably put the MF-1 on a locline arm on a cold shoe, and the regular strobes on normal arms. One caveat though - a rig set up that way may become more bulky and difficult to maneuver into tight spots where your subject has made its home.

 

[deeper thoughts]

I shoot with a pair of Retra Pros, and on dives where I expect to have a chance at snooting, I hang a Retra LSD onto a BCD D-ring. Sometimes I even get to use it. With your setup, I'd probably put the MF-1 on a locline arm on a cold shoe, and the regular strobes on normal arms. One caveat though - a rig set up that way may become more bulky and difficult to maneuver into tight spots where your subject has made its home.

Would you say the locline arms are better,worse or the same as the ucl arms/clamps?(weight flexibility ease of use etc)
thnx

 

[Cali_diver]

My biggest complaint with the locline arms is the noise they make underwater. It can scare stuff away pretty easily. They also move if too much current, but for a snoot you will probably have it on a shorter arm than strobes or video lights.

 

[Barmaglot]

Would you say the locline arms are better,worse or the same as the ucl arms/clamps?(weight flexibility ease of use etc)

I don't use a locline myself, but my reasoning is this - aiming a snoot requires multiple axis of flexibility (you need to move it left/right, forward/backward, up/down, as well as angle left/right and forward/backward), and achieving this with rigid arms and clamps requires two arm segments and three clamps. This is not a problem with side-mounted arms, where you typically need length in order to spread the strobes out for wide-angle shots, but for a cold shoe-mounted setup, you want it to be short and compact, and even with the shortest available arms, it's gonna be big and cumbersome. Conversely, locline arms don't do so well when built up to significant lengths, but they're okay when kept short.