75 pence DIY Snoot

[Don Hoey]

I really needed a snoot when having a flash workout yesterday so a special purchase at the supermarket today. Not really sure how effective this would be but I bought 2 packs of party straws for use as light straighteners.

Trimmed the bendy bit off a packs worth, and trimmed a kitchen roll inner card tube to fit the long sections and the smaller sections. Smaller sections worked but gave to wide a light spread so I went with the 5 inch longer bits.

The attatched image is the trial version so not tarted up at all.

I stuffed the whole packs worth of straws into the cardboard tube and used 2 rubber rings left over from a plumbing job to really grip each end of the tube tight.
To attatch to the flash I could have done a Blue Peter job with cardboard but found the diffuser attatchment from my Vivitar 283. Stuffed a 52mm threaded rubber lens hood inside so the thread is on the outside and masking taped in. Dug out a 52mm filter ring without the glass and taped it to the card tube with the straws in. Screw into position on the flash and job done.

Next was to take a pic with the snoot to prove it. For this I used my geared head as the front provides a perfect target for the snoot.

Attatched image shows the area lit by the snoot positioned 20 inches away at 45 degrees with SB-80DX on 1/4 power so not much light loss.

Final image is adding the Metz at full power undiffused. A bit of foil reflected light onto the base without intruding onto the black.

Tomorrow I will take some pics with it disassembled to visually show how it is put together.

Don

[Lello]

I see Mr Blue Peter is at it again, Hi Don Looks like you're getting a very nice light from it, Do you think the straws help? what sort of beam would you get with just the tube? But as it seems to work fine with the the straws why change it

[Don Hoey]

Lello,

Thinking behind the straws was as in a honeycomb which limits spill light. Years ago for work I used a larger square of works honeycomb material to good effect so I guess that idea stuck in the back of my mind. Straws should act as a light straightener.

Easy enough I will do a comparison today without the straws. I need to see if I can come up with a zoom version anyway.

Don

[Canis Vulpes]

A DIY snoot is something I rustled up during a photo and consisted of an A3 black card rolled into a tube held in place manually. Admittedly it was too long but there will be a critical length verses diameter to achieve a wide but straight beam of light. I am puzzled why the party straws are required and would like to see with and without. In a book titled 'Light for the professional' pp46, shows a professional snoot with different light effect ends to beam lots of individual straight lights to a subject forming a shotgun effect. I imagine these ends are optional.

I am going to see of a Pringles tube lined with foil does the same job and would be more permanent than a rolled up piece of card, as I had before.

'Light for the professional', Richard Hunecke, pp46 shown below.

[Don Hoey]

The Honeycomb screen does not show up to well in the book and this one fits on the front of the mini reflector bowl.

I will now try out with and without straws.

Pringles tube .......................... excuse for a munch.

Don

[Don Hoey]

Results from the snoot with straws v without straws.

Looks like you need straws Foxy. Even the 1 1/2 inch with straws is better than a plain Pringles tin.

Don

[Canis Vulpes]

Were the photographs produced from the same diameter tube?

What happens if an excessively long tube is used, as in my experience. My snoot plan tube was 500mm and approx 80mm diameter.

I am happy about the straws they do make the difference just interested length v's straws for same result.

[Don Hoey]

Stephen,
In each case the tube was from a kitchen roll around 43mm diameter.
I need to remind myself of your original perhaps you can post it here. I am sure this would be more versatile 130mm plays 500mm.

I have just tried zooming the 1 1/2 inch section inside a toilet roll ( just over 4 1/4 long ) and it has no real effect on the light pattern.
This suggests that straw length inside the tube determines the diameter of the projected light.

Don

[yelvertoft]

I'm not surprised at all that the straws are needed. Stephen, imagine the straws as acting like a series of singlemode optical fibers, without the straws it would be more like one large bit of multimode. The the light will bounce down the tube giving a wider dispersion as it leaves the end.

[Don Hoey]

Originally Posted by yelvertoft

........... imagine the straws as acting like a series of singlemode optical fibers,

I had that thought Duncan, but Stevie will not let me use the nice bendy fibres from the Christmas tree.

Don