Focus light for Macro

[ClaireCohen 0]

Hi all ,

Does any one have any recommendations for a focus light for macro ? I've noticed some have a red light as well as white . Is a red light more beneficial so as not to scare marine life ?

Thanks for any advice you can give .

Claire

[Barmaglot 262]

I use a Weefine Smart Focus 1000 with a snoot lens. The snoot helps with aiming the camera - even when the lens is totally unfocused, I can move the light around until I see the camera screen light up, then put the spot of light on target, press autofocus, and have the subject come into view.

The red light is occasionally helpful, yes. Some critters - for example harlequin shrimp - quickly retreat and hide if you shine a white light on them, but don't mind a red light as much. Focusing and framing with a red light is considerably more difficult though, so I only use it when I really need to.

Unfortunately the red light does not work with the snoot lens properly - it is emitted by two red LEDs that are located above and below the central white LED, and the snoot lens ends up emitting two diverging red beams instead of a single axial one.

[TimG 62]

Hi Claire

Yeah, a red light does help with not scaring the critters so much. If you're buying a light for focussing, it's definitely worth having the red option. As Barmaglot says, it does make focussing slightly more difficult but better that than just scaring away the subject.

I had a Sola P800 as my main focussing light but wasn't terribly happy with the charging mechanism they use. I've just bought an Inon LF1000 as a primary dive light (as opposed to a focussing light) and like that it takes rechargeable AAs (I'm using Eneloops) rather than some bespoke charging system.

 I've always found Inon products excellent. They make a number of models with varying degrees of angle plus red lights which switch off automatically when using a strobe. Worth checking out.

 

[ChrisRoss 150]

The other thing to keep in mind is you don't want it to be too bright, I have used a 350 lumen INON torch for a focus light and it was plenty bright enough.  The brighter it is the more likely it is to scare off your subject.  If they are low powered like that they don't even need to turn off automatically when you take a shot as the light is so dim the strobe overpowers it. 

The other feature I like is being able to turn the light off easily without having to remember a sequence of button pushes.

[Dann-Oh 40]

I use a Kraken/Weefine WSR 1000+ light to focus when I use a focus light. Im also using the Backscatter MF1 which has a target/focus light built in and it does a great job.

[ChrisRoss 150]

8 hours ago, Dann-Oh said:

I use a Kraken/Weefine WSR 1000+ light to focus when I use a focus light. Im also using the Backscatter MF1 which has a target/focus light built in and it does a great job.

The problem with focus lights in strobes is that unless you are snooting you are generally not pointing the strobe at your subject.

[phxazcraig 123]

On 2/13/2022 at 6:14 AM, ClaireCohen said:

Hi all ,

Does any one have any recommendations for a focus light for macro ? I've noticed some have a red light as well as white . Is a red light more beneficial so as not to scare marine life ?

I have had a Fishlite V24 (2400 lumens) and now a Kraken 3500 (3500 lumens).   The Kraken is very nice, especially compared to the Fishlite I had.  Battery life was pretty short on the V24.  Maybe 40 minutes at full power.   The Kraken has more light and can easily go an hour.

The Kraken has white light in wide and narrow beams, red light, and UV/blue.    The red light is supposed to be used on night dives, but I can't really say since I don't do night dives.   I can say that when I used it as a focus light on day dives, I ended up with either a nasty red cast on shaded-from-strobe areas, or weird color balance problems with closer subjects.  This with dual strobes, by the way.

The blue light is supposed to be used with a yellow filter on your mask to see a UV effect.  I've not used it.

I do recommend the Kraken.  It's got good battery life, and the battery is easy to change while the battery compartment is sealed from the rest of the unit in case of flooding.

[ClaireCohen 0]

Thanks all for your recommendations , this is a great help .

[ChrisH80 0]

I use a WeeFine Smart Focus 2300 and am quite happy with it. It can be reduced in power if you don't need the full amount of light and can be changed to red and blue light. The red light ist very useful at night dives, as some fish/critters don't get distracted by it. The blue light I use sometimes at night dives, too.

It has an automatic shut off when the strobes fire. 

Battery life is fine for at least one dive. It has two buttons, which I prefer to one single button. The battery compartment is sealed so if it floods only the battery should be knocked out... at least in theory, I didn't test that and don't want too ;-)