Marelux Smart Optical Flash Tube (SOFT)

Dan Bolt · Issue 127, Jul/Aug 2022 · pp. 35–36

Products mentioned: Marelux Smart Optical Flash Tube (SOFT), Olympus OM-D E-M1, Panasonic 45mm macro, Aquatica AE-M1 housing, Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobe

The new Marelux Smart Optical Flash Tube (SOFT) landed on my doorstep with a hefty thud only a week ago, and right on queue the weather turned foul and ruined the visibility in all my local dive sites. Typical. However, that didn’t stop me having a good look at this well engineered snoot. The first impression you get when opening the carry-case is that this is a very well-built product. Once you attach the mounting ring (called the Dock) to your strobe (all major brands are catered for), it takes just a simple, but positive, click-and-twist operation to mount and dis-mound the SOFT. It literally takes just one second. This is a powered snoot but the battery is for the aiming light and not the actual photographic light – that still comes from your strobe. That built-in aiming light not only shows you where your strobe light will hit, but it also mirrors the size of the light spot. The SOF…