MagMod MagSnoot speedlight snoot review
MagMod, an Arizona-based company, manufactures a line-up of speedlight modifiers that employ "rare-earth" magnets for rapid attaching to a flash head. At the core of the MagMod system is the MagGrip elastic band, which mounts on a flash and allows swapping various light modifiers in a matter of seconds. MagSnoot is one of those modifiers and it is the subject of this review.
MagSnoot comes in a nice premium box and includes a soft-cloth carrying bag. Please note that MagGrip should be purchased separately, but if you own other MagMod gear, you can just use the MagGrip you already have.
MagMod MagSnoot is a multi-stage speedlight snoot, which allows you to vary how wide your light beam is: 40, 20, 15, or 10 degrees. The snoot is made of durable silicone rubber, and it looks very slick and professional.
After using it for a while now, we really appreciate the speed it delivers. Not only it attaches instantly to your flash because of the magnet mount but also changes the beam pattern really quickly: all you need to do is to pull the middle of MagSnoot out to extend or push it back to collapse. We have to note that the best way to collapse MagSnoot (to switch to a wider beam) is to use both hands, which was not immediately obvious to us.
In addition to having 4 stages, MagMod MagSnoot also features a built-in gel slot that takes the unique hard-plastic long-lasting MagMod gels. The gel slot is a bit harder to use than the MagGel holder, but it's not bad by any means. It's really handy! If you need to change gels super-fast though, then simply stack the MagGel and MagSnoot units together.
There is a couple of other variable-angle snoots that we used: GamiLight Spot 2 and LumiQuest Snoot XTR. Spot 2 offers two configurations to get 40- and 22-degree light beams, whereas Snoot XTR can do any angle between 10 and 5 degrees. MagSnoot has a wider range than any of the competing products. The images below show all three speedlight snoots side-by-side.
A common application for a snoot is rim and hair lighting. In the setup shown below, however, we used MagMod MagSnoot as a key light to better illustrate the differences between its stages. The second flash was equipped with MagGrid and a gel to add some color to the scene.
As a side note, we want to mention that the silicone rubber MagSnoot is made of attracts quite a bit of lint and dust. It does not really bother us, but you might want to wash the snoot on occasion ;).
In conclusion, if you are in the market for a high-quality professional-looking snoot, MagMod MagSnoot is a great choice. It offers a wide range of light beam patterns and even features a built-in gel slot. It's currently priced at $49 (US), and if you also have to buy the MagGrip band, it will set you back about $25 (US). However, no other snoot can currently match the versatility and speed of use that MagSnoot delivers. It is the best snoot we used to so far. We can highly recommend it. For the most recent prices, please check the link below.
