Smoke machines and flashes

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

Today I got myself a smoke machine and some plexiglass to play with :D, but I was wondering if the smoke will harm the flashes in any way ?

I don't believe so, but would like to make sure.

Greetings,
Frank

[justme_dc]

Working with smoke machines can give great effects but there are considerations that need to be taken into account.

Smoke machines generate some pretty sticky particulates. You'll need to be careful with them because if too much of the smoke goo collects on the flash tube it'll really shorten it's useful life. In the worst case senario it'll cause the flash tube to explode but that is pretty rare. I've only personally seen it happen once in all my years of shooting. Also, if your flashes are fan cooled the fans may suck all that smoke into your flash coating the insides with sticky goo that will attract dust and crud. That too could present a fire hazard.

Try to keep the smoke directed away from your lights and use good ventilation. Have fun.

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

Hi,
On the manual of the smoke it clearly states that there is NO residu when used properly, now I'm confused :( I don't want to ruin my flashes and they are fancooled and close to the smoke......

Greetings,
Frank

[MackRoe]

Sorry to be off topic on this thread, but I'd like to ask justme_dc something about his understanding of the 10D and Canon's 100mm 2.8 Macro lens, which I own along with Canon's 70-200 mm 4.0 L lens. I also own a Canon G3, and have accumulated many adapters and macro accessories to go with that unit. My question is can 3rd party glass (Raynox 250-D macroscopic lens or other close-up lenses be used on the front of the Canon 100mm macro without image degradation ? I have a 52mm filter front threaded on the 100mm macro to protect the glass, and then I've tried mounting the Raynox macro on the front of the filter, so experimenting a little bit (not tripod mounted) so I'm just seeking other's input before pursuing further ? Any help will be much appreciated....Mackroe......

[iwatkins]

Hi Frank,

Some smoke machines do produce sticky residue and some don't.

Best bet is to fire it up and direct the smoke onto a sheet of glass/plastic and see if you end up with sticky goo on the surface. If not, you are fine. :)

Also, do note that some smoke machines can set off smoke detectors. Always worth checking before you clear a whole building of people working due to a false alarm (yes, been there, done that ;))

Cheers

Ian

[nat869]

you should just PM him or start a new thread.

Sorry to be off topic on this thread, but I'd like to ask justme_dc something about his understanding of the 10D and Canon's 100mm 2.8 Macro lens, which I own along with Canon's 70-200 mm 4.0 L lens. I also own a Canon G3, and have accumulated many adapters and macro accessories to go with that unit. My question is can 3rd party glass (Raynox 250-D macroscopic lens or other close-up lenses be used on the front of the Canon 100mm macro without image degradation ? I have a 52mm filter front threaded on the 100mm macro to protect the glass, and then I've tried mounting the Raynox macro on the front of the filter, so experimenting a little bit (not tripod mounted) so I'm just seeking other's input before pursuing further ? Any help will be much appreciated....Mackroe......

[nat869]

If you are worried about the smoke flowing everywhere, you can cool it by funneling the smoke through a tube which is coiled around ice. It should hang closer to the ground then. Which smoke machine did you buy? I bought a cheapie around Halloween last year, but it fried the first time I used it.