diy saberstrip
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A SaberStrip is a lighting modifier that clips into your speedlight, and gives you a long, thin strip of illumination — but at $135, it’s not the cheapest thing in the world if you just want to play around with light shapes and sizes. So over at DIYPhotography, Owen Harvey came up with a cheap and easy alternative: using a Pringles can, and modifying it into a jury rigged “SaberStrip”.

The build is extremely simple. You cut a long rectangle in the body of the can, then cover the opening with cloth to act as a diffuser. To mount it on the camera, there’s just an appropriately sized hole in the can’s lid — and then some judicious application of gaffer’s tape to make sure the whole thing stays together.

Sure, the light probably isn’t as even or controlled as a real SaberStrip, and a stiff breeze would probably cause the whole thing to collapse. But if you’re just curious about how to use a strip flash, and don’t want to drop more than $100 on something just to play around, it’s a great option.