Thanks for the link to Bruce Dorn's site. lots of useful tools there! I especially liek the collapsible softbox ring.
but the Dorn "triple threat" you say that Eastwood is using places Speedlight flash heads a lot farther from the axis than I thought it did. http://tinyurl.com/dorn-triplethreat
if someone came up with a non-cumbersome way to reverse the mounting so the flash heads were next to the shaft we'd really be on to something.
E-Vener wrote:
if someone came up with a non-cumbersome way to reverse the mounting so the flash heads were next to the shaft we'd really be on to something.
When I used 285HVs I hot glued an old bracket knob to the flash head on which a 5/8" stud could be threaded:
E-Vener wrote:
if someone came up with a non-cumbersome way to reverse the mounting so the flash heads were next to the shaft we'd really be on to something.
If I had an afternoon free I could fabricate something out of sheet metal but I don't see having any free time for that sort of thing any time soon. Maybe someone else here could though...
Paul Buff wrote:
Everyone here says Stephen Eastwood is the dream tester. But in his test above he used 580EXs in it, and broke the shaft.
I wouldn't say he's a dream tester but he has experience w/ lots of different modifiers and is one of the few people that actually owns one of those huge $8-10K parabolics (broncolor I think?). Not sure why he was playing w/ speedlights with it but it's interesting for those of us who want to use the smaller PLM as a more robust softlighter alternative...I'd suspect he was tinkering when the shaft broke well.
He's not a methodical tester like Jim on that strobist thread or Ellis...
good idea guys, but I'm thinking the right approach will either involve a velcro patch or epoxy and a cold shoe "foot" attached to the top of the head. With the Canon Speedlights the wireless TTL control receiver is on the front of the flash and has to more or less face the master or ST-2 transmitter., so the body of the flash will need to rotate.
E-Vener wrote:
if someone came up with a non-cumbersome way to reverse the mounting so the flash heads were next to the shaft we'd really be on to something.
nope. that is okay for dumb flashes but for slaved TTL controlled smart ones you need to have the the built in receiver pointing more or less at the transmitter or the master on the camera.
Just wonder why nobody not even ask mount PLM to AlienBees ring light? Paul Buff ring light has great central umbrella adapter and modeling light, I think it will be ideal combo cause of wide beam of ring lite and all central position, I have Bron ring flash with umbrella adapter which I did by myself, waiting for my PLM to test it.
E-Vener wrote:
nope. that is okay for dumb flashes but for slaved TTL controlled smart ones you need to have the the built in receiver pointing more or less at the transmitter or the master on the camera.
that's not the case if you're using the radio poppers or the PW flex systems though, correct?
kenyee wrote:
I wouldn't say he's a dream tester but he has experience w/ lots of different modifiers and is one of the few people that actually owns one of those huge $8-10K parabolics (broncolor I think?). Not sure why he was playing w/ speedlights with it but it's interesting for those of us who want to use the smaller PLM as a more robust softlighter alternative...I'd suspect he was tinkering when the shaft broke well.
He's not a methodical tester like Jim on that strobist thread or Ellis...
Rob Galbraith is the most meticulous I know. He just received PLMs and ABs so I'm sure you can expect a complete evaluation soon. Also, I have a new ad person who has a large studio space in Nashville. I will working with Kerrie next week to generate every shot and spec imaginable, including mannequin poses, etc.
Off topic, the 22R High Output is in production and I am thrilled with the results - be posting or linking these too.
bugaglo wrote:
Just wonder why nobody not even ask mount PLM to AlienBees ring light? Paul Buff ring light has great central umbrella adapter and modeling light, I think it will be ideal combo cause of wide beam of ring lite and all central position, I have Bron ring flash with umbrella adapter which I did by myself, waiting for my PLM to test it.
The ring light won't work properly with PLM because it has a focused reflector. If it was fitted with something like a big Mr Coffee filter to widen the emission angle it would work well.
I don't have the radiopoppers so I can't answer that.
With the Pocketwizard TTL system each flash needs it's own FlexTT5 transceiver ( found this out testing a multi speedlight set up last week and confirmed with Canon and Pocketwizard) .. That adds an extra $ 200+ per speedlight. OUCH!
Paul Buff wrote:
Rob Galbraith is the most meticulous I know. He just received PLMs and ABs so I'm sure you can expect a complete evaluation soon. Also, I have a new ad person who has a large studio space in Nashville. I will working with Kerrie next week to generate every shot and spec imaginable, including mannequin poses, etc.
Off topic, the 22R High Output is in production and I am thrilled with the results - be posting or linking these too.
Paul. YOu mean the 22 beauty dish right? Exciting!!
Paul Buff wrote:
The ring light won't work properly with PLM because it has a focused reflector. If it was fitted with something like a big Mr Coffee filter to widen the emission angle it would work well.
So the ABR/ Zeus Ringlight diffuser won't work?
Also I have my doubts about the umbrella insert being able to reliably support the big PLM especially out doors
E-Vener wrote:
So the ABR/ Zeus Ringlight diffuser won't work?
Also I have my doubts about the umbrella insert being able to reliably support the big PLM especially out doors
Yeah, I recall the umbrella insert being kind of flimsy. But besides the strength and built-in reflector issues, I wouldn't want to use an ABR with the PLMs, indoor or outdoors. It's just too big, clumsy, and poorly made to want to mount it on anything less than a cine crank stand. ABs can easily survive a crash, but the ABR would probably snap the mount and the flash tubes.
I just ordered a Dynalite pencil head to test with, I'm hoping it'll work pretty well with the PLM and will offer an ultra-lightweight solution for outdoor use.
Thanks for the link to Bruce Dorn's site. lots of useful tools there! I especially liek the collapsible softbox ring.
but the Dorn "triple threat" you say that Eastwood is using places Speedlight flash heads a lot farther from the axis than I thought it did. http://tinyurl.com/dorn-triplethreat
if someone came up with a non-cumbersome way to reverse the mounting so the flash heads were next to the shaft we'd really be on to something.
Good idea. But only practical if you put diffusion nylon on the strobes and move them into the focal point. Even then they don't form a single point-source close to the PLM axis so the purity of the focused beam will suffer. Buff lights are a single point 2.25" off axis. with 180° even beam with the 7" PLM reflector. Without the 7" reflector the beam is about 220° - PLM works well this way, but with a bit of side spill.
The slight off axis doesn't mess up the pattern - it just skews it a little off the umbrella shaft axis. Best workaround indoors is to sight the pattern with the modeling lamps. Outdoors, shoot and adjust.
