Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/11/03

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Subject: NOW: Alienbees vs Brocolor was Re: [Leica] success! but help!
From: don.dory at gmail.com (Don Dory)
Date: Fri Nov 3 18:56:22 2006
References: <82c9dd70611031216h75f22b51n29a9e50516b32090@mail.gmail.com> <454BAC95.90805@mcclary.net> <808B5084DD47EDC3ADAD321D@scarborough.isc.org> <9b678e0611031641p26b663c7rd3d90d4e1318427a@mail.gmail.com> <FBE541E469FA54C3D31070ED@hindolveston.reid.org>

Ok, I got the situation.  The fine folk at K&S should have a hot shoe to
light stand adapter so that you can use a boom arm and this articulated
thingee to aim the shot exactly where you want it with the Metz flash.  As
to snooting it, gaffer tape a cone made up of construction paper if you
please but I have had luck with cutting foam core into a square pyramid
using gaffer tape to hold it at the seams.  If you are good with a razor
knife then you can have a rectangular end at the flash and a smallish circle
at the business end to mount a grid designed for a small monolight.

For the cutting of the foam core you start with two measured dimensions, the
circumference of the flash head and the circumference of the grid with the
third dimension whatever feels comfortable for the length of the snoot.  Use
a box cutter set to about hallf the thickness of the foamcore to cut a
number of lines on one side of the foam core starting about a third of the
way from the flash end.  The purpose of scoring the foam core is to
ultimately bend it into a circle around the grid.  You will also have to
score the other end measured to go around the Metz.  This all sounds more
complicated than it really is and if you start with black foamcore it will
even hide the tape so you end up with something that looks like it is
supposed to be at the end of a boom arm and not in a childrens junk drawer.

Another modest proposal is to pick up one of the Morris slave flashes.  They
are small, already have the slave built in, and can easily be mounted via
the built in tripod socket.  Their major downside is the relatively slow
recycle time, possibly five or six seconds.  The one I use most is the
Morris midi slave.

Happy craft projects!

Don
don.dory@gmail.com


On 11/3/06, Brian Reid <reid@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> wrote:
>
>
> > So, obviously the light is going whoop when you need it but can you
> > be somewhat more specifc?
>
> A hair light is suspended behind and above a portrait subject, and needs
> to be aimed very carefully. On a full-size studio light you can use a grid
> or a snoot to restrict the light to the subject's head and upper back. I
> haven't found a way to collimate the output of the Metz into a 10 or
> 15-degree beam. It also isn't easy to attach to the boom; I use Duct tape,
> which isn't rigid and doesn't feel safe.
>
> So I continue to use a Speedotron brownline M11 with a 15-degree grid and
> a neutral-density gel; it's designed for mounting on booms.
>
> To use the Speedotron I have to have a power pack, and a big cable running
> up the boom. The Metz appealed to me because it would be 100% self
> contained, running on batteries. But it just doesn't mount properly in my
> environment.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>

In reply to: Message from faneuil at gmail.com (Eric Korenman) (NOW: Alienbees vs Brocolor was Re: [Leica] success! but help!)
Message from harrison at mcclary.net (Harrison McClary) (NOW: Alienbees vs Brocolor was Re: [Leica] success! but help!)
Message from reid at mejac.palo-alto.ca.us (Brian Reid) (NOW: Alienbees vs Brocolor was Re: [Leica] success! but help!)
Message from don.dory at gmail.com (Don Dory) (NOW: Alienbees vs Brocolor was Re: [Leica] success! but help!)
Message from reid at mejac.palo-alto.ca.us (Brian Reid) (NOW: Alienbees vs Brocolor was Re: [Leica] success! but help!)