Firing A Shoe Mount Flash In To A Standard Speed Ring: Solutions?

[TMR Design]

Well, after looking at just about every item available for light stands, flash mounts, umbrella brackets, arms, clamps, etc. I'm not finding a good solution or anything that inspires a DIY for what I want.

I already have a bracket and speed ring that lets me mount and fire a shoe mount Speedlight into a 24" x 32" softbox. This works great but is limiting. The speed ring is plastic and does not give the correct support for a 36" x 48" box and the ring will only accommodate a softbox but not an octabox.

I'd like to be able to take the heavy duty aluminum Photoflex speed ring I have with the 3/8" threaded mounting holes, attach a softbox/octabox and then mount it to a swivel bracket so the weight is carried by the aluminum speed ring, and then have the cold shoe set up on a bracket of some sort that I can adjust for the correct height and position of the flash in the speed ring.

Does anyone know of hardware or a clever way to do this so I can fire a shoe mount Speedlight in to any shape or size modifier?

[TMR Design]

30 views, no comments or suggestions. Me thinks this is going to turn in to a DIY.

[Curtis N]

I know Lotto has done this sort of thing and has posted some shots. Hopefully you can get some ideas from him.

[TMR Design]

Thanks Curtis. I'll take a look around for those threads.

[TMR Design]

Found it.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=444190

[TMR Design]

I wish there were components to just do this easily without machining something. Hmm. Back to the B&H site.

[wilvoeka]

Westcott sells one, but its $249.00.

Heres the link.

http://www.fjwestcott.com/details.cf...l=accessories#

[troymm]

did you see this thread. I posted a pic of what I use on #7

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...84#post5328784

[Lotto]

Come on now, Robert. I know you can bend a simple L bracket For the 36x48 SB, I think the speedlight has to be mounted side way when the box is in vertical position. Even then, it hard to diffuse the hot spot at the center.

[TMR Design]

I've seen the Westcott bracket and there's no way I would buy that. I also find that design to be a bit silly with the Pocket Wizard mounted directly behind the flash. In that configuration the controls and LCD display are partially blocked and it makes it awkward to see or adjust.

I can certainly bend a piece of metal and drill some holes. I was just hoping that I didn't have to do that and could find something that is full adjustable.

[TMR Design]

Originally Posted by Lotto

it hard to diffuse the hot spot at the center.

Have you compared a white interior to a silver one? I'd be curious to see if the silver was slightly more even.

I've also been playing around with different materials (reflective and translucent) to use in the center of the box to more evenly distribute the light and eliminate the center hot spot.

[hawk911]

would this help?

http://www.lastolite.com/ezybox-hotshoe-kits.php

[TMR Design]

Hi Hawk,

It would be great if I was using Ezyboxes

The problem with many of those kits is that there is a plastic speedring and will accept 4 rods or a 4 sided modifier and not an 8 sided octabox. Also, all the components are light and made of light weight materials. If you try to add more weight using a larger modifier than they show or recommend then you're asking for trouble because they do not support the weight properly and are destined to fail or cause a problem.

This is what led me back around to using the heavier Photoflex aluminum ring with the threaded mounting holes. You can mount any size modifier to the speed ring and mount it to a light stand, boom, swivel mount, etc. and there's great stability.

[hawk911]

gotcha. so let us know when you are done on the fab wheel so we can buy your masterpiece.

[TMR Design]

I was in DIY mode today and came up with something simple, functional and relatively easy to fabricate.

I have the aluminum cold shoe's coming tomorrow to replace the scrappy parts I used to prototype my bracket. Once I complete assembly and paint it I'll show some images.

I was going to make it to accommodate a flash with the head rotated vertically but I'll save that for another version if I find I need it.

My primary reason for wanting this bracket/adapter was to be able to use a Speedlight inside an octabox. I'm currently able to fire in to a 24" x 32" softbox and although I have not taken critical measurements I find the light to be fairly even. I know that in an octabox I won't get completely even light but that's ok. I'm willing to accept and work with that in order to have round catch lights when I work outside. To me, it doesn't make sense to be shooting outside during the day and have square catch lights. In the studio I'm fine with it.

Anyway, the bracket I made took a different approach than most. There is no need to attach any hardware to the actual speed ring. I'm taking advantage of the umbrella mounting hole.

What I did was simple. I'm using a 1/2" aluminum rod inserted in to the umbrella mounting hole, with a dimple placed so that when you tighten the thrumbscrew it locks the rod in place so it can't spin or rotate.

I flattened a portion of the rod and mounted a strip of aluminum to it with a cold shoe mounted for the flash, and a second cold shoe a few inches behind it for a Pocket Wizard. Initially I thought that having the PW behind it would block the controls and display but that's not the case. I can still see and operate the controls with no problem.

Once I have pictures this will all make sense but it's quite simple, strong, effective an much better than a single bracket that holds and suspends the flash, speed ring and modifier, and this is also much better than the flimsy flash bracket kits currently being sold.

My design includes the use of a Bogen 2905 umbrella swivel bracket. I haven't tested it with other brackets so the height and position may change. No guarantees of any kind other than with the Bogen bracket.

I'll have images tomorrow.