AlienBees folding softbox information

The stud that came with my Amvona boom is nickel plated rather than brass. I would assume it's steel under the plating. Any recommendation on the best way to mill one edge without risking rusting issues? (I live in the humid south and rust is a big problem for me.)

I know that milling it will remove the plating on that edge and could start the whole plating to flake off.

Michael

magicmikey wrote in post #3667113
The stud that came with my Amvona boom is nickel plated rather than brass. I would assume it's steel under the plating.

You can easily find out if it's steel. See if a magnet is attracted to the stud. If not, it's likely nickel-plated brass.

For $8.95 you could get one from B&H and have it milled at a local machine shop

::John:: wrote in post #3667127
For $8.95 you could get one from B&H and have it milled at a local machine shop

I'm not sure that spigot would work with the Amvona boom arm. The part of the Amvona stud that goes into the boom arm is over-sized and appears made specifically for their stands.

Thanks,
Michael

SkipD wrote in post #3667120
You can easily find out if it's steel. See if a magnet is attracted to the stud. If not, it's likely nickel-plated brass.

I should have thought of that. I tested and it's definitely steel. Oh well, I'll have to see if the round stud is a problem first and, if so, figure out the best way to deal with it.

Thanks.

magicmikey wrote in post #3667176
I'm not sure that spigot would work with the Amvona boom arm. The part of the Amvona stud that goes into the boom arm is over-sized and appears made specifically for their stands.

Thanks,
Michael

Hmmm - and their website is pretty much crap for trying to find anything, too.

Hi Skip,

I read your post over in the Paul Buff forum and now I'm not all that keen on getting one of these boxes with the existing problems. I'll have to see how things have developed when I'm ready to buy. I don't like that Paul and others are making light (bad pun, I know) of the problems. If he can't take the criticism he shouldn't be in a public forum.

TMR Design wrote in post #3671781
Hi Skip,

I read your post over in the Paul Buff forum and now I'm not all that keen on getting one of these boxes with the existing problems. I'll have to see how things have developed when I'm ready to buy. I don't like that Paul and others are making light (bad pun, I know) of the problems. If he can't take the criticism he shouldn't be in a public forum.

For the rest of this forum, I posted on the Paul Buff forum that I measured an 8-stop (plus a little) difference in the light coming out of their folding softboxes (from the front where you expect it to come out) as related to the slight leakage through the sides. 8 stops is a 1:256 ratio, by the way.

Robert - the result of that measurement tells me that you would probably never see any detrimental effect from the light coming out of the back side of these softboxes.

If a two-stop (a 1:4 ratio) difference in lighting backgrounds can make a very significant change in the relative brightness of the background as compared to the subject, I don't think that a little light - down by 8 stops from the light intended to illuminate a subject - is going to be even measurable. That's especially true when the direction that light going is away from where the softbox is pointed. The shape of the softbox is such that the rear area where the leak occurs is much smaller than the face of the softbox.

Remember that if, for example, you've set the lighting up for an f/11 exposure, eight stops lower is f/0.69 (yes, that's two stops lower than f/1.0).

Hi Skip,

I do understand what all the numbers mean in the real world. I'm just bothered that it's not the only problem and as much as I like Alien Bees products I'm not going to support everythign they make when thre are current problems. My statement about not wanting to buy now is based on the leakage issue as well as the snaps you mentioned. I know one other person that made mention of the snaps too.
These are not REAL problems and I'm sure many are completely happy with the product. My mindset is such that I don't feel great about buying products that know have problems. Regardless of measurement of light being an issue, honestly I want a softbox that has opaque black sides where you can't see the light. It's not even a question of whether it's measureable or contributes. That's just me.
A softbox should isolate and contain the light. AB boxes are the only boxes that I know of with this issue and until it's corrected I have a hard time accepting the design as it is.

I stated clearly in the PCB forum as well that this is not a reflection on my like for the AB products, just as my review and assessment of the barn doors from AB is not a reflection on how much I like the strobes and some other products they make. I would like to see the problems corrected before I buy.

TMR Design wrote in post #3671781
Hi Skip,

I read your post over in the Paul Buff forum and now I'm not all that keen on getting one of these boxes with the existing problems. I'll have to see how things have developed when I'm ready to buy. I don't like that Paul and others are making light (bad pun, I know) of the problems. If he can't take the criticism he shouldn't be in a public forum.

Robert,

I understand your concerns. I am picky about things and am compulsive about having my things be "perfect." That said, I not sure where your aggravation is coming from on this.

To some people, the light leakage is a problem but to others, it's not bothering them at all. Giulio Sciorio, who seems to be a very successful photographer, stated he hadn't even noticed the light leakage and was happy with them.

I agree with you that I would prefer to wait until the second batch of these is produced that should have a more opaque black material but I didn't see Paul making light of the "problem." He said it existed but doubted that it would affect anything. Even Skip said the same.

In this case, I don't think Paul "couldn't take the criticism." I think he thought the harshness of some of the comments were unwarranted. I agree.

He admitted the light leak and said it would be corrected in the future. He also offers, as you know, a satisfaction guarantee so it seems he has done what he can for now. So, why complain that "If he can't take the criticism he shouldn't be in a public forum"?

Michael

magicmikey wrote in post #3673207
Robert,

I understand your concerns. I am picky about things and am compulsive about having my things be "perfect." That said, I not sure where your aggravation is coming from on this.

To some people, the light leakage is a problem but to others, it's not bothering them at all. Giulio Sciorio, who seems to be a very successful photographer, stated he hadn't even noticed the light leakage and was happy with them.

I agree with you that I would prefer to wait until the second batch of these is produced that should have a more opaque black material but I didn't see Paul making light of the "problem." He said it existed but doubted that it would affect anything. Even Skip said the same.

In this case, I don't think Paul "couldn't take the criticism." I think he thought the harshness of some of the comments were unwarranted. I agree.

He admitted the light leak and said it would be corrected in the future. He also offers, as you know, a satisfaction guarantee so it seems he has done what he can for now. So, why complain that "If he can't take the criticism he shouldn't be in a public forum"?

Michael

Hi Mike,

First off, I'm not aggravated at all by any of this. I always research products and don't buy what I don't like or feel meets my need, and do buy what I feel does meet my needs. Whether I'm compulsive or anal about things doesn't matter here. My point is just that if there are issues that need to be corrected then I'll wait until they are corrected. Whether the leakage is a problem or can be measured is also not an issue, just something I've chosen not to deal with.

Honestly, I'm not concerned with other photographers and whether they have a problem with it. If I don't like it then I can say so and not buy the product. Why does that have to be turned into more than it is?

The post that you are referring to was a customer that expressed dissatisfaction. Maybe he didn't say what he wanted to in the way Paul or others wanted to see it but Paul immediately makes the comparison to dpreview and the bashing. That customer was not bashing.

So what if Paul admits there is a problem and says it will be corrrected. I'm still allowed to determine for myself that I don't want to own the product while he's working out the bugs. Why is that a problem for you and why come here to defend him?

With all due respect, it seems that he can say and act as he likes but if someone has anything negative to say about his products that's not acceptable.

I find that to be utter BS and for the sake of this forum I would like to not continue this line of conversation here. If you would like to speak to me about this then send me a Private Message.