What? No chatter about Rob Galbraith's PLM review?

Posted yesterday:

http://www.robgalbrait​h.com …age.asp?cid=7-10046-10396

Don't worry PCB fans. It's a rave.

Dave F.

Thanks to Rob...now I actually know a bit more about how to use mine

It's pretty much what I expected. From everything I've seen, the PLM looks like it produces a great quality of light and offers fantastic coverage.

In time we'll see how durable they are and how they gold up from normal to excessive use.

If PCB does come out with a version with 7mm shaft I'd give one a try.

TMR Design wrote in post #9225113
...If PCB does come out with a version with 7mm shaft I'd give one a try.

As would I, Rob. However, Galbraith's article makes it sound as if the 7mm version's ETA is indefinite and some time in 2010. What happened to the 90 days PCB estimated a week ago?

Dave F.

I won't be holding my breath on it Dave. I'm sure that using Elinchrom's secondary umbrella mount or a standard umbrella adapter would work fine. We do drive ourselves crazy about having the flash tube perfectly aligned with the axis of the umbrella but in reality and with larger modifiers it's not as crucial as some think it is. I can't imagine using an umbrella adapter and tilting the strobe slightly to direct it towards the center of the umbrella is much different from the Alien Bees umbrella mount which isn't centered anyway.

Now that they sell them here in Oz, it just might be me...

Rudi wrote in post #9225434
Now that they sell them here in Oz, it just might be me...

Always good to reply to something that then gets deleted...

What stood out to me is how close the 64" silver version compared to the 86" silver version in most aspects. Looks like the 64" silver is the best bang for the buck.

Durability wouldn't even be a concern to me. It's still an umbrella and will probably hold up as well as umbrella's do. I consider the Photek Softlighter in the umbrella family and it's durability certainly isn't anything to write home about...yet it's a popular choice.

And shame on Elinchrom for their idiotic 7mm shaft restriction.

I wonder how the silver PLM is constructed. Like how the Elinchrom Octas are or like the silver umbrella I got with their Digibee kit, i.e. something that looks like a white umbrella that was spray painted silver?

I really like the soft silver finish of the Lastolite umbrellas, I hope it's more like that...

I didn't think the comparison w/ a softbox was valid because he used it at 25' instead of within 2x diagonal. And no comparisons w/ the softlighter?
The rest of the review is pretty informative and it looks like a great way to light up large groups (wedding formals, teams, etc.)...

A Buff PLM will definitely be in my future if they do a 7mm shaft version.

And, while I agree that it would have been better if Elinchrom had designed their strobes to accept a more standard 8mm shaft, that didn't stop Photek from designing a Softlighter II with a supposed 8mm shaft that is really a bit smaller and fits Elinchrom heads just fine (though, a bit snugly).

Paul Buff could have easily gone with a shaft that fits Elinchrom snugly, yet still fits every other head too. Let's face it, the Elinchrom 7mm hole was around long before Buff started selling the PLM.

Mark

Rudi wrote in post #9225484
Always good to reply to something that then gets deleted...

Are you sure you weren't just talking to yourself

http://www.fredmiranda​.com …pic/805037/16#l​astmessage

plm v2 is expected out in march. i am still patient about this product as i know it will be a very big game changer.

Wow that sports setup with three of the silver ones is high speed! Obviously not for use on breezy days...