Rotalux Grids: Start saving but don't hold your breath

For my fellow Elinchromians interested in the progress of the Rotalux grid saga, have a gander at the following. I just received this from Steve Pilby of Lighttools in response to an inquiry I sent earlier today:

Hi David,
We have a recent licensing agreement with Elinchrome and they will be making one model Soft Egg Crate for their Rotalux softboxes. We will make all of the cell sizes for all of their box sizes including Stretch frames for the largest sizes.

However we are waiting for a shipment of the sample box sizes from Elinchrom in order to custom size the Lighttools to fit.
I expect we will receive these by April 1st 2010.

Please let us know if we can help further.

Pricing will be similar to the pricing for Lighttools to fit the Chimera product. I will attach that price list.

Best Regards,
Stephen Pilby

I'm sure they'll be excellent once they're released (which looks to be no time soon) but, looking at the Chimera price list, I also know they'll be too pricey for me to consider

Dave F.

Thanks for the heads up! I think I may go the Photoflex route for a softbox with grid.

Thanks Dave. It looks like we are slowly getting closer to having grids for our Elinchrom modifiers but the cost will certainly be prohibitive.

I'm thinking of trying something like this:

For instance.... I want to get the Elinchrom Rotalux 35.5" x 43" softbox. If I buy the hooded diffuser and a Photoflex grid for the 36" x 48" softbox, I can trim the appropriate number of rows off 2 sides (1 on the short side and 3 from the long end) and either sew new velcro on or possibly remove the velcro from the sides that have been cut and sew them to the newly exposed edges. I don't know if the inner edge of the hooded diffuser has velcro but if not then I can add velcro around the inside.

It's a little bit of work but overall much less expensive than the proposed Lightools pricing.

Does anyone see anything I'm missing or a reason why this mod couldn't be done?

TMR Design wrote in post #9493731
I'm thinking of trying something like this:

For instance.... I want to get the Elinchrom Rotalux 35.5" x 43" softbox. If I buy the hooded diffuser and a Photoflex grid for the 36" x 48" softbox, I can trim the appropriate number of rows off 2 sides (1 on the short side and 3 from the long end) and either sew new velcro on or possibly remove the velcro from the sides that have been cut and sew them to the newly exposed edges. I don't know if the inner edge of the hooded diffuser has velcro but if not then I can add velcro around the inside.

Does anyone see anything I'm missing or a reason why this mod couldn't be done?

Rob, your Photoflex mod sounds really interesting. I own that same Elinchrom SB and the mod will definitely be easier to do than whole DIY grid.
I have not seen how Photoflex grid looks but I sure will find out as the price difference is so big.
I dont really see any problems if you cut that .5 inch from one or two rows.
Also that 5 inches can be cut from 3 rows or so. I think 40 degree grid cell size is about 2x2 inches. It is so big SB that if one cell size is a bit different from others, you wont even see that in light quality

Do you really need hooded diffuser?

Semmonka wrote in post #9495365
Rob, your Photoflex mod sounds really interesting. I own that same Elinchrom SB and the mod will definitely be easier to do than whole DIY grid.
I have not seen how Photoflex grid looks but I sure will find out as the price difference is so big.
I dont really see any problems if you cut that .5 inch from one or two rows.
Also that 5 inches can be cut from 3 rows or so. I think 40 degree grid cell size is about 2x2 inches. It is so big SB that if one cell size is a bit different from others, you wont even see that in light quality

Do you really need hooded diffuser?

I think it definitely could work and I don't see a problem if the edge row or rows aren't exact.

The only reason why I mention the hooded diffuser is because without it there's no way to attach the grid. Remember, Elinchrom modifiers have a flush front and I can't think of a way to velcro the grid to the box without the diffuser which provides a recessed edge for mounting.

TMR Design wrote in post #9495395
I think it definitely could work and I don't see a problem if the edge row or rows aren't exact.

The only reason why I mention the hooded diffuser is because without it there's no way to attach the grid. Remember, Elinchrom modifiers have a flush front and I can't think of a way to velcro the grid to the box without the diffuser which provides a recessed edge for mounting.

I didnt know that the grid goes inside the box. Do you think it does not work if you sew velcro on the edge of SB and attach it there? Of course that way outer diffuser can not be used

Semmonka wrote in post #9495541
I didnt know that the grid goes inside the box. Do you think it does not work if you sew velcro on the edge of SB and attach it there? Of course that way outer diffuser can not be used

Are you familiar with Elinchrom modifiers? There is no edge that you can use. You either need to use the hooded diffuser or build your own frame that goes around the outside of the box. Typically, grids are installed inside the leading edge of the softbox and in front of the outer diffusion panel.

That's an interesting idea, Robert, although the Photoflex grids aren't exactly cheap either. For my Elinchrom 39" deep octa, I have the hooded diffuser already and could try something similar if anyone knows of a fabric grid that would approximately fit just inside.

sdipirro wrote in post #9497764
That's an interesting idea, Robert, although the Photoflex grids aren't exactly cheap either. For my Elinchrom 39" deep octa, I have the hooded diffuser already and could try something similar if anyone knows of a fabric grid that would approximately fit just inside.

As far as I know, there are no 'cheap' grids. Photoflex makes one of the least expensive grids on the market and they are of excellent quality. A Photoflex grid that costs about $100 would cost more than twice that from Chimera or another quality brand.

The only box and grid I know of that may work 'as is' would be the Elinchrom 24" x 31.5" and the Photoflex 24" x 32" grid. All others would need a modification to resize the grid.

sdipirro wrote in post #9497764
That's an interesting idea, Robert, although the Photoflex grids aren't exactly cheap either.

That was my first thought too. Though we don't have many options. I mean if lighttools is that expensive... that pretty much prices a large portion out of the market. Which stinks. I know they aren't easy to manufacter, but they can't be this damned difficult...

When you install the hooded diffuser on the 39" deep octa, it's recessed quite a bit from the edge...Maybe as much as 6"...The grid for the Photoflex small octadome is 36", and that's close enough that I should try measuring the inside of the deep octa with the hooded diffuser installed to see the minimum diameter. I suspect the grid will still be too small, but it's worth checking.

TMR Design wrote in post #9497382
Are you familiar with Elinchrom modifiers?

Sure I am.
Im going to order few grids and when Im done with my mod, I´ll post some pics. I have few ideas, one with hooded diffuser and one without it. I cant really put them into words so you just have to wait for the pics

Semmonka wrote in post #9502391
Sure I am.
Im going to order few grids and when Im done with my mod, I´ll post some pics. I have few ideas, one with hooded diffuser and one without it. I cant really put them into words so you just have to wait for the pics

Cool! I can't wait to see what you have in mind.

sdipirro wrote in post #9498086
When you install the hooded diffuser on the 39" deep octa, it's recessed quite a bit from the edge...Maybe as much as 6"...The grid for the Photoflex small octadome is 36", and that's close enough that I should try measuring the inside of the deep octa with the hooded diffuser installed to see the minimum diameter. I suspect the grid will still be too small, but it's worth checking.

Definitely worth checking. Let us know what you find!