EL Octa

Yikes! El Octa and the 231B stand arrived but they refuse to mate!

It looks like the stand is missing a critical piece but the included instructions don't illustrate what pieces are supposed to be included, nor does the MA website, so I'm not certain.

In the attached photo circled in red is a plastic fastener which holds the stud in place. There is a hole on the opposite side of the stand to accomodate a second such fastener (where the red arrow is pointing), but it appears to be missing? Since there is only one fastener on one side, when I attempt to tighten the stud, rather than standing upright, it begins to look like a leaning tower of piza (see photo) and is too unstable for me to attach the strobe to it.

I'm going to contact the manufacturer tomorrow but thought since a few of you have the same stand you might be able to confirm that a second fastener is indeed required, or point me in the right direction if i'm just embarrasingly badly bungling this whole thing...

thank you so much again for your help

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Is that the pin it came with?
If you PM Tetrode (Dave) and ask nicely he will be able to help you.
I know he has this stand
Here is his sweet setup

rab777 wrote in post #10458581
...
In the attached photo circled in red is a plastic fastener which holds the stud in place. There is a hole on the opposite side of the stand to accomodate a second such fastener (where the red arrow is pointing), but it appears to be missing? Since there is only one fastener on one side, when I attempt to tighten the stud, rather than standing upright, it begins to look like a leaning tower of piza (see photo) and is too unstable for me to attach the strobe to it...

Nope, nothing's missing. Here's a photo of the dark side of the sliding arm on my stand:

rab777 wrote in post #10442850
Thanks for replying, glad to know someone has been able to use it with limited height ceilings. Do you happen to have any pics online that you've taken with it?

Sorry to hear about your problems with the stand you ordered. I have mine mounted on an Avenger A5017 stand...with an 18-pound sandbag on each of the three legs!

I used it for the first time to shoot a friend's kids in their dance costumes. Nothing fancy here, but the full-length shot used just the EL Octa for main (and note how there's no light falloff from head to toe) and a reflector opposite it to bounce back a little light for accent lighting. The background in that shot is a Lastolite HiLite with a couple of Dlite-4's in it. The shot with the grey background is only lit with the EL Octa. These aren't the greatest, but it was my first real experiment with it. I have some other things I want to try after I do the mod to the mount.

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rab777 there is only one tightening knob on the arm, comparing your picture to tetrodes it would appear you didn't slide the brass spigot into the arm far enough. try loosening the knob and sliding in your spigot more and re-tightening it. you might also try inverting the spigot if it still doesn't look right. your not missing any parts

mickeyjuice wrote in post #10439037
It's the only EL modifier that's cheaper to buy here

OK, cool, got the midi octa and the deep octa setup. They take a lot of room

Taking them out for a band shoot on Saturday with the Quadras. Should be fun.

You are welcome to share your results in this thread
Ranger RX/Quadra sample thread
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=895901

I just started to save up some cash for either Quadra or Ranger RX Speed AS. The sample thread is going to be expensive for me.

Thanks for the pic and detailed info. It appears they gave me the wrong spigot! It looks similar to yours, but the dimensions and proportions are visibly quite different. Mine seems narrower overall.

With the knob backed all the way out, the spigot drops right in. But if I touch if from either side, even slightly, it wobbles and leans to the opposite side. When I turn the tightening knob, because my spigot is too narrow I suspect, it leans back in the direction of the tightening knob.

Trying to think of a temporary solution that doesn't involve duct tape so that I can use it for a shoot I'm doing this Saturday...

Rand

tetrode wrote in post #10459692
Nope, nothing's missing. Here's a photo of the dark side of the sliding arm on my stand:

I have two sliding arms on my stand and both are identical: knob on one side, threaded hole on the other. With the tightening knob backed all the way out, there should be no obstructions visible in the receiver hole. The spigot should just drop right in. Though unlikely, it is possible that you have a chubbier than standard spigot. I have a few of those myself.

Dave F.

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FJ LOVE wrote in post #10461525
rab777 there is only one tightening knob on the arm, comparing your picture to tetrodes it would appear you didn't slide the brass spigot into the arm far enough. try loosening the knob and sliding in your spigot more and re-tightening it. you might also try inverting the spigot if it still doesn't look right. your not missing any parts

Thanks for the suggestion. My spigot is inserted in the same orientation as Dave's above. I tried inverting it, using the opposite orientation, and it works (i.e. the spigot no longer wobbles), but then it wobbles on the other end where I attach it to the strobe (a Ranger RX A head). It would seem they either gave me the wrong spigot, or I am just bungling this still somehow, so I'm waiting for the lightbulb above my head to go off still...

Rand

Nice pics! Thanks for sharing. I like how the indirection of the light allows them to move around freely and yet still get such even illumination from head to toe like that. Can't wait to try it out.

I'll be using the Octa to shoot a friend's birthday party this weekend if I can get my stand working in time.

sdipirro wrote in post #10460910
Sorry to hear about your problems with the stand you ordered. I have mine mounted on an Avenger A5017 stand...with an 18-pound sandbag on each of the three legs!

I used it for the first time to shoot a friend's kids in their dance costumes. Nothing fancy here, but the full-length shot used just the EL Octa for main (and note how there's no light falloff from head to toe) and a reflector opposite it to bounce back a little light for accent lighting. The background in that shot is a Lastolite HiLite with a couple of Dlite-4's in it. The shot with the grey background is only lit with the EL Octa. These aren't the greatest, but it was my first real experiment with it. I have some other things I want to try after I do the mod to the mount.

rab777 wrote in post #10462301
Thanks for the pic and detailed info. It appears they gave me the wrong spigot! It looks similar to yours, but the dimensions and proportions are visibly quite different. Mine seems narrower overall.

With the knob backed all the way out, the spigot drops right in. But if I touch if from either side, even slightly, it wobbles and leans to the opposite side. When I turn the tightening knob, because my spigot is too narrow I suspect, it leans back in the direction of the tightening knob.

Trying to think of a temporary solution that doesn't involve duct tape so that I can use it for a shoot I'm doing this Saturday...

Rand

YIKES! A headless (or is it footless) spigot! No wonder it doesn't seat properly. I have NEVER seen anything like that. You may have yourself a collector's item.

Dave F.

Marius B wrote in post #10461623
You are welcome to share your results in this thread
Ranger RX/Quadra sample thread
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=895901

I just started to save up some cash for either Quadra or Ranger RX Speed AS. The sample thread is going to be expensive for me.

Yeah, subscribed to that the day it started

tetrode wrote in post #10459692
Jerry, I can't believe you remembered and dredged up that photo of mine.
Dave F.

Hey, I pay attention...
I want that setup as funds allow

The ElOcta is a great modifier. It is my favorite. If I remember right the 74in is measured across the back of the modifier instead of the face.

Ah, I see what you mean. So it is supposed to be symmetrical then? What a crazy fluke! I was rather hoping that I was just overlooking something embarrasingly obvious so that I could eventually get it to work...

tetrode wrote in post #10463561
YIKES! A headless (or is it footless) spigot! No wonder it doesn't seat properly. I have NEVER seen anything like that. You may have yourself a collector's item.

Dave F.

Here are a couple of photos with the 74" octa, lights up a small grouping nicely. I say nicely because they had been dancing and sweaty, and it didn't show through too much.