Photek Softligther II

I think Photek should give me coupled umbrellas as courtesy

I've been saying the same about Elinchrom giving me a piece of the action.. LOLOL

TMR Design wrote in post #11296069
I've been saying the same about Elinchrom giving me a piece of the action.. LOLOL

Show us the luuuvvvvvv

No love for us Alejandro.

TMR Design wrote in post #11295035
This is true and even though there is a version of the SL5000 intended for use with a Speedlight or hot shoe flash, it places the flash head way off center.

Myself and others have created various custom brackets to get the job done correctly. There are people that have rigged up components that are readily available too.

This is one of my many brackets that will keep the flash head on the axis of the umbrella and fit nicely into the center sock.

As you can see, this is very simple. I bent a piece of 1/8" aluminum, created a slot to adjust the flash vertically and put a spigot on the bottom.

Wow TMR, that is genius! Simple yet effective. I guess I have to start browsing some welding and fabrication forums to learn how to bend & drill through plates... or maybe find one at Home Depot

XxDJCyberLoverxX wrote in post #11296333
Wow TMR, that is genius! Simple yet effective. I guess I have to start browsing some welding and fabrication forums to learn how to bend & drill through plates... or maybe find one at Home Depot

1/8" aluminum can bent by hand or with the use of a vise. That bracket I'm showing only has one bend so it's ultra simple. Drilling aluminum is also very easy, as it's a soft metal and very easy to remove material. A medium fine file will make everything smooth and you're good to go.

If you don't want to attempt the slot for adjustment then you can drill a few holes in what you would consider 'usable' positions for your Speedlight or other hot shoe flashes.

Oh yeah, I also placed a small padded wedge under the flash head for support. This way the entire weight of the flash isn't on the foot and joint between foot and shoe.

If you're a Canon shooter, there's a good off-the-shelf mounting solution available in the form of the PocketWizard AC7 RF shield:

Hi Dave,

If it weren't for the fact that the AC7 was made as a fix to the RF nightmare, that would be great to market as an umbrella mount .

wow, great solution for mounting a speedlite into this! Its a shame Ive dropped so much money the last couple days already, this will have to go on my want list!

tetrode wrote in post #11296572
If you're a Canon shooter, there's a good off-the-shelf mounting solution available in the form of the PocketWizard AC7 RF shield:

Dave F.

the AC7 works perfect for this... does anyone have a photo of a Softlighter II on an Alien Bee 800 with the standard reflector, will the sock fit around it?

Also, in the literature on Adorama (which sells these for only $59 btw) they mention: "Best of all. After inserting the SOFTLIGHTER into the flash head, the bottom portion of the shaft is removable, allowing the unit to get as close to the subject as possible."

Is the shaft two parts?

KurtGoss wrote in post #11296958
...Is the shaft two parts?

It most certainly is. 12" worth of shaft can be unscrewed:

KurtGoss wrote in post #11296958
the AC7 works perfect for this... does anyone have a photo of a Softlighter II on an Alien Bee 800 with the standard reflector, will the sock fit around it?

Also, in the literature on Adorama (which sells these for only $59 btw) they mention: "Best of all. After inserting the SOFTLIGHTER into the flash head, the bottom portion of the shaft is removable, allowing the unit to get as close to the subject as possible."

Is the shaft two parts?

Yes. it will. However, you must do it carefully. The reflector needs to be put on the inside of the sock and then attach the reflector, insert the umbrella, and install the sock. Let's not speak of how melty my sock is.....took me a while to figure this out.

cant wait to get my hands on this thing. Any suggestions for us BEE users

yes... would love to see a pic of the softligher II attached to a Alien Bees strobe

Give me a day or so and I can maybe help. lol