I think this is a *really* good way to use a PLM V2 with a Canon shoe mount flash; it gets the light stand out of the catchlight and also out of the way.
The umbrella mount on a PocketWizard AC7 RF shield is large enough to accept a 3/8" diameter rod and that's what allows this arrangement to work. Other than the AC7, all this "mod" requires is a 36" long steel rod (Home Depot) and an Avenger D200 or equivalent grip head:
Remove the "positioning" rod from the PLM V2's central shaft and, in its place, insert a 3/8" steel rod. The rod is held in place by a thumbscrew at the umbrella's tip. The excess rod sticking out of the back of the PLM goes into the grip head. Done.
Since I wanted to use an external battery pack, I cut slits in the white 51" PLM and its black outer cover to allow the power cord to pass through to the back side of the umbrella.
The AC7 just slips onto the steel rod:
The above photos show the recommended position of the flash but it can easily be moved to achieve a different effect if desired:
Put the front diffusion cover on the PLM and you've created an ersatz Softlighter:
Finally, the back:
You'll notice that the 3/8" steel rod is seen passing through a 5/8" section of aluminum rod. That's an optional extra feature. The 3/8" rod can go straight into the grip head. The other thing I'll point out is the wedge of Gorilla Tape over the slit in the PLM's back cover. That's there to keep the material from tearing. I had a tailor sew a reinforced buttonhole in the PLM itself.
I performed this experiment on a 51" white PLM V2 because that's what I had on hand. Light output is very good but would no doubt be even better with a silver PLM. I have a 64" silver PLM V2 but think that might be a bit too large for this application. I will give it a try but suspect I'll wind up buying a 51" silver PLM if they ever come off backorder.
Dave F.
