Elinchrom or Balcor to Bowens mount.

I am looking at a Mettle Studio Strobe which is a Bowens S Mount and would like to know if its possible to buy an adapter to use light modifiers made for the Elinchrom or AlienBee's strobes.
I have looked but must be missing what I'm looking for.

Its possible to buy adapter rings that fit most speedrings to change from S mount to Elinchrom to AB.
The exception is the Elinchrom modifiers. Apparently they are built so that the adapter ring can not be changed.

The mount on the Mettle lights cannot be changed nor is there an adapter to convert the Mettle's Bowens mount to Elinchrom or anything else. If you were hoping to use Elinchrom Rotalux softboxes/octaboxes on the Mettle, that (for all practical purposes) is not possible either as the Rotalux modifiers have an integral speed ring insert that cannot be changed.

On the up side, the Bowens mount is undoubtedly the most widely used mount of them all. Any modifier that takes a standard speed ring with interchangeable inserts can be adapted for use on the Mettle. All you'd be losing is access to brand-specific modifiers like the Elinchrom deep octa, for example.

Dave F.

tetrode wrote in post #11805739
The mount on the Mettle lights cannot be changed nor is there an adapter to convert the Mettle's Bowens mount to Elinchrom or anything else. If you were hoping to use Elinchrom Rotalux softboxes/octaboxes on the Mettle, that (for all practical purposes) is not possible either as the Rotalux modifiers have an integral speed ring insert that cannot be changed.

On the up side, the Bowens mount is undoubtedly the most widely used mount of them all. Any modifier that takes a standard speed ring with interchangeable inserts can be adapted for use on the Mettle. All you'd be losing is access to brand-specific modifiers like the Elinchrom deep octa, for example.

Dave F.

Are you saying you can't adapt a Bowens speed ring to an Elinchrom modifier mount even by using a go-between adapter like the Kacey Eli adapter? I would think that should work, no, just like you can adapt an AB/Balcar speed ring to an Eli modifier?

PacAce wrote in post #11805890
Are you saying you can't adapt a Bowens speed ring to an Elinchrom modifier mount even by using a go-between adapter like the Kacey Eli adapter? I would think that should work, no, just like you can adapt an AB/Belcar speed ring to an Eli modifier?

Leo, Leo, Leo, you're overlooking my carefully chosen weasel words: "for all practical purposes". Sure, you could bolt a Kacey Elinchrom adapter to a 152mm diameter FLAT Bowens speed ring insert (very rare) and, in so doing, allow a Rotalux modifier to be physically attached to a Bowens mount light (such as the Mettle). Would you want to? Not likely. The thickness of the adapter sandwich is going to place the Mettle's flash tube at the back end of a short tunnel. That, of course, is going to take a toll on light dispersion within the modifier.

If the goal is to use Elinchrom modifiers as they were designed to be used, I would think the best solution is to buy a light that has an Elinchrom compatible accessory mount. If even D-Lites don't fit the budget, there's nothing wrong with the Calumet Genesis lights or Interfit EXD series.

Dave F.

I was looking at the 300W or 600W Mettle AC/DC Strobe HERE. I would also like to use an Alienbee's 51" PLM as seen in this thread if possible.
Since it's obvious dmward, tetrode and PacAce that you all have more experience in lighting than myself, perhaps you could point me in the right direction of an alternative modifier? Thanks again everyone.

elinchrom D lite 4 here http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …G/Elinchrom_EL_​20484.html

alien bees 800 here http://alienbees.com/b​800.html

i would take either strobe over the Mettle both for resale value and modifier availability

tetrode wrote in post #11805974
Leo, Leo, Leo, you're overlooking my carefully chosen weasel words: "for all practical purposes". Sure, you could bolt a Kacey Elinchrom adapter to a 152mm diameter FLAT Bowens speed ring insert (very rare) and, in so doing, allow a Rotalux modifier to be physically attached to a Bowens mount light (such as the Mettle). Would you want to? Not likely. The thickness of the adapter sandwich is going to place the Mettle's flash tube at the back end of a short tunnel. That, of course, is going to take a toll on light dispersion within the modifier.

If the goal is to use Elinchrom modifiers as they were designed to be used, I would think the best solution is to buy a light that has an Elinchrom compatible accessory mount. If even D-Lites don't fit the budget, there's nothing wrong with the Calumet Genesis lights or Interfit EXD series.

Dave F.

Thanks for the clarification, Dave. So, the Eli adapter is really only useful for adapting PCB stobes and others that use the Balcar mount due to the thickness of the Eli adapter? Never thought of it that way but it does make sense since the Balcar mount is the only one I can think of that can be "flattened" to compensate for the thickness of the Kacey Eli adapter.

PacAce wrote in post #11807598
Thanks for the clarification, Dave. So, the Eli adapter is really only useful for adapting PCB stobes and others that use the Balcar mount due to the thickness of the Eli adapter? Never thought of it that way but it does make sense since the Balcar mount is the only one I can think of that can be "flattened" to compensate for the thickness of the Kacey Eli adapter.

Even on an AB light, Leo, the combined thickness of the Kacey adapters will move a Rotalux modifier away from the flashtube though not by very much. This was discussed at some length months ago on FM. Here are photos from that FM thread showing the effect of using the adapters with a 69" Rotalux: