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Chimera System on SB-800 & Elinchrom

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zisiang

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Hi Kent,

Thanks for the advice on chimera softbox and speed-ring setups. As I thinking of posting the configuration chart you mentioned sharing in dpreview, hopefully others might find it useful technically.

I've layouted a simple visual for the setup to be used for SB800 and Elinchrom lightings. I guess the lighting compatibality may vary from diffent manufacturer; needing a different speed ring from chimera.

I was just wondering in MAXI/MINI (softboxes) to be used in the chimera item#2790 speed ring, or other softbox model can also be used in the setting? I have an intention of getting the chimera softboxes after reading some reviews and I've seen kents work :)



Let me know if just in case my visual shows error configuration. Is anybody using the chimera system too? Mind to share some configuration or lighting hardware modification? Thanks for everything.

zisiang
 
i'm planning to use a Sunpak 383 flash with a soft box

from what i read in dp fourm i understood i need this :

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=13827&is=REG

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=135645&is=REG

and a stand
and i have this also

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=50067&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

What I dont understand is how the speed ring and the flash will be attached to the same Bracket

Thanks
 
harpa said:
but i still cannot understand how the spped ring and the flash
connects to one bracket like this
Click to expand...
The speed rings for shoe mount flashes have an extra metal bar that lowers the flash unit so the head of the flash is centered in the ring. The bottom end of the bar has a dead shoe mount onto which the flash is mounted. The umbrella bracket is mounted below this and the whole thing is mounted on the lighting stand.

The only reason for the umbrella adapter is to allow some tilt and swivel movement with the softbox. (With a studio type flash/strobe, a rectangular softbox can easily be rotated – not so with the shoe mount speed ring.)

Here is a link to part of the Chimera catalog. If you look at page 19, the image for speed ring 2795 shows a flash mounted.

http://www.chimeralighting.com/products/downloads/speedrings.pdf

I hope this helps,
Brian A.
 
If you do not have a shoe to lightstand screw adapter, then the umbrella bracket serves that purpose too.

Brian A.
Hugowolf said:
harpa said:
but i still cannot understand how the spped ring and the flash
connects to one bracket like this
Click to expand...
The speed rings for shoe mount flashes have an extra metal bar that
lowers the flash unit so the head of the flash is centered in the
ring. The bottom end of the bar has a dead shoe mount onto which
the flash is mounted. The umbrella bracket is mounted below this
and the whole thing is mounted on the lighting stand.

The only reason for the umbrella adapter is to allow some tilt and
swivel movement with the softbox. (With a studio type flash/strobe,
a rectangular softbox can easily be rotated – not so with the shoe
mount speed ring.)

Here is a link to part of the Chimera catalog. If you look at page
19, the image for speed ring 2795 shows a flash mounted.

http://www.chimeralighting.com/products/downloads/speedrings.pdf

I hope this helps,
Brian A.
Click to expand...
 
No listing for a Metz 54 series... may have to compare it in size to the other flashes mentioned or go with the generic "medium" or "large"

guess I could call/email them for an answer as well.

I was previously under the impression these rings would only work with their smallest softboxes, but that does not appear to be the case!

some softbox hope still for those with out real strobes yet!

--
Stuart Allen
http://www.srallen.com/
 
harpa said:
So the 2620 speedring works with the Photoflex LiteDome Q39
Softbox, White Interior for Flash Only - Medium - 24x32" (61x81cm)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=135645&is=REG

or the large version
Click to expand...
I have only used an el cheapo softbox so far, but have been seriously thinking about getting a Photoflex softbox. The main problem with a larger softbox would be balance. The shoe mount speed rings place the softbox in a less balanced postion than it would be on a studio monolight - for a larger softbox you would need a light stand with a good leg spread.

Brian A.
 
Hi all,

Kent, the diagram shows presizely the configuration setup and the chimera items needed. Thanks a lot man!

Do you personally use a chimera MAXI/MINI, or some other softboxes in the SB-800 configuration?

Now I guess bigger (almost any available size) softboxes can fit in almost any strobe(flash unit). I'm glad more options for setting up the lightings can be found in this forum.

zisiang
 
... a stand with extra arm and counterweight wil do the job?

What do you think ?
 
... this will work with any speedring or only with the small one for small softboxes ?
 
I guess any size of the softbox is positive (must be compatible with the speedring setup). However, depending on the light source output power, larger softbox needs stronger lighting most of the time.

Perhaps, a small or medium softbox is suitable for the SB-800 or other TTL-hotshoe configuration.

Umbrella sounds interesting :)

zisiang
 
Im going to raise this thread from the dead. So did anyone confirm that a chimera 2620 with a sb-800 would fit a photoflex medium sb? I am planning on using any number of sb-600s so this information would be valuable.
 
It would be nice to see if this is doable.

A lot of us are not to the point where we can buy monolights yet, myself included, and we still want the quality of light that comes with a softbox.

boucning a flash into an umbrella just doesn't have the appeal as the light I've seen thrown from a SB.

If there is a way to get acceptable results with a medium sized SB powered by a hotshoe flash.. lets see it!

--
Stuart Allen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/srallen/
http://www.srallen.com/
 
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