Odds & Ends Shopping - Advice Needed

[ddt0725]

Hello all,


I am in the middle of putting together my "odds & ends" list of things I need to buy and I have a few questions ...


1. Canon Tripod Mount Ring D - $199.95!!! Please tell me there is something cheaper out there that will work just as well with my 100mm f/2.8L IS lens! I want to be able to use my tripod with a flash bracket attached.

2. I have all the various M-#'s Wimberley brackets for macro and telephoto but am thinking of getting the M-7 Flash Flipper -does anyone use this & if so, does it work ok for you? I find the Wimberley macro set-up pretty cumbersome and heavy but yet it gets the job done. Or should I just get the Manfrotto 233B Camera Mount Flash Bracket? Can you still attach the camera to your tripod using it or do I need to buy something else? I have the PU-60 attached to my camera and I have an Wimberley M-8 perpendicular plate.

3. Acratech Universal "L" Bracket - Can this still be used with a battery grip (if I decide to get one)?


4. I am still considering getting the Canon Macro twin lite flash. It is the Adapter 67 I would need to get, correct? Also, someone on Amazon mentioned the lens cap that came with the lens (E67U) won't work then & I would need the E-58U lens cap. Does anyone know for sure that this is true? ERRR...there is so much, if you buy this, you will need that!

5. I still need to purchase a filter for my 85mm f/1.8 lens that I just bought. I'm going to get a UV filter but I am also considering an ND filter for it and for my other lenses. I've never bought or used an ND filter before. Would a B+W ND 0.9-8x filter be good for the 85mm and 17-55mm lensand 0.6-4x for my 24-105mm & 100-400mm lenses?

6. Lumodi Beauty Dish - Good choice? Bad choice? Any others (in that price range) you would recommend for Canon flash?


Ok, that's enough questions for one night! [:P] Thank you so very, very much in advancefor any advice you can provide.


Denise

P.S. Oops...one last question, is the sun ever going to shine and is it ever going to warm up in Wisconsin???!!! I had to turn my heat on in MAY! [st] [8o|][um]

[Tim]

P.S. Oops...one last question, is the sun ever going to shine and is it ever going to warm up in Wisconsin???!!! I had to turn my heat on in MAY! [img]/emoticons/emotion-37.gif[/img] [img]/emoticons/emotion-39.gif[/img][img]/emoticons/emotion-35.gif[/img]

Nope, you can thank global warming for that.

[neuroanatomist]

Hi Denise,


1. Yeah, that's pretty outrageous, 'eh? All of the Canon tripod rings are like that ($150 for the ring that fits the 70-200mm f/4L's and 200mm f/2.8L. I've seen 3rd party equivalents for those others, haven't looked for the Mount Ring D ring, but if they're not there yet, they will be soon. The question is, would you trust $2500-3000 worth of gear to be supported by a $30 aftermarket part?


2. I have the Manfrotto 233B bracket - it's pretty nice and quite flexible in terms of flash positioning (I added aGiottosMH1004 mini ball head to which I mount the flash end of the OC-E3). The 233B does have a female tripod mount on the bottom (a reversible piece, with both 1/4" and 3/8" threads). Personally, I attach a QR plate to the bottom of the bracket so I can easily mount camera+bracket to a tripod.


3. No idea.


4. Yes, you'd need the adapter 67. Since that 'converts' the front to a 58mm diameter, you'd need the 58mm cap. I'm not sure how well it would grip since the adapter doesn't have front threads - but it looks like it has a 'lip' the 58mm lens cap will mount to. If you want to use a UV filter on the lens for protection, you'd use a 67mm filter (non-slim) mounted to the lens, then attach the adapter 67 onto the front threads of the filter.


5. A 3-stop (0.9/8x) ND filter works very well for the EF 85mm f/1.8 for outdoor portrait-type shots (where you want wide aperture for thin DoF). It also works just fine on the other lenses for longer exposures (e.g. blurring moving water). I recommend against getting a 2-stop (0.6/4x) filter - if your goal is to reduce light, you're already down at ISO 100. There's no meaningful difference in IQ/noise between ISO 100 and ISO 200, so if for some reason the 3-stop filter is too much, you can bump the ISO one stop to make up the difference. Personally, I went with all 77mm filters, and step-up rings (58-77, 67-77, 72-77). The 58mm filters are much cheaper than 77mm, so you could probably get a 58mm ND, too - but the step up works fine (precludes the hood), though it looks a little odd!


6. No idea.


Good luck!


--John

[ddt0725]

Thank you so much for your help, John. I am so glad I posted this before ordering anything! You are right about trusting my lens being attached to anything other than the D ring and it is definitely worth the extra $$. Also, thanks much for the info on the filters and what to use for the bracket.

Denise

[Sean Setters]

As you know, I have a Lumodi...and I love what it can do. I haven't used it in a while because I've been playing around with the monolight (And I usually have it on a boom--and for that, I have to use my heavy-duty stand. Unfortunately, I only have one heavy-duty lightstand available to me at the moment...and it's recently been holding up the monolight!)


I have 3 Lumodis (two larger dishes, one of the smaller ones). Would you like to borrow my oldest to try it out before you buy?

[ddt0725]

As you know, I have a Lumodi...and I love what it can do. I haven't used it in a while because I've been playing around with the monolight (And I usually have it on a boom--and for that, I have to use my heavy-duty stand. Unfortunately, I only have one heavy-duty lightstand available to me at the moment...and it's recently been holding up the monolight!)


I have 3 Lumodis (two larger dishes, one of the smaller ones). Would you like to borrow my oldest to try it out before you buy?
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Sure, Sean

I was looking at getting the 14" one on ebay and using my LumoPro 6' stand.

I am wondering if I will like it better than using my Alzo Mini Softbox or Westcott White Satin 43" Umbrella ...or if I will notice no real difference.

Denise

[Sean Setters]

You'll likely notice a difference. Ok, just email me at "my name smooshed together" at gmail.com. My older one is one of the first dishes they made, and they hadn't quite figured out which paint stuck the best (so it's flaked a little bit). However, my newest one is flawless. Love it. It even has a Titanium finish (instead of the original silver) that gives it a slightly warmer tone.

[Keith B]

6. Lumodi Beauty Dish - Good choice? Bad choice? Any others (in that price range) you would recommend for Canon flash?

I think the shots Sean have posted with the Lumodi are great, but I just wanted to throw this out there, the light is not like a traditional beauty dish. The closest (not exact either) I've found to a beauty dish is the 36" Photok Softlighter with the included silver insert. It give a nice specular highlight with a soft gradient shadow, with out the spot like light fall off.


If you are basing it on Sean's shots you will be stoked on the Lumodi. I have a similar dish I built from the same specs as the Lumodi and I like it. It is just different light.

[ddt0725]

I think the shots Sean have posted with the Lumodi are great, but I just wanted to throw this out there, the light is not like a traditional beauty dish. The closest (not exact either) I've found to a beauty dish is the 36" Photok Softlighter with the included silver insert. It give a nice specular highlight with a soft gradient shadow, with out the spot like light fall off.


If you are basing it on Sean's shots you will be stoked on the Lumodi. I have a similar dish I built from the same specs as the Lumodi and I like it. It is just different light.

Thanks, I will have to look more into the 36" Photok Softlighter, right off I see it is cheaper than the Lumodi. I am in the extreme learning stages when it comes to this. As much as I do love all of Sean's work, I know I will never be that good no matter what I use. I just really enjoy experimenting with various lighting techniques.

[Keith B]

The Photoeks are my favorites. I have the 60" and the 36". The 36" with the inserts have reduced my desire for AC lights and a power pack since the light is so close to a beauty dish.