Trays & Arms - They're all the same?

[Bob01]

Greetings All,

Im looking into getting a tray & arms for my camera (Canon S1). For now I want to use my UK Light Cannon 100 with it for video, and maybe to help with the focusing when taking pictures - I'll get a strobe when I can afford one, or maybe not, if I find I can live with the UK 100.

I found a guy who makes custom Trays & Arms for less than factory made brands. He can make something similar to the attached pictures for me. What would be your opinions on homemade trays & arms? All they do is hold strobes in a position and make it easier to grip your camera - with the exception of the ones that mount lenses? What would be your opinions on the setup in the pictures? - I would have one arm with the UK 100 and if I equip it with the other arm, a strobe.

Thanks

 

[dbh]

IMHO, the weight of a UK100 is too much for a "loc-line" type arm system. I would recommend either Ultralight or Aquatica .

I personally use the Ultralight and am very happy with them. Either should last you a lifetime and be adaptable whenever you upgrade.


Dave

 

[Gilligan]

I built my own setup so as to customize it to my needs and hand size as I can operate it with one hand if necessary. I also wanted it to hold two wet-mount lenses as well as the strobe.

Dave may be right in that the loc-line arm may not be a good choice for the weight of that light. You can try it but keep the arm short to keep it from "flopping" around.

 

[Taxgeek]

Nope, loc-line (the 3/4" size) is just fine. I use loc-line (have two light cannons). HOmemade. Will post more later (hafta get home before the pizza does!), but definitely go with the loc-line if you like the general idea, it works great.

Be aware, however, that the light cannons, with both filters in them, only penetrate usefully about 6" (here in socal anyway). So they're only really useful for macro.

But they work great for that!

I'll write more later, but wanted to give you quick info.
TG

 

[Bob01]

Thanks for the replys!

Wow with 2 Light Cannons, you can only penetrate 6"? Even at 6' that sounds like some chunky water your in ;-) Then again, guess Im just spoiled with the waters in Florida

Look forward to seeing your setup TG.

 

[Taxgeek]

Here are some pics of my setup.

Please excuse the purple pool noodle duct taped to my light cannons - light cannons as you know are extremely negative, so you relaly really need to get some positive buoyancy on them somehow. This is my interim solution until my dad and I can build something more elegant.

There's a shot of the overall rig, a closeup of the dovetail thing my dad machined to attach to the lightcannon, and a shot from above of the typical orientation I use the light cannons in while filming.

I also enclosed a couple of grabs of macro stuff. I have the Inon mounting bracket (visible in picture) and 2 of teh 165 macro lenses, and absolutely love them.

I don't have any grabs of the wide angle stuff showing how well the white balance works, but you just have to trust me, it works spectacularly well. You won't need to fiddle in editing if you white balance alot underwater.

Oh, another tip: when using your light cannon, put the white balance on daylight. That's the one I found worked best. Auto isn't very good I don't think on this camera.

I like the long arms, personally - allows the camera to stand up on a table/workbench, and stand like a tripod on the light cannons. The locline will definitely flop around in air - but it's fine in water unless you're in a REALLY stiff current. I use it in major surge and the only time the light cannons don't stay put is on the way down the anchor line, due to their very buoyant nature (until we get to depth and the pool noodle compresses enough to make them neutrally buoyant). With my eventual new and improved buoyancy devices for them, they will hopefully be neutral at all depths.

One thing to ask the guy you're ordering for -- safety tethers inside the locline. People have on occasion, if you read the posts, had their locline come apart on them from time to time. (Mine never does, in fact it takes two people's strength to get it apart if you want it apart), but we put a stainless steel wire inside to anchor thngs just in case. Also, little holes in the locline to let the water escape faster.

You can see the two holes on the top of my rig too - I had an awesome handle there, for handing the rig up to the boat, but my regular kept catching on it, so bye-bye handle!

 

[_Bella_]

Off topic a bit but taxgeek, I really like your Flabellina shot. Are they usually that blue?

 

[HowardE]

I built my own setup so as to customize it to my needs and hand size as I can operate it with one hand if necessary. I also wanted it to hold two wet-mount lenses as well as the strobe.

Dave may be right in that the loc-line arm may not be a good choice for the weight of that light. You can try it but keep the arm short to keep it from "flopping" around.

You are obviously much more skilled than your namesake... It's a nice rig.

 

[Gilligan]

Bob01,
If you don't want to spend $500 to $600 on an Inon or like strobe you may want to consider the SunPak G-Flash for under $200. or even a pair of them.

You can probably rig them to a loc-line arm.

IMHO strobes are much better for a still camera than the UK light.

 

[Taxgeek]

Hi Gilligan! I remember looking at your setup when planning mine. You use the bayonet mount lenses, right? I have the screw mount ones, and am planning to get some old 67mm filters, knock out the glass, and attach the empty rims to my rig, so I will have a place to screw the wetmount lenses to. For now, I've been shoving them into my hood - not very comfortable!