Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

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Sun Feb 12, 2012 9:24 pm

Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 5:00 pm
Posts: 30

Does anyone know which third party speedrings this 152mm insert will fit ?

http://www.kaceyenterprises.com/?page_id=1023

I'm having a very tough time finding third party speed rings that fit well with my Einsteins. After spending considerable time researching the Balcar mount I've come to the conclusion that the "standard" is a serious mess. Most speedrings which claim to be compatible with the Einstein do not allow the fingers to completely close and lock. This is not an acceptable solution for me given that I have to boom large modifiers over valuable products. I require the fingers to be in the completely locked position and I do not want to resort to rubber bands, straps, or any other home made solution that I've seen on the Internet.

I have the PCB foldable softboxes which fit well but I need additional sizes that PCB does not offer. Hence the requirement for a well fitting third party speedring. It seems that Photoflex, Chimera, and Creative Light speedrings do not allow Einstein fingers to completely close. I've read that even the PCB LGSR doesn't really fit the Einsteins properly. Most people who believe that they fit well are not actually aware that the fingers are not actually locked. It's ok for lighter modifers. However, with heavier ones you are at risk of having them fall off.

The Kacey insert that I posted above seems like it will have a good fit with the Einstein fingers. However, it appears that there is no standard size for the the third party speedring inserts. Speedring insert diameter requirements can start from 140mm and go all over the map.

I own three Bowens Quick Rings with the SP insert. This seems to fit ok but does not take an octabox. They give you 7 holes but refuse to give you the 8th. I'm aware that people have drilled out one of the holes (more home remedies) to make it to fit. I prefer to just have a solution that works off the shelf without resorting to DIY solutions.

My request is simple. I would like a speedring (preferably QR) for third party modifiers that fits properly with the Einsteins, one of the most popular strobes on the market. Why is this so hard ?

BTW, If PCB could produce one properly fitting speedring for the Einstein, which has quick release, and can take third party octa / strip / softboxes it would save your customers some serious headaches. There's a ton of demand for something like this and not everyone is comfortable with DIY solutions. Even with the latest v2.1 Einstein fingers customers are still experiencing modifiers falling off due to improperly fitting speedrings. It would be impossible for PCB (the company) to enforce manufacturing tolerances on third party manufacturers. However, the company can produce a properly fitting speedring, built to proper tolerances, that you can recommend to your customers that use third party modifiers. From my understanding, it's much easier to ensure proper fit from softbox poles to the speedring than it is to ensure tight tolerances for the Balcar insert to the Einstein fingers. There's a lot of variance from the 0.25" flange height and 3.5" opening diameter.




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Mon Feb 13, 2012 12:36 pm

Site Admin
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2009 10:43 am
Posts: 5266

The one shown looks very much like our LGSR. However, it is not necessary to have the levers go all the way back in order to hold the modifiers in place. If you are having problems, you may need to give a call to discuss this matter in more detail.




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Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:39 pm

Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 1:19 pm
Posts: 164

ventana wrote:
Does anyone know which third party speedrings this 152mm insert will fit ?

http://www.kaceyenterprises.com/?page_id=1023


Those Kacey 152mm AB inserts work PERFECTLY with this type of ring:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Speed-Ring-Meta ... 614wt_1181

I purchased a batch of five of those outer rings (without inserts) from Oeccamera for $10 each for use with the Kacy AB adapters. The combination works brilliantly.

The three images on the Kaceyenterprises product page are photos of one of my Einsteins and the Oeccamera speedring.

Dave F.




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Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:28 pm

Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:42 pm
Posts: 3

Ventana, Thank you for bringing this issue up. I'm in the middle of deciding whether or not to purchase a pair of Einsteins as my first set of studio lights. This issue has certainly been one of my biggest concerns.

Tetrode, Thank you for providing additional information on a verified/working ring with Kacey's 152mm AB inserts. Will the speed ring you linked work with Creative Light softboxes? Or better yet do you know of any other speedrings that will support the 152mm insert?

With this information I'll be purchasing two Einsteins from PCB in the very near future.




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Sun Mar 04, 2012 6:03 pm

Joined: Fri Dec 11, 2009 2:34 am
Posts: 55

These inserts also fit perfectly in the speedring on the Fotodiox Pro Solutions EZ boxes.
They are the foldable octa and soft boxes.




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