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DIY Lighting - Trading Your GPS For a Flash
When strolling at my local autostore I stumbled across this very interesting gadget. (Well, not exactly this interesting gadget, but a close sibling).
It is a windshield mount for a GPS device. The natural thing for me, being the why-don't-you-stop-and-ask-for-directions-said-the-wife kinda guy that I am, and the natural and logical thing for me is to buy a GPS. However, those babies cost millions.
I had no alternative but to go to my other hobby - photography and see how I can use this mount for my photography studio.
The mount has two sides - a vacuum disk and an adjustable cradle. It was only natural that I'll use the vacuum disk side to mount this baby on my living room window. The grip was firm enough that I felt safe mounting my Nikon SB-800. It is also a great compliment to the wire tripod - if there is nothing but glass - you are still OK.
One of the nice features of the cradle is that it is adjustable in width and that it has rubber sponges in the inside of the grippers. I could firmly grip my SB-800 and not worry about it falling out of the cradle. If you feel unsafe about it you can use cable holders or bungee balls to lock the flash into position.
The other cool feature is the flexible arm - allowing you to point your flash in the direction you need with out reattaching it to the cradle or removing it from the window.
You can stick it to the window and point it at your model, or point it to the wall and get a nice bounce. All in a heart bit.
I got me one of those at a local store and it cost me the equivalent of 12 Dollars. A great bargain, no doubt. But wait!!! It gets even better. This GPS mount from Amazon is only 6.99.
A small word of caution: make sure the vacuum disk is pressed all the way through to avoid flash injury.
Oh yes, I almost forgot - this flash mount can also double as a GPS mount for your car.
PS - I'm trying to get a cheapo ringflash design going on. When we make it, it wil lbe cheap and very much DIY. Check out the call to arms.
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Related links:
- Universal Car Windshield Mount Holder
- wire tripod
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Comments
Just a tip, these can be had
Just a tip, these can be had for only a couple of bucks off ebay and variety stores. 12 dollars is blatant profiteering (though still peanuts)
Slaps my forehead ...
I've seen this stuff being used so often, but it just never occurred to me what a handy accessory it would be for holding up the SB-800.
Thanks for the idea!
OMG i don't feel like
OMG i don't feel like surrendering my $350 580EX II to the stability of a $5 vaccuum disk. This looks so unsafe for your flash's health.
YAY
This would be perfect to suction to a church window for a wedding!
I have one of these for my
I have one of these for my Nokia E61i. It's a great clamp. OMG this would so hold a 580ex no problem mr 'unsafe'. The suction cup uses a press down lever to force a vacuum. The spongy grip also presses in tight too.
For a little more you can
For a little more you can buy a Panavise 809 which is rated to hold up to 3lbs and has the standard t-bolt for mounting your flash.
http://www.beachaudio.com/Panavise/809-Ts-p-11712.html
the gps cost a million is a
the gps cost a million is a joke right? a full function pda with gps cost less than a unit of 580ex, not talking about those L lenses yet.
Partly
It costs less then an SB800 (sorry, I'm a Nikon fan). but way more then a 5.99 GPS holder :)
- udi
Great Idea
Its amazing what you can make or do with the things you already have with a little bit of creative thought.
Great Idea!
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