making a tripod to a light stand?

asamuel

Can it be done?

What accesories can you buy to attatch an umbrella, bulb, flash?

Can you make an accessory from toilet rolls and sticky back plastic?

Mitchell

asamuel wrote:

Can it be done?

What accesories can you buy to attatch an umbrella, bulb, flash?

Can you make an accessory from toilet rolls and sticky back plastic?

Yes, it can be done. You will need a universal clamp/swivel holder as pictured here. These are widely available. Your only problem may be the limited height of most tripods. A good lightstand can be had for around $50. You may just want to go for it.

Art Scott

Mitchell wrote:

Yes, it can be done. You will need a universal clamp/swivel holder as pictured here. These are widely available. Your only problem may be the limited height of most tripods. A good lightstand can be had for around $50. You may just want to go for it.

I concur as this attachment will normally run approx $30.....so for a little more you can have a decent dedicated light stand.

ziggy53

asamuel wrote:

Can it be done?

What accesories can you buy to attatch an umbrella, bulb, flash?

Can you make an accessory from toilet rolls and sticky back plastic?

I'm glad you asked. There are several different ways to adapt a tripod to use it for lighting. (BTW, I am going to pick on Adorama and BandH for links, but these are avalable from multiple sources.)

The simplest is a threaded cold-shoe to allow mounting a shoe flash onto the tripod. You have to slave or cord the flash, and there are no other attachments, but light modifiers that attach to the flash itself are usable.

http://www.adorama.com/FAS.html
http://www.adorama.com/LHUNS.html

Much more useful is an umbrella bracket. This jewel gives you swivel and tilt, allows an umbrella socket that takes standard umbrella stems as well as a cold shoe attachment. In a pinch, this adapter also allows using an umbrella stand as a "lightweight" camera tripod, although don't put anything too valuable up top.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=298709&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Just in case you want a hot-shoe instead of the cold shoe:

http://www.adorama.com/FAPCHSA.html

... and if you need to slave the flash (the first listing also has a 1/4" hole in the bottom):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=62712&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=63118&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

... or you could go radio slave, but I'll let you search for that yourself. :

ziggy53

ziggy53

Mitchell wrote:

Yes, it can be done. You will need a universal clamp/swivel holder as pictured here. These are widely available. Your only problem may be the limited height of most tripods. A good lightstand can be had for around $50. You may just want to go for it.

I really do agree that there is no substitute for a good lightstand, ... however, there is one application where the adapted tripod is superior:

If you need a light positioned in a church right where there are church pews, the tripod has the "spreader" positioned much higher than most light stands, so a tripod will "straddle" the pews more easily. The reason is that most tripods have extendable legs, so the spreader has to be high. Most lightstands have the spreader low because all of the extension comes from the post.

Thanks,

ziggy53

Blurmore

ziggy53 wrote:

I really do agree that there is no substitute for a good lightstand, ... however, there is one application where the adapted tripod is superior:

If you need a light positioned in a church right where there are church pews, the tripod has the "spreader" positioned much higher than most light stands, so a tripod will "straddle" the pews more easily. The reason is that most tripods have extendable legs, so the spreader has to be high. Most lightstands have the spreader low because all of the extension comes from the post.

Thanks,

ziggy53

My Benbo 1 tripod would do well at 'straddling' pews, although I would never try this. I try to touch as little of a church as possible when shooting a wedding (not because I am afraid of melting or spontaneously combusting) but because I have seen SOOOO many people get reamed out. Standing on pews for angle, crossing the altar without permission, moving chairs, I have seen photographers (and more often videographers) simply embarrased for these crimes against snotty church people, and what are you going to say? Nothing. Just stand there and take it, so I am ALWAYS on my best behavior and clear everything with the officiant. I get what I get and if someone complains that I missed something I place full blame on the restrictiveness of the church. I leave restrictive churches with the staff wondering why (and forgetting the jerk that caused them to) they enacted such heavy handed restrictions in the first place. I use Alien Bee /Lightware 3900 lightstands and have not come across a pew yet that they won't fit in with the base closed up a little. I have no particular respect for religion or churches or the people who work in them, but I do have respect for my fellow photog who has to work there after me. This is in no way a prosecution of you Ziggy, I just wouldn't go around instructing people on straddling pews with tripods too much.