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Elinchrom Octabank and Modifications
Elinchrom Octabank
So you bought the Elinchrom Octabank as one of your largest light sources. It’s a fantastic unit for sure. And at $1000USD it should be. This is a highly coveted unit and is used by Annie Leibovitz and other very well known photographers including Scott Kelby and Frank Doorhof and the like.
There are plenty reviews on the net, so i’m not going to get too deep into that. Instead i’m going to list some Elinchrom Octabank modifications out there on the net, what i’ve used with success and also some operational photos.
Photos on operation:
See the spread of light here:
Mounts for modifiers.
Keep the cable close to the unit, as opposed to sloppy. Dont want to see it in a catchlight!
First off. The included tilt-head with the unit is fine for some uses but really leaves something to be desired at times. If you’ve ever mounted the Elinchrom octa Bank on a boom, the stock Head grip wouldn’t suffice as it would lose its grip quite easily.
Solution: Avenger D200 Grip Head. This process while not entirely reversible, is at least reversible to be used with the stock grip head again.
Parts needed to perform modification:
- Drill
- 3/8ths Bit
- Avenger D200 Grip Head
Steps:
- 1. Unscrew the stock grip head from the elinchrom octabank mount until it removes itself from the unit.
- 2. Reinforce the attached mount and prepare your 3/8ths drill bit and drill a perfect hole within the existing hole.
- 3. Unscrew the D200 grip head and start removing all the pieces. Don’t worry they are listed in order below.
Completed Unit:
- 4. Place the elinchrom mount on the avenger bolt, in the order located in the photo above.
- 5. Reuse the elinchrom black friction rubber plate for the other side of the cork piece provided by avenger.
- 6. Tighten and enjoy true strength in mounting in any position.
- 7. TIP: Store the outer diffusion fabric around the mount when storing in its case, so the metal mount inside the reflective fabric doesn’t start to rip into the reflective fabric!
Elinchrom’s official guide on using the Octabank
I’m really impressed with your article, such great information you mentioned here, thanks for your sharing and waiting to see your future posts.
Why is that so many Elinchrom gear needs DIY?? :/ the Quadra heads can´t support too much weight: DIY needed
Elinchrom Octabank fails on boom: DIY needed
No grids for Eli BD´s: Speedotron DIY adaptation needed
etc.
I dunno but for a $1,000 I would expect this modifier to be ready for professional wear and tear without having to do DIY stuff :/!!!
Yes, it’s expensive. But the modification isn’t necessary. It’s optional for those wanting more control.
Great post.