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FS: Mola Demi+Grid+Eli Mount NEW

robmac

Well-known member
NEW Mola Demi 'Beauty Dish', white, with grid (Kacey) and installed Elinchrom (Chimera) mount.

Lives up to it's industry rep, but is simply too heavy for the weaker mount (where swivel dovetails into light body) on the D-Lites I'm currently using . Will need to upgrade to a higher-construction Eli light, but not looking to do that at moment. Took three vendors and two countries to put this kit together and it kicks out some gorgeous light (especially with a grid- HIGHLY recommended) so this is a reluctant sale. Selling as kit, but will separate the Elinchrom mount if buyer uses other lights. Not selling grid alone as yet.

1. Mola Demi: Pristine and comes in original box with front sock, all mounting hardware, instructions, perforated factory metal diffuser.
2. 22" Grid: Kacey grid designed for the Demi. Nice kit, robust. A grid makes a WORLD of difference in light control with a dish.
3. Chimera Elinchrom mount: Have test-mounted a number of Eli mounts for the Mola, including the factory recommended Redwing, but the more costly Chimera is the best at positioning the Elinchrom tube nicely inside the base of the dish .

The Chimera's uber-thin 0.25" 'offset" (vs 0.625" for the Redwing and 0.5-0.625" for others) places the Eli light tube nicely inside the dish with the lip of the inner silver reflector that surrounds the tube just level with the lip of the Mola . That said, because of the design of the Chimera ring and its wider flange vs others, it does require the ring (NOT the Mola) be drilled with the required holes to mount to the Mola. That has already been done, works great, and VERY secure.

See this thread for details: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/795304

The unit will come with the Eli ring installed, so this is a complete turn-key Elinchrom Mola Demi & Grid. The inner perforated diffuser WILL be removed for shipping safety, but takes 30 seconds to mount.

1. From B&H (which is by order only) & Kacey (grid) the kit, shipped, to Canada is roughly C$660 incl tax + the need to drill and mount the Chimera ring.
2. From Mola's (Toronto) distributors Filmplus/Headshots & US-based Kacey, the complete kit is C$700 incl tax (maybe a bit less if you shipped outside Ont (thus GST only)).

Price is C$550 (roughly US$475) PP'd and shipped NORMAL POST, tracked and insured within Canada for the turn-key kit w/ installed mount. Express Post add C$20. If using EMT deduct 3%. If do not need Eli mount, deduct US$40

Perfectly open to a US/UK/EU buyer, shipping to be discussed. It would be a quick way to get yourself a turn-key unit and grid. Payment would be by PP in CDN $$.

No pics for now, but unit is NEW and while have done some deals here, please check my feed back on FM and on Ebay as Kumara999 (100%).

Emails please.
 

robmac

Well-known member
Had some questions about the issue I was having and thought I'd clarify:
-------
The weakness is in the DLite itself - not the Mola. The Mola and the Chimera are bolted together with 8 machine screws - solid, light-tight connection. The issue is the interface between the Dlite body and it's swivel mount. It's crap.

On the Dlite the top 1/2 of the swivel bracket is not permanently attached to the light. It is the male 1/2 of a dovetail and has the umbrella tube molded into it. It is part plastic, and part metal sandwiched between plastic where it rotates about the lower 1/2 of the swivel mount. Unfortunately, the important parts, the interface between the light body and mount is all plastic - thin plastic. There lies the problem.

The top (male) 1/2 of the swivel mount slides into a plastic dovetail receptacle molded into the bottom of the Dlite. A small tab on the male part then snaps into a slot molded/ cut into the bottom of the light. The bottom 1/2 of the swivel is then rotated around the normal joint as in any system. Nice simple system, right? However, on a Dlite only two things counteract any downward force on the front of the light (and thus upward force on the rear of the light):

1) The swivel joint
2) The (THIN) plastic lips that comprise the dovetail receptacle molded into the underbody of the light.


The traditional weakness of the Dlite mount is the swivel joint - always slips and if you torque it too much you break the crap handle. I've done a mod to the mount, replacing the bottom 1/2 with part from a Manfrotto umbrella mount. Now solid as a rock. Sadly, now that weak point #1 has been locked, the next rears it's head - and it's the dangerous one.

What happens is that the Demi w/grid puts just enough upward pressure on the rear of the light to lift the slot holding the locking tab on the upper 1/2 of the male dovetail JUST enough to clear the tab. There is now nothing stopping the two parts of the dovetail from sliding apart and the light+Mola (or any mod) going floor-bound. Which it's tried to do. It also puts a LOT of stress on the (too) thin plastic lips of the dovetail, in my case cracking one - fortunately on my beater Dlite2.

NOTE: Since my FS post, I am starting to waffle about selling the Mola. While I have no issues with my 53" Octa on my DLs, since I now know just how #$%^ weak the mount is, I no longer trust it and would be hesitant using one in a boom situation.

Am now thinking of moving to a BXRi (the mount looks much stronger - I think) and keeping the Mola - at least to try it. I've dealt with 3 vendors in two nations and waited 2 weeks to get it together and managed 1/2 shots before it went South. I would gain remote power control as well. IF I then decide the Mola is still too heavy I would then sell it and move to the lighter Speedotron (thinner metal) or forget the whole BD idea. That said, I have no idea just how much lighter the Speedo is.

What I do need to see is how the BXRi mount looks - have asked some folks for photos, but no joy yet. I know the swivel handle has been complained about, but that is fixable.

The larger Molas have a handle mount that would work beautifully, but I talked with Walter (Mola founder) yesterday and the handle cannot be retro-fitted to a Demi. :( He was also surprised as to how weak the Dlite mount-body interface is given that 1000s of folks use the Demi, sans handle, with lots of various lights.

I think the Demi would work with damn near any light - except a Dlite - at least safely.

Arrgh

Rob
 

robmac

Well-known member
WITHDRAWN. The Mola has been pulled from sale - too nice to part with, I'll upgrade lights instead. No longer trust the Dlite body-mount interface anyway, so...
 

robmac

Well-known member
Yeah, screw it. Time to man-up and move to a better constructed light.

For new or potential DLite users those looking for a pictorial view of the problem see below. Great lights but BE CAREFUL what you mount to the front. Have had no issues with smaller SB,s 53" Octa or 39" DO, but for gridded BD's - not ideal.
 
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J

j kacey

Guest
I know this is a old thread, but for those with the same issue. We have a bracket that will take the full weight of the beauty dish and the studio flash.
It will take all the weight off the flash head and put it on the bracket.
Hope this helps
 
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