Mounting a flash

[geofsmth 0]

I have a sidemounted PC120 in a box with a RebelXSI topmounted. I am looking to mount a 580 II flash to my helmet but am not sure how.
How have others actually secured the flash to the helmet. There doesn't seem to be an easy/secure way to mount it. bungee, straps, velcro, etc.

[PhreeZone 15]

What type of helmet?

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[PharmerPhil 0]

I am guessing that you have a free-fly style helmet, which may make it tough. Everytime I have mounted a flash, I have mounted it horizontally. If you use an off-shoe cable, it should have a threaded screw in the bottom (1/4-20 thread). I always used that, with some sort of fabricated bracket to secure the front of the flash to with a strap. But if you don't have a flat surface to mount it to, it could get complicated. I recommend you look at the Post your Camera Helmet topic, and look at all the pictures for ideas. But in the end, you may find you have to have a helmet with a flat top, and be a good fabricator to make it safe and secure.

[pilotdave 0]

Mine mounts with 3M Dual Lock (aka fancy velcro) and an altimeter wrist strap. I've only jumped it a few times now, but it seems to work fine.

Dave

[BMFin 0]

I also have sidemounted PC 120 and topmounted 400D on my Bonehead optik.

I mount my flash on top of the Dbox, laying on top of it and I secure it with quite simple strapsystem I invented for it. Then I secure it some more with some gaffers tape, since the strap alone wont secure it 100%

Its not the most practial way of mounting because it always takes at least 3 minutes to fasten it and it means that you have to take the whole thing off if you want to acces the video after the jump. But on the otherhand its nice, because if you take it off theres no empty bracket left on the helmet.

Offcourse FTP style camerahelmet is the easiest way to go, but I like mine because its very versatile. I can fly with a light setup (video only), medium (video + still), heavy (video + still + flash)

Actually insted of FTP im more needing a light still only setup. Maby I will get another helmet for still only. I dont care much of the video really if Im shooting something for my self.

Also one videoguy at our DZ is jumping a freefly style helmet with sidevideo and top still with two SB-800 flashes on both sides and a batterypack under his suit. He mounts the flashes on the sides with 90 degree bent and placed behind his ears. It looks like a very compact setup also.

[Fast 0]

Quote

Mine mounts with 3M Dual Lock (aka fancy velcro) and an altimeter wrist strap. I've only jumped it a few times now, but it seems to work fine.

Dave

Pictures?

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[pilotdave 0]

Too ugly for pics... and I'm too lazy.
I have an FF2. The flash sits lying down on the top of the box. There are strips of dual lock on the camera box and on the flash. Then I cut a slot with a dremel tool in the box to run an altimeter wrist strap through (a neptune wrist strap, to be exact). It comes back out of the box in the gap between the helmet and the box (next to the hinge), so I didn't need to cut two slots. The flash sits with the controls facing up. I can also bend the flash 90 degrees, so it's sitting upside down. That's how I first jumped it, but I found that the wind really caught it and made flying (and especially climbing out of a cessna 206) very difficult.

So basically the thing is velcro'd to the camera box to prevent movement in shear, then a strap goes over it (and is held by velcro) to keep it from coming up or twisting. I can lift and shake the whole helmet by the flash, so it's pretty secure.

Dave

[geofsmth 0]

Does a flash have to be mounted horizontal or vertical? I wanted to mount my flash on a freefly helmet with my PC120 on the left side, my XSI on top and then my flash on the right side. Kind of at a 45 degree angle.

Since the XSi is mounted horizontally will having the flash mounted at a 45 affect how it is used with the camera. I am using it mostly as a fill flash on tandems.

Thanks
Geof

[PharmerPhil 0]

I used to wonder about this. Although the form-factor of a flash would lead you to believe that it has a horizontal spread, in rudimentary tests I have done it doesn't seem to be that way. I would be curious to hear anyone else's experience with the flash's spread.

Regardless, if you are just looking for fill flash in freefall for tandems (and are not trying to light up the ground 2-plus miles away), I would think you would only be interested in in lighting the "sweet spot" in the middle; and it shouldn't be a problem either way.

[velocityphoto 0]

Victor's wife had one mounted on the side at an angle like you speak of . But i don't have any photo's of it . You might try contacting him about it for some details on this.

This is his user name on here. VictorSuvorov

A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................

[bdazel 0]

I have jumped with the flash mounted both ways. I noticed a difference in the light spread. But it was far less obvious when the flash was set on the wider zooms (such as for close up shots with tandems). Now I jump with the flash mounted horizontally, and I like the results a bit more.

[champu 1]

I asked about this a couple years ago and the thread resulted in photos of a few different mounts including, eventually, the one I ended up making.