I rarely use gels or modifiers on my speedlites because I am lazy and in a hurry on wedding days. I just fix the color issues in post. However today I was notified that a new product was posted on Kickstarter. Meet the MagMod, a simple magnetic band that mounts to your flash allowing modifiers to be slapped on and off. Check it out, I just backed the project myself.
The project was born with Spencer (The Inventor) pondering an easier way to use gels for weddings (just what I need). He worked out some 3D models on the computer and the project was rolling. Soon after the idea to add the grid came about. There will be other 3 more attachments added once the project gets funded.
To help back the MagMod packages start at $55 (lowest price to receive the product). I really like the innovation here and creating a universal way to share modifiers with all your different speedlites.
via Kickstarter
This looks awesome!
Thanks Chris, glad you like it!
looks sooooo goood, a softbox with grid would be unreal as well
I think we're on to something better :)
I just ordered a double set! Thanks for sharing. :)
Perfect. My gels just sit in my bag as they always blow away or take too much time to put on! I'll look into it more later and more than likely will be backing this
Thats exactly why I wanted something better. We all have lots of gear, but because of the time or complexity of getting something setup quickly and securely, most of the gear sits in the bag. Gone are those days :)
years ago I was told magnets were bad fore a computer's hard disk. So, without having researched it any since then, i ask: Are magnets bad for the CF and SDHC media cards?
Or are they ok to be in the same bag, and no worries etc about them erasing the media cards?
Thanks in advance..
There is a video at the bottom of the kickstarter page that talks about this exact question. In short, no, there is no affect to SD or CF cards. Spencer even tests it on the screen on the back of his camera with no issues.
AWESOME! :) Thanks.
Physical hard drives use a magnetic head to write to the disc. Flash media does not work that way.
:) Thanks.
AWESOME!
Nope, these magnets somehow just remove money from your wallet.
Love the pun!
CF and SD cards are perfectly safe to drop in a steaming cup of coffee. The only time these magnets could be an issue is if you pack them in close proximity to a spinning hard disc (like a back up drive)
Wow, what a great idea!
I bought a roll of gaffer tape 5 years ago for $6. I put a small piece on each side of my flashes. My estimate is I've probably used 10 cents worth of gaffer tape although blue masking tape or any other tape that doesn't leave a mark is good too. Any time I need a gel, I pull it out of the bag and tape it in place and just peel it off. I've used the same tape and gels for this whole time and nothing bad has happened to either. How hard is that?
I will say though that it does look pretty ghetto. You can't easily tape those grids to the speed light. This product looks promising
I suppose if you use grids on your flash then that would be true, but truthfully, how many photographers reguarlily use grids on their speedlights? Most either use a mini softbox, bounce card, or just good old fashion bouncing directly. In situations where you would want a grid - ie. a studio setting, using speedlights itself is considered kind of ghetto as any respectable studio has monolights or powerpacks which have their own grids.
I guess it just depends on what you are doing. I'm starting to play around with 2+ light setups on location and speedlights are perfect for that. Adding a grid is nice if you want to start accenting backgrounds or perhaps adding harsh light to a face while lighting a whole body with soft light from a softbox. This would be really helpful for studio product shots where you can get away with using small lights instead of large studio strobes. I guess to each their own but it's a pretty good idea and I can't wait to put some in my location rigs.
I don't regularly use grids because there's not an easy way to do it. This solves that.
certainly not hard, and certainly worth of testing out for yourself! I just got tired of doing the ghetto-fabulous route for 5 years...and constantly getting tired of it. Woke up one day and decided to do something about it :)
Well, I have older flashes which are already have a few battle scars, but don't new ones like the SB-900 , SB-700, and SB-910 already come with gels that not only clip on to the flash, but also notify the camera that a gel is being used so white balance is adjusted automatically? :)
yeah but the problem with the SB910 is it's still really hard to connect a grid to those OEM gels. Also those gels are sort of L shaped and take up a lot of space and I'm waiting for the day I lose mine.
Patrick nailed it...it's a great concept (like many others), but actually using them sucks.
Great concept! I just backed two of these! This will definitely speed things up when trying to set up quickly.
I really want this. So much better than velcro.
I backed this project earlier today! It's awesome.
I really think you are onto something! Keep the variety of modifiers coming and I will be one of your customers in the future!
Thanks Jay! I think round 2 is definitely going to impress :)
Ey!! My name is edward. and am from the Philippines, do you think you can ship here in our country.?
We can ship globally...we don't know how long it will take, but we'll get it there!
Would be helpful to get a comprehensive test report about its practicality in (semi)pro day to day usage scenarios.
Hard to tell from images whether it's a useful tool or just a cool looking gimmick.
We posted an update on the project page that included 2 video reviews from highly acclaimed photogs...check it out!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spencerboerup/magmod-magnetic-speedl...
Supported it. A very effective tool for strobists.
I've been looking for something just like this! Just ordered a double pack, way to go guys!
It looks slick, but there is already a magnetic grid attachment for speedlites of almost the same design. I played with one at the photo store last week. I wish I could remember the brand now. I did enjoy the cleverness of the product though. Maybe the difference is this one has the gels. This one is much better looking though.
Yep, Lastolite makes it. Go hold it, play with it. Then report back on the build quality, size, design and practicality. MagMod isn't just "another" product to sell just to make money...but a carefully crafted solution that seriously kicks butt.
I'm quite intrigued, but for my uses, a small beauty dish or a diffuser is more common. Is this something that is in the works?
This first Kickstarter is jus the beginning...I think you'll be very happy :)
http://25.media.tumblr.com/40fc0afd003bbb3e072f338c41c1918c/tumblr_mqrja...
Jon, I think you're going to love what we have in store for round 2 of our product launch!
Loving the WRB FXT!!!
Thank you, its a fun car!
also that looks like AZ? I also own a 04 sti swapped FXT.
Nice! We're in AZ too :)
Does the basic come with the honey comb grid addon?
Hi mbworldZ, the basic kit ($79 pledge leve) includes the grip, grid, and gel kit (with 6 gels + diffusion gel!). Hope this answers your question!