Even here in Texas you can feel the hurricane’s effects… aside from having Family in the projected path, I called Adorama to use the credit I have (after a problem with some grid spots not fitting – see below) and they’re closed! So the ordering of the 16″ beauty dish will have to wait a few days.
Last week I ordered some grid spots for my Flashpoint II monohead strobes. The had been on back-order for weeks, but they were shipping, so I ordered them.
Grids are needed to control the light from a strobe’s output. A grid will narrow the light by the angle of the grid, like 20 degrees. It’s not as hard of a light as a Fresnel spot, but almost as good.
The grids (and some HUGE CFLs for my continuous light rigs..) and there’s is something odd. The expected set of 4 only has TWO in the box. So I called them up and asked about it. The CS girl put me on hold, then got back to me telling me she’ll call me back in a few hours or the next day, while she checks on it.
So I next go to test them out. They do not fit. The grids are about 1/8th of an inch too big.
I call them back, the girl I speak to next is suddenly puzzled as the system is showing that item is now discontinued. What? I *need* some type of grid to modify the light for some set-ups… I ask her how can I even use Flashpoint monoheads without the needed light modifiers.
She transfers me to a product specialist. This guy and I talk for a few minutes, he puts me on hold to ask someone, then he has to transfer me to a manager and the guy purchases the flashpoint system.
Now I’m on with a very classic sounding New York Jew. These guys I can talk to..
He explains to me he just now pulled the item off the market because of the 5 that were shipped out – all 5 were missing two grids and too big. We chat about what I can do until they get a new vendor who can read machine plans and make them the right size…. I tell him I could tape the ones I have onto the head for now, so he credits me the full price and tells me to keep the grids if I can make them work.
So today, this morning, I call to use the credit to get a beauty dish (more on these later)… and I remember that New York city is being evacuated and the sales line is down. I know, being a company run by orthodox Jews, they close at sundown on Friday until sundown Saturday to observe the sabbath… but it appears they’re also evacuated.
I just hope all is OK… and I wanted to write a post with the word hurricanapocalypse in it…
