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Softbox Mounting for Old Bowens L-Type X200 Monolites!?!?


mike_lachance

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I'm in need of any way to mount a Softbox to some nice Bowens X200 monolights I just picked up. These did not come with reflectors or speedrings and I cant find a thing on the auction site that will work. These were the standard for many years but now you cant find anything for them... no reflectors, no rings, no adaptors of any sort.

 

What to do?

 

Thanks for all feedback.

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Have you checked with B&H or Adorama? Neewer and Godox both make Bowens adapter rings.

Everything I've seen is for Bowens S-type, not L type. I'm not sure of any interchangeability using Balcar rings either, although they may work, or maybe not ... i dont have any laying around to test... same for Alienbees, in web pictures they "sort of" look the same but if they are not 6" (153mm-ish) they likely wont work.... This is so frustrating, there are so many of these strobes still in service, but nothing left for modifiers!

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You can get 'universal' speedrings, but they're horrible things. Basically just a 3 or 4-point clamp that crushes onto the body of the flash, and with a tendency to fall off a lot faster than it went on.

 

I have a couple of old Bowens 400 flashes... man, those things are old!

 

I don't think Bowens designer had any consideration for safety in those days, or even knew much about electronic circuitry!

 

There's several hundred volts floating about in those steel and aluminium cylinders, and not much insulation to keep those volts in check. Prepare for a bang and smoke at some point. Or just get shut of them. Especially if the supplied reflector is missing.

 

Personally, I wouldn't even consider buying any studio flash that didn't use the common Bowens S fitting these days.... even though Bowens themselves are now out of business.

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