length/number of ball joint arms for macro

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stepfen

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Hello,
I have a Sony A5100 with a Meikon housing, a single S&S YS-02 strobe and a cheap/no-name video light.
I currently use a tray like this:
upload_2019-7-14_11-18-15.png

The video light is attached directly to one handle and the strobe to the other with maybe 10" long flex-arm tube.
I mostly (say 80%-90% of the time) do macro shots with a +6 diopter, but I like to be able to bring my strobe further out for an occasional wide(-ish) angle shot now and then. Of course I am aware of the limitations of my setup (single, not so powerful strobe, flat port etc).

I am thinking to change my strobe's arm to ball-join one(s) for the well known reasons (noise, unstable topside, unflexible etc etc). The question is what number of arms I need and at what length?

One (6" or 8" maybe?) sounds too restrictive.

2 sound better but what length? Maybe 2*6", 2*8", 2*10" or 8"+10" ? Or should I just buy few cheap ones from ebay amd mix and match at will?

I am also considering the possibility of getting rid of the handle that holds the strobe as I usually grab the housing directly with my right hand (so that I have access to the buttons etc). Hence, in case I use a 2 pieces ball arm I could attach the ball mount directly to the tray.

Anything else I am missing here?

Thanks a lot for all the advice
 
For macro, 2 x 6" is sufficient, for me at any rate.
 
For macro, 2 x 6" is sufficient, for me at any rate.
Thanks for the reply. Actually, my flex arm as it is, measures exactly 12", so 2*6" sounds reasonable. The 3 clips that are needed will further increase a bit the overall length.
Any thoughts about the handle? Keep it, toss it?
 
Keeping the handle really depends on housing ergonomics and how you prefer to hold the housing. The vast majority of divers using a strobe(s) will use a handle. The Meikon housing has a fairly larger shutter lever, which is great.

While a 5" + 5" arm system is fine for macro, you may want to get a 5" + 8" since that is more common for wide-angle shooting with dual strobes. If that's not in your near future, then no worries. Also, here's a video with basic tips on using the arm/clamp system. Good luck!
 
The longer the better! The video pic with flat parallel positioning above is ok for getting started but not likely to give you a great photo with contrast, shadows, and a three dimensional feeling.

Currently I use 12"+16" inches on each side, sometimes adding another 8" to one side. This setup allows you get a strobe behind your macro subject for back lighting. Pulling one strobe high above or far to the side and the other at lower power for fill is a great way to get dramatic lighting as well. This works well for Wide Angle as well. The more flexibility you have the better.

This does make your rig a little larger and might not work to get into every tiny crack. With a 105mm lens on a FF camera, I rarely feel impeding from taking any photo.
 
We recommend an 8 inch and 5 inch, please feel free to message us with any questions regarding gear!
 
Do you think you will ever get a 2nd strobe? I am asking a long term question because that might affect what you will want to buy today so that you don't have to re-buy. While the majority of your shooting is macro, there are some instances in which it is nice to have extra length for more flexibility if you are shooting wide angle, and probably even more so flexibility is nice if you will only have 1 strobe for now.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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