Tired of LocLine arms

[gkrane]

During all of my underwater video I am contantly hearing creaking from the locline arms. I guess it is due to the limitations they have bearing weight of strobes and such. Also, I am contantly having to adjust them underwater as they sometimes shift a little. What are some of the better aluminum arms that are out there?

 

[diversteve]

Ultralight Control Systems makes nice arms/balls/clamps. Probably the industry standard although they've been knocked off by others.

Pretty expensive. My buddy has a Aditech light with a heavy internal battery on a 2 segment arm and it stays where he puts it.

 

[gkrane]

Ultralight Control Systems makes nice arms/balls/clamps. Probably the industry standard although they've been knocked off by others.

Pretty expensive. My buddy has a Aditech light with a heavy internal battery on a 2 segment arm and it stays where he puts it.

Knock offs would be fine as long as they stay put. I am by no means a professional photographer so absolute top of the line isnt necessary.

 

[bvanant]

It is interesting that most still photographers use ULCS style arms while most video guys that I see still use locline type arms. What size Locline do you use and what video lights are you using. My wife uses L&M lights and locline and they stay where she puts them quite well.

bill

 

[gkrane]

I am using 3/4 inch locline arms and a Sola 2100 video light. On the other side I have a Sea&Sea YS-D1 strobe.

 

[sunnyboy]

I'm using 3/4in locline as well for my sola 1200 video light. The only creaking sound is if I manually adjust them. Otherwise they stay put.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

What, if anything, do you do about the trapped sea water? My arms are sealed so tight that they don't drain and then a week or two later a bunch of salt crystals comes oozing out..??

 

[sunnyboy]

What, if anything, do you do about the trapped sea water? My arms are sealed so tight that they don't drain and then a week or two later a bunch of salt crystals comes oozing out..??

I drilled a hole in the links at each end. It was just under 1/8" hole (3/32"?) in the 3/4" line. However it fills and drains slowly, so after every dive I pretty much pop the line in half. One half stays with the sola, one half with the tray adapter.

The other bonus to this is I created a separate "tray" for my video camera and it has a loc-line base bolted to the tray (alum. bar stock 1/8" thick) and some loc-line attached. I can quickly connect the loc-line with sola to this for video or to the Ike tray adapter for use with the photo camera.

Today I build a new tray specifically to add the sola 1200 + loc line to my go-pro clone when it's attached to the go-pro mount on my scooter. The mount is a single mount, and I could not find anything like what I wanted, so I built one. It's a bit of a kludge, but it will either work and I'll feel brilliant or it won't and neither will I :-D

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I was worried about weakening it by popping it apart. So small drain holes are OK then..

 

[Nemrod]

I got tired of Locline type arms within about five minutes of using them. I could see them on a small video light but for a camera strobe, the amount of reach to the side needed for a wide angle lens and the lack of position options, no thanks. Not top mention that they flail about like a wet noodle.

N