FOBA Baby FOBA

What a choice snag! :)

Restored Peco Profia no 2 and Norma No 6 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Two FOBA tripods. New to me is the big one, the FOBA ALFAE new in the bubble wrap and box never used. This tripod I see at B&H just a bit south of $1800 US. Shown with Plaubel Peco Profia #2 with super duper clamping 4x5 Graphic Back and Profia Bag Bellows and Monucular Viewer. An amazing combo, not too heavy and could be used outside in high wind with no problems.

To the right is Sinar Norma Number Six, from KEH. I bought it as a parts camera, listed with some problems. But then they obviously ran it through their repair department, they cleaned and tuned it up, new bubble levels, smoothly operating everywhere. What a deal I couldn't resist. So now I can have a long 4x5 and a short 4x5 set up all the time. Shown on a small FOBA tripod. Both of these are infinitely extendable legs by attaching FOBA Combitubes which I have in abundance.
 
Love the Broncolor Impacts, I just gave mine to a friend. Many years ago I was featured in the Sinar/Broncolor/Foba catalog. Great stuff!
 
Cary,
Thanks for commenting. I've just systematically reformed all my Impacts and bought a couple extra 41's super cheap. They are great lights and I have used mine quite a bit.
 
Nokton48 said:
Cary,
Thanks for commenting. I've just systematically reformed all my Impacts and bought a couple extra 41's super cheap. They are great lights and I have used mine quite a bit.
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The Impacts were always a favorite of mine, When I was an Industrial/Scientific Photographer our studio was all Broncolor, Sinar and Foba. In fact we had almost everything they made. I was friends with the people at Sinar/Bron. One friend who was the head of the service department built me an Impact 41 from parts, I kept this one, he also offered to build me a Norma, I declined because I didn't have a use for it. When the VP of Sinar/Bron was on the West Coast we gave him a private tour of our photo lab and studio.

One reason the Impacts still work today is that they utilized overrated capacitors, used quality parts and had a very simple design. I also knew the designer. When I met the CEO of Broncolor he gave me a Broncolor watch. Good times. Foba is a very small company owned by a husband and wife, I do not know if they are still alive. You might want to contact Sinar in New Jersey, They might still have some of the older Foba pieces.
 
Larry in the Broncolor Service Department was such a great Guy to call and so generous and good hearted. I hope he is still there.

I have a set of older Sinar catalogs. What year are you featured in Sinar? :)
 
Nokton48 said:
Larry in the Broncolor Service Department was such a great Guy to call and so generous and good hearted. I hope he is still there.

I have a set of older Sinar catalogs. What year are you featured in Sinar? :)
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Great to know you knew Larry, I still keep in touch with him, he and almost everyone are gone from Sinar/Bron. Back in the 90's I would go on vacation with him and a couple of others from Sinar. I was in the 92' catalog, page 75. Couldn't use the company's name because we were a government contract agency.
 
Broncolor Balloon and FOBA Sweep Table by Nokton48, on Flickr

I have just upgraded my vertical shooting table in my studio. Three layers of heavy expensive plywood makes a rock stable base. Norma camera upgraded to 5x7, the Norma Reflex Viewer works with this, but dosen't cover the entire field and needs to be moved around. But still it works.

Broncolor Balloon Head fits their proline Pulso heads, I have diassembled it and converted it with a bit of metal cutting to fit my smaller Broncolor Impact units. With only 50W modeling in the Impacts heat buildup is not too extreme. This head can handle up to 6400 watt second heads but heats up quick!

To the left I have re-assembled my FOBA DIMIL Sweep Table, I've clamped cherry table tops to it for now and it's great. I'm going to have thick heavy glass custom cut so I can light from below and behind. This is listed in the very old FOBA catalog.

I enjoy restoring and building all of this. This is a big move forward
 
Amazing job, and quite the retirement project! I always laugh when I hear folks say that they're afraid to retire because they don't know what they'd do with all that free time. It doesn't look like you have that problem!
 
Retro-Grouch said:
Amazing job, and quite the retirement project! I always laugh when I hear folks say that they're afraid to retire because they don't know what they'd do with all that free time. It doesn't look like you have that problem!
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Thanks Retro-grouch ! :)

This is a fun project and it keeps me as busy as I want to be.
 
Broncolor Balloon and FOBA Sweep Table by Nokton48, on Flickr

Sure wish I had one or two of these Balloons when I was shooting 4x5 interiors for architect friends. They didn't exist back then.

This is one of it's primary uses, as an overall fill light. In fact I am going to use it 45 left of subject when shooting full length portraits.

And, I can use it for tabletop :smile: Here I have attached it by FOBA Combitube to the DIMIL Sweep Table next to the Overhead Shooting Table.

Happy Happy.
 
Broncolor C70 Strip Light 200 WS by Nokton48, on Flickr

This arrived yesterday from B&H. I was able to put a pile of old old Pulso parts together to mount this modern Broncolor 30x120cm Strip Light onto an old old Broncolor C70 200WS Monolight strobe. I figure it out and right now it is held together with a lot of Hollywood Gaffer Tape. Fine for now

Broncolor C70 Strip Light Effect 200 WS 250W Modeling by Nokton48, on Flickr

This is the light the Broncolor Strip Light produces. Great for rim lighting any subject. I intend to use it as an overhead hair light which will even work with group portraits. We will see
 
Beauty Lighting 790mm F14 Apo Ronar 5x7 Norma by Nokton48, on Flickr

Setting up to use the big 790mm F14 Apo Ronar on the 5x7 Sinar Norma. 47 inches of bellows extension equals 1 1/2 stop bellows factor. Will try some horizontals, using HRU XRay and also Ilford Ortho Commercial.


Digitest Balloon Beauty Light and Fill by Nokton48, on Flickr

Digitest of lighting setup Sky Blue Seamless Broncolor Beauty Light at F32 45 degrees, Broncolor Balloon at a 45 degree F16 providing soft overall fill to the set. Silver Fill Panel camera light angled to 'feather' the fill. So far I have tried Hasselblad with 100mm, and also with 350 f5.6
with 8mm Extension Tube. Both TMax 100 bracketed f32 to F11. Also I have set up 5x7 Sinar Norma with my longest LF lens, a 790mm F14 Rodenstock Apo Ronar. 47 inches of bellows draw measured/required, with 1.5 stops of Bellows Draw calculated. I'll leave it set up for a while until I am satisfied with what I have gotten. 5x7 contact prints are the goal on this one

Starting with small format and slowly moving up
 
Voila! I have adapted 2 Bron Striplites to Old Pulso C171s by Nokton48, on Flickr

It took a couple of days work but I have adapted two modern Broncolor 30cmx120cm Strip Lite Softboxes to the old original Broncolor Pulso C171 to get this going. Old 375WS Monolights which have been my go-to's for quite a long time.

I used eight stainless steel machine bolts per unit to bolt the old pulso ring to the new Broncolor Pulso Speed Ring. Luckily they are exactly the same size and the flashtube in the C171 slides about six inches back and forth for perfect tube placement. So a lot of scheming, drilling, and bolting, but its solid never to come apart.

I have two sets of supplemental "covers" coming from Broncolor; One slits the light down to a long strip three inches wide. The other covers diffuses and spreads the light out for a more soft wider light effect. So quite stoked

Every studio needs a good set of strip "kicker" lights. :)
 
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