MM866 – an affordable gobo projector
A thread on a photographic forum to which I belong started me thinking about using gobos. I always liked the idea of a proper gobo projector, but for a modifier that I would likely only use occasionally, I didn’t like the cost. So I decided to have a look around to see if there were practical affordable alternatives. To cut a long story short, I stumbled upon this thing, for just over fifty quid plus VAT, delivered. Branded simply as a “MM866”, it fits on any standard Bowens mount flash head, and pretty much any other mains-energised flash head, providing you have a suitable adaptor…
I must say it really is surprisingly good. Weighing around 850 grams, it is of all metal construction, and comes with 35 metal gobos and five coloured filters. Unfortunately seems most of these things come with Bowens mount. My lights are all what is laughingly described as “Universal“! But the adaptors aren’t expensive – about thirteen quid. So if you have Godox, Nicefoto or similar, then these can be made to fit cheaply, safely and reliably.
This gobo projector is rated for modelling bulbs up to 300 watts and consequently can get quite warm. This is not an issue for me because I converted all my lights to LED modelling lamps some years ago. So the gobo projector literally runs cold in my setup. However LED modelling lamps often have the disadvantage that they are not as bright as the old incandescent type. Consequently one may need to darken the room in order to focus the gobo. Users with with standard incandescent modelling lights should not have this problem.
Anyway, here are a quick few test snaps from around the studio, I took when I unboxed it, just to see what it could do…
- More info: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006368130438.html
- Featured image at top of page, model Estella Rose poses as Lisa Frankenstein, lit by generic 200 joule mains energised studio flash, firing through MM886 gobo projector.