The DoPChoice Rabbit Rounder Universal modifier mounting system was first announced a few weeks prior to NAB 2022.
Erik spent some time at the DoPChoice booth with a preview of the features.
The Rabbit-Rounder Universal is a clever solution that allows you to mount a variety of DoPchoice SNAPBAG Octas, rectangular soft boxes, and Lanterns to a range of COB fixtures from companies such as Aputure, Fiilex, Nanlux, Prolycht, etc.
Swappable Mounts
The ace that the Rabbit-Rounder Universal has up its sleeve is that you can attach different mounts depending on what lighting fixture you are using. The compatible DoPchoice lighting modifiers already have the Rabbit-Rounder Universal permanently attached, but not the mount. Because the Rabbit-Rounder Universal is permanently attached to the modifier it means that the rods that fold out are also attached. This gives you a much cleaner and faster product with fewer parts to worry about. This is a much better solution than the older DoPchoice Rabbit Ears where you needed to bend rods and place them inside a separate frame.
By having a user-changeable, toolless mount, it is quick and easy to use your Rabbit-Rounder Universal lighting modifier with quite a few different fixtures. This essentially means that you don’t have to buy multiple lighting modifiers for multiple different lights. You can simply use one Rabbit-Rounder Universal lighting modifier on COB lights that have different mounts.
This makes a ton of sense for rental houses because you can just buy a few of the same DoPchoice Rabbit-Rounder Universal lighting modifiers and then a handful of different mounts. If you are an owner/operator or a gaffer and say you own an Aputure 600d and a Nanlux Evoke 1200, you can use the same lighting modifier on both of those lights despite the fact that they have different mounts by just swapping over the adapter plate mount.
There are three different mounts currently available:
- Bowens Mount
- Nanlux NL-Mount
- Fiilex Q5 & Q8 Mount
The Bowens mount will work with, you guessed it, any fixture that has a Bowens S mount.
The Nanlux NL-Mount is specifically for the Evoke 1200 and 1200B, and the Fiilex mount is for the Q5 and Q8 fixtures.
The Nanlux NL-Mount is the only one of the three that is physically attached to the Adapter plate. The Bowens Mount and the Fiilex Q5 & Q8 Mount are separate from the adapter plate.
How do you attach the mounts?
So how do you attach the mounts? Well, DoPchoice has an instructional video that you can see above, but in case you prefer reading to watching, I will explain below.
The first thing you need to do is to attach the correct mount to the lighting modifier you want to use. It is a little tricky to initially work out how to attach the mount and I wish DoPchoice had gone into a little more detail in the instructional video.
The good news is, once you work out how to do it, then it is very fast. So how do you attach it? Well, the Rabbit-Rounder Universal lighting modifier plate has a spring-loaded mechanism. The reason for this is so that when you attach the mount it won’t separate from the plate.
When you first try to attach the mount to the plate you may think that you are doing something wrong because it won’t move if you just try and turn it, and this is because of the spring-loaded mechanism. What you need to do is to push down on the edges of the plate and then turn it clockwise. You will then hear it lock into place. Once you have done that it is ready to go.
The next step is to place it on to the fixture. Now, depending on the fixture you are using, you need to put it on like any other lighting modifier or reflector that works for that light.
I prefer to attach the Rabbit-Rounder Universal lighting modifier to the fixture before opening up the rods, but you can also open the rods up first and then attach it if you prefer.
I personally like the first option better as I found it easier to attach than trying to put it on when the lighting modifier was fully set up with its rods out.
Once the lighting modifier is attached to the fixture, make sure the yoke locking mechanism is tightened down securely and then you can start opening up the rods.
Now, out of the box, there will be a locking mechanism that is engaged on the back of the plate so that the mount won’t move around. If you are setting up the light by yourself you can make your job easier by loosening this locking mechanism.
What this does is allow you to open up a rod and then move the mount so you can then open subsequent rods all from the same position. I would, however, lock the mechanism once everything is set up so that your lighting modifier can’t freely move around.
Because you can undo this locking mechanism it makes it very easy to change the rotation and direction of a rectangular lighting modifier.
To remove the lighting modifier from the fixture, you can either take the whole thing off with the softbox still constructed and the arms out, or you can collapse the rods and then remove it.
I personally think it is easier to collapse the rods while it is still attached to the lighting fixture. Again, I would undo the locking mechanism so that I can turn the mount to do one rod at a time from the exact same position. Just make sure you don’t have the magic cloth still attached to the front of your lighting modifier otherwise this can make it difficult to disengage the rods.
To release the rods, you press down on the button and pull the rod backward. This will disengage it.
To release or change the mount from the Rabbit Rounder SNAPBAG you simply pull down on a small release mechanism on the bottom of the mount and turn it anti-clockwise.
What do you get?
Every Rabbit Rounder SNAPBAG comes with the backing plate already attached. When you buy a Rabbit Rounder Universal Adapter you get the adapter plate and the mount (except for the Nanlux NL-Mount which is integrated into the adapter plate).
Build Quality
As you would expect, the Rabbit Rounder Universal Adapters and Rabbit Rounder SNAPBAGs are very well made, and so they should be given their price. DoPchoice makes products that are designed to last a long time and for the rigors of rental house use.
The rods that fold out on the lighting modifiers almost feel like they were over-engineered and I think they were made that way so that you could still be opening them up in a decade’s time with no problem at all.
The plates and the material used on the lighting modifiers are excellent and the Rabbit-Rounder Universal System was specifically made out of rugged materials for a long life.
The actual material on the front of the lighting modifies is magic cloth and not some cheap material that you would find on an inexpensive softbox.
The Rabbit-Rounder adapters are nicely machined and there is absolutely nothing on them that will break.
The future-proof design (well as much as you can future-proof something) allows it to accept new lights with the simple addition of an easy-to-mount adapter. I think this is one of the biggest selling points because you want your lighting modifier to outlive any light you may have and then still be able to use it on other lights in the future.
Speaking of future proof, DoPchoice has also designed the rods inside the lighting modifiers so that they are replaceable. This is nice, because with a lot of soft boxes if a part like this breaks, you have to throw the whole thing away.
Caveats?
The biggest caveat is that the Rabbit Rounder Universal lighting modifiers do take up quite a lot of space and they are not the easiest things to store or transport.
When they are new the rods can be hard to lock into place and then release. It does take some repeated use for these to loosen up slightly.
Real World Use
Attention to detail is what normally separates the men from the boys. If you look at the material on the inside of the lighting modifiers you will see that it is different on the outer edges. The reason for this is that once the light reaches the front it softens a little bit more to help create a very even finish across the front of the magic cloth. With a lot of cheap softboxes, the material used inside is the same from the back to the front. Not all lighting modifiers are created equal, regardless of what some people may believe.
The Rabbit Rounder Universal lighting modifiers seal up well at the back so thee is almost no light that escapes.
You can create beautiful soft light by using the Rabbit Rounder Universal system, and that is exactly what you want to do with a system like this.
Above I had the DoPchoice Octa 3 about 1m from a wall and the Aputure LS 600c Pro was set to 100% output and you have to get very close to the wall to see any noticeable shadows.
The Rabbit Rounder Universal system is very easy to use, it is also beautifully made, and very robust. In stating that, so it should be, given the price.
I also decided to do some measurements with a Sekonic C-800 to see how much output an Aputure LS 600c Pro put out at a distance of 1m (3.3′) from the DoPchoice Octa.
Above you can see that Aputure LS 600c Pro when used with the DoPchoice Octa 5 recorded an output of 6750lx (627fc) when set at 5600K. The reading was taken 1m (3.3′) from the edge of the Octa 3.
This is still a good amount of output from a diffused source. As a comparison, when the light is used open face it recorded an ouput of 15400lx.
As far as the CCT reading was concerned, the Aputure LS 600c Pro when used with the DoPchoice Octa 3 recorded 5506K.
As a comparison, when the light was used open face it recorded a reading of 6139K. This shows me that when you use the DoPchoice Octa 3 you are getting a far more accurate CCT reading.
I also wanted to see how much light fall off there was when using the DoPchoice Octa 3 with the Aputure LS 600c Pro. There is certainly a hotspot being produced by the light and you will get fall off out towards the edges of the Octa 3.
Above you can see a measurement taken directly from the middle of the DoPchoice Octa 3. The light recorded 74400lx in the middle of the Octa 3.
Above you can see a measurement taken at the edge of the DoPchoice Octa 3. The light recorded 33100lx at the far edge. This tells me that the light in conjunction with the Octa 3 has quite a lot of fall off from the center to the edges.
If you stop the aperture down on a camera you can see the hot spot being created by the light.
This might sound alarming, but it actually helps to create a nice soft roll-off around somebody’s face.
Who is it for?
Most DoPchoice products are made for rental houses, studios, production houses, gaffers, and mid to high-end owner/operators.
Look, DoPchoice lighting modifiers are not cheap, but they are very solidly made and they will last you a very long time.
They are not going to be a product for everyone, and there will be people who complain that they are too expensive, and that is fine. There are lots of options on the market and that allows you to buy the right product for you and your budget.
The Rabbit-Rounder Universal is a good solution for using DoPChoice lighting modifiers that you may already own on high-powered COB lights.
There are three versions of the Rabbit-Rounder Universal available. One is for Bowens Mount, another with Nanlite’s proprietary mount, and the third version works with the Fillex Q5 and Q8.
The Rabbit-Rounder Universal System is made out of rugged materials for long life. Its future-proof design is ready to accept new lights with the simple addition of an easy-to-mount adapter.
Price & Availability
The Rabbit-Rounder Universal is manufactured by DoPchoice and TRP Worldwide and they are now available through authorized dealers. In the USA, DoPchoice products are sold under the TRP Worldwide name.
You can also buy the Rabbit-Rounder Universal SNAPBAGs with the Rabbit-Rounder Universal Adapter Plates in kits:
- TRP WORLDWIDE Medium SNAPBAG with Rabbit Rounder Bowens Mount $894.90 USD
- TRP WORLDWIDE Medium SNAPBAG with Rabbit Rounder Evoke 1200 Mount $991.80 USD
- TRP WORLDWIDE Medium SNAPBAG with Rabbit Rounder Fiilex Q5 and Q8 Mount $991.80 USD
- TRP WORLDWIDE Octa 5′ SNAPBAG with Rabbit Rounder Bowens Mount $1,185.60 USD
- TRP WORLDWIDE Octa 5′ SNAPBAG with Rabbit Rounder Evoke 1200 Mount $1,282.50 USD
- TRP WORLDWIDE Octa 5′ SNAPBAG with Rabbit Rounder Fiilex Q5 and Q8 Mount $1,280.50 USD
Conclusion
Yes, the Rabbit-Rounder Universal system isn’t a wallet-friendly option, but it does its job very well and it will outlive the light you are using it with.
As I previously mentioned, they are beautifully made and well constructed, and they have been designed to stand up to the rigors of field use.
Sure a cheaper solution might do the job, but after a few years when the inside lining starts to flake away and the rods break it will end up in the bin. For some people that won’t be an issue and they will just buy another one. Personally, I don’t like buying products that have a short shelf life or that will fail when I need them the most. A lot of people tend to overlook build quality and reliability and instead just focus on how much something is going to cost them.
