Mounting speedlights

SloYerRoll

I have my gear pretty well broken in and it still seems to be a hassle to wedge the hotshoe of my flash into or out of a receptical.

Has anyone come up w/ any ideas on how to make this easier?
I have a dremel and am not scared to use it. I'd just rather know it works before I go caveman on my gear:wink

Even suggestions are welcome here!

-Jon

JimW

Jon - not really sure what exactly you mean. Do you mean one of these things?




What's a dremel?

SloYerRoll

Exactly. Just like this image that shows a bracket and speedlight.


It feels like a "cheap fit" and flashes get stuck in the recepticle when I try to setup or breakdown.

I have 5 speedlights and multiple brackets, so I know it's not a faulty speedlight bracket combo.

Does what I'm saying make sense now?

JimW

Okay, yes. I agree they're a cheap fit. I don't seem to have the problem of them getting stuck. With the scotch tape there, they slide on okay once I've loosened that silver screw, and they slide off okay too. But I agree the whole rigamerole is a cheap fit, and I don't totally trust it when it's on.
So, I would be interested in a better way, too. Sorry, but I don't know of one.

Jim

Icebear

Nikon
SB-600s and SB-800s come with nice stands that can be screwed onto the stud on the stand, then the speedlight just locks into the stand. You might want to look into those stands. They can't cost too much - oh, wait - Nikon. I forgot, that's Japanese for "get out your wallet."

SloYerRoll

Icebear wrote:

SB-600s and SB-800s come with nice stands that can be screwed onto the stud on the stand, then the speedlight just locks into the stand. You might want to look into those stands. They can't cost too much - oh, wait - Nikon. I forgot, that's Japanese for "get out your wallet."

Photography in any language means get out your credit card..

Thanks Icebear, I'll look into these. At this point I jsut want to make purchases that are compatible w/ future gear I may buy so I don't have to keep doing this! Hopefully one day I'll be satisfied

pathfinder

Jon,

EOS speedlites come with a little plastic mount that has a 1/4 thread socket on the bottom that will screw onto the mounting stud ( 1/4 x 20 ) on a tripod. It seems to hold the flash securely as the flash can be tightened down tightly onto it. But they are plastic, and we know that will probably fail over time.

Reallyrightstuff sells what they call a cold shoe - a flash mounting that will accept the hotshoe of a shoe mounted flash, but has an insulating surface where the flashes electrical contacts are. This cold shoe is designed to fit into an Arca-Swiss clamp, but it also has a 1/4 x20 socket on its bottom as well. I purchased a few of these to carry around so that I can mount speedlites on cheap tripods when I am out and about and not worry about the flashes sliding out and hitting the asphalt.



$32 each from RRS. Not cheap, but the excellent build quality expected of stuff from RRS. Not flimsy, but robust. Your flash foot will give first.

pathfinder

JimW wrote:

Jon - not really sure what exactly you mean. Do you mean one of these things?




What's a dremel?

I have never liked these flash mounts - they are trouble looking for a place to happen.

Would you trust a $400+ flash unit to one of these? Or even a Vivitar 285HV that works very well?

Icebear

I'm really not shilling for Nikon
But one real advantage of the Nikon stands, is that you can also use them as stand-alones to place your flash on top of furniture, doors, etc. I use them a LOT.

pathfinder

The EOS speedlites have a similar stand and can stand alone on a surfaqce also.

You didn't really think that Canon would let Nikon get ahead of them in strobe bases did you:D

JimW

I have never liked these flash mounts - they are trouble looking for a place to happen.

Would you trust a $400+ flash unit to one of these? Or even a Vivitar 285HV that works very well?

pathfinder - well, no, I wouldn't, but just haven't found an alternative yet. I'm happy to learn about the RRS shoe. Thank you. Jim

SloYerRoll

pathfinder wrote:

Would you trust a $400+ flash unit to one of these? Or even a Vivitar 285HV that works very well?

I don't mind cus I'm a pretty meticulous dude. I was also lucky enough to get in on the ground floor of the strobist movement and was able to get a bunch of SB24's on the ultra cheap! That RRS shoe looks like a solid answer though!
Thanks!

JimW wrote:

What's a dremel?

It's a little rotary tool that's great for things like shaving off plastic or metal. It's not a tool you use everyday. But when you need a dremel. There are no substitutes!

pathfinder

Jon, the reason I am so critical concerning the security of the mount that the hotshoe fits into, is because I am using a 16x20 softbox on my 550ex, and this really adds to the weight and the imbalance. The softbox makes the flash/softbox unit highly unstable and leveraged at the hot shoe.

The cheap aluminum extrusion mount, with the thumb screw posted, will let the 550ex slide out if it is pointing up or down. That could prove fatal to my old, faithful 550ex, which is old and well used, but still works just fine.

The RRS hot foot mount will attach to a tripod I have with me because it always has an Arca-Swiss clamp mounted on the tripod head. If I need to raise the light higher on a true lightstand, it will accept the threaded brass shaft.

Icebear

Why worry???

pathfinder wrote:

I am using a 16x20 softbox on my 550ex, and this really adds to the weight and the imbalance. The softbox makes the flash/softbox unit highly unstable and leveraged at the hot shoe.

Don't sweat it. The softbox will cushion the speedlight quite nicely when it hits the deck.

pathfinder

Yeah, that MIGHT work.......

Then again.........

LiquidAir

pathfinder wrote:

Jon, the reason I am so critical concerning the security of the mount that the hotshoe fits into, is because I am using a 16x20 softbox on my 550ex, and this really adds to the weight and the imbalance. The softbox makes the flash/softbox unit highly unstable and leveraged at the hot shoe.

Yikes. When I use a shoe mount strobe with a softbox, the speedring is mounted on the stand rather than the strobe. My rig is sturdy enough when I have it together, but setup time is a bit slow. I am still working on that problem.

pathfinder

Mine is too, as I look at it, but I still do not trust that aluminum extrusion to hold it securely.

SloYerRoll

To be honest. I'm completely comfortable that the aluminum shoe will hold it to the point that the hotshoe on the flash breaks first.

At this point, I just want to trim setup & breakdown times so I spend more time shooting and less time fudging w/ gear.

I thing I'm gonna look into frankenstein ideas for quick release. My wife has a full blown studio rig and I use them once a blue moon, but they are a PITA. I'd rather use strobes and a few stands or magic arms anyday.

Thanks again to all for the input. It really has helped!