Flash Brackets...

aammoore · Dec 13, 2007

If I ask what I'm thinking I'll write the wrong thing so I'm just going to ask your opinions on flash brackets, brands, tall or short ones, things to buy with them, etc....looking into buying one.

Thanks!

soylentgreen · Dec 13, 2007

You first have to answer for yourself, "What features do you need in the bracket?" Portabilty, ease of use, price. What do you need it to exactly do for you? There are a lot of brands and varying applications for a flash bracket. From static side mounts, camera flip-mount, flash flip-mount, macro mounts, etc. Once you decide there, you can than get into the features you need. Popular brands are Stroboframe, Novoflex, Custom Bracket come to mind. Since I shoot a lot of telephoto, I decided on a frame that mounts my flash above my lens and can flip when I need to shoot vertical (Stroboframe VH-2000). I did not like the regular flash-flip models because I use a difuser and the vertical shooting position will have the flash lying on its side. Regardless, you will need to get a off-shoe flash cord that is compatible with your camera and flash. Best to go to the local shop and see what they have. Mount them to your camera and see how they feel.

Sideburns · Dec 13, 2007

I've heard great things about stroboframes...
I was gonna buy one...but didn't realize just how much these thinsg add up to when you need a flash, and a bag, and....well, you know...

but anyways...they're a great thing to have if you work with flash on camera often.

They also make those quick release brackets...those are kinda neat...and convenient for off camera flash lovers who love to hang the flash over their head somewhere while they're shooting...lol.

Good luck.

Big Mike · Dec 14, 2007

The advantage of a bracket is so that you can keep the flash above the camera in both portrait and landscape orientation. If you don't have the flash directly above the lens, you may end up casting shadows which don't look very good (image shooting people with a wall behind them).

There are several good brands, as mentioned. Stroboframe seems to be the most popular.

There are many different styles. Some are just an arm that holds the flash up. Some will flip so that you can keep the flash above the lens. Some will keep the flash stationary and rotate the camera.
Some are meant to be held differently. For example, the model that I have, the Stroboframe Press-T, is made so that you don't hold onto the bracket at all...but hold onto the camera just as you would if there were no bracket.

As mentioned, you will also need a way to connect the camera to the flash. If you have a modern flash with E-TTL metering...then you will need the proper cord to keep that functionality. If you are just using a manual flash, a PC cord would be good enough.