Keeping a flash on the hot shoe permanently...

[MWP]

Very basic question but I'm curious if any of you keep a flash on the hot shoe permanently for convenience? The reason I ask is I'm worried about breaking or damaging the hot shoe when the camera is in the bag during travel. Do you feel their designed well enough on the Canon cameras to leave a flash on full time?

 

[ghache]

your common sense got you worried. follow it.

 

[fjrabon]

nah, you should definitely take it off when it's being stored. Even if the hotshoe/camera withstands a jolt, the flash units themselves are pretty much always plastic and could easily snap. It takes all of about 5 seconds to attach/detach a speedlight.

 

[Overread]

When a camera is in storage for transporting from A to B I typically don't keep a flash unit on the hotshoe. Even with good packing its a fairly weak point of connection on the camera (its a very small contact area) and could easily come to harm. Further adding or removing a flash unit takes only a matter of seconds so I've never really felt the need to have the flash ready on the camera to pull out.

I can see some argument if you were using teh camera on and off a lot and keeping it in a shoulder back - then you might see some cause to have it fully complete and ready - that said most times when you want a camera ready that fast it will be in your hands ready to shoot not in the bag.


That said I will often keep a lens on my camera - most of my trips out I've a reasonable idea of what I want to go out and shoot so I have the lens for that situation ready on the camera for when I get to my destination (or I fit a general travelling lens for if I expect to get the chance for snaps along the way).

 

[KmH]

I aways kept a lens on just one of my camera bodies when they were in my gear bag, and it was always a small lens like a 50 mm prime lens, or a 18-55 mm kit lens.

Heavier lenses can distort/bend the lens mount, or even strip the lens mount screws right out of the camera, particularly if the camera has a plastic chassis.

The hot shoe has a much smaller mounting surface area than the lens mount, and with the height a speedlight has, there is just to much leverage potential to justify keeping a speedlight on the hot shoe forever.

 

[Dominantly]

I would say this is an advanced question, partly because we need to obtain some data on how much tension the hotshoe connector can withstand, and what it's tolerance is.
We also need to evaluate how often a flash is needed at the drop of a hat vs the extra 20 seconds of taking it out of the bag and placing it on the hot shoe.

This is no easy task, we have a lot of work to do.

 

[Rwsphotos]

I wouldn't chance it ...whats more inconvient having to put the Speed light on or repairing the mount if it breaks? I don't normally leave a lens attached either but thats more of a room issue in my bag. as perviously mentioned if I did it would be a short light lens other wise You risk damaging our equipment.

 

[MWP]

Thank you for the advice guys I appreciate it. I'm scrapping the idea of keeping it on full time.

 

[Deo]

I aways kept a lens on just one of my camera bodies when they were in my gear bag, and it was always a small lens like a 50 mm prime lens, or a 18-55 mm kit lens.

Heavier lenses can distort/bend the lens mount, or even strip the lens mount screws right out of the camera, particularly if the camera has a plastic chassis.

The hot shoe has a much smaller mounting surface area than the lens mount, and with the height a speedlight has, there is just to much leverage potential to justify keeping a speedlight on the hot shoe forever.

well thats what happened with my 7d, and imagine if that could happened with such a strong lens mount, how about the small hot shoe plate?