Name this gizmo and WIN! See pic.

[ben_roubin]

<p>This thing was attached to leg of a used Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod I bought. The shop owner had no idea what it was. The thing on top seems to be on a home made bracket and added on, but the lower one looks factory.<br>

Tell me what it is and what it's used for and win some free advice about anything under the sun (except what to do with this gizmo).<br>

<a href="http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j61/mbr12/vw/?action=view&current=Tripodthig.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j61/mbr12/vw/Tripodthig.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></p>

[jeff_livacich]

<p>That's a doohickey with a thingamajig attached.</p>

[jerry thirsty]

<p>The base part that wraps around the leg and the tab that sticks out to the right appear to be parts of brackets used to attach safety reflectors behind a bicycle seat post, cobbled together in an odd way. Perhaps the crude cold shoes are to mount flashes for a macro getup?</p>

[ben_roubin]

<p>I know it's for mounting accessories, but what mounts will they accept? Type, brand?</p>

[steve m smith]

<blockquote>

<p>That's a doohickey with a thingamajig attached.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I think you have those the wrong way round!</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>Hi Ben. I'm guessing from the scale, but those aren't passive flash shoes, are they? If they're the shape of a hot shoe, they'd work for holding a slave flash or holding a flash on a cord. Where they're positioned, I can only imagine that they might be useful if the original owner was doing low-down macro photography with the tripod column inverted. If that's not what they're for, I'm completely mystified.</p>

[jeff_livacich]

<p>Steve, you could be right. I have a whatsit that I think would fit on there.</p>

<p> </p>