Flash bracket

[Sabin]

<p>Hi,<br>

I would like learn a bit more about portrait photography and just like with all other types of photography practice makes perfect. At the moment I am using a Nikon D300, I also have a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 and a Nikon 50mm f1.8 and a Nikon SB900.<br>

I have purchase a little strobist kit (stand, umbrella, sand bags, Elinchrom radio triggers) however I like shooting outdoors and the umbrella and stand are not always easy to use due to weather conditions.<br>

I have done a bit of research and found a few alternatives like Custom brackets, Stroboframe or the Manfrotto 233B flash bracket.<br>

Has anyone used any of these brackets, are they any good or is there a better option out there that does not "break the bank"?<br>

Any advise and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.</p>

[john_deerfield]

<p>Brackets will be a very personal thing, almost like choosing a car. Our current top pick is the RRS Wedding Pro. The bracket itself is somewhat expensive and then even more so when you consider you need an L-Plate for the bracket to work. However, if you are already using a L-Plate (and these are quite nice), then the Wedding Pro makes sense. Prior to "discovering" the Wedding Pro, our favorite brackets cam from Custom Brackets. Most of our associate shooters will use a Custom Bracket. Prior to that, we tried several other brackets from a variety of vendors. Our least favorite was the Stroboframe!</p>

<p>That said, I would be curious as to what you are trying to solve by using a bracket outside?</p>

[picturesque]

<p>The only bracket you mention that might have a chance of putting the flash truly off lens axis (very boring light for portraits unless it is strictly fill) is the Manfrotto bracket, and that doesn't get it that much off lens axis either. When I shoot weddings and want an off camera light, I use a stand, an unmodified Sunpak 120J (parabolic reflector), and weight the whole thing down with my shoulder bag, which is pretty heavy. Even in winds, it works well.</p>

<p>Some pro wedding photographers use a beauty dish. They are more resistant to blow over, and if they do blow over, you may have some dents, but that's it.</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>After trying several flash brakets throughout the years( including the Stroboframe and the Manfrotto) and hating them, I finally settled with the CB Digital Custom bracket <a href="http://www.custombrackets.com/cb-digital-t.html">http://www.custombrackets.com/cb-digital-t.html</a> <br>

It's super light though well made and very affordable. Unlike other more expensive and "sophisticated" brackets, switching to vertical is a breeze ! The only thing, you have to buy the accessory custom flash mounting bracket($20) to attach a speedlight to it. Otherwise this thing is great !</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>When I use a bracket, I use either a <a href="http://www.themorriscompany.com/Tripods/vert_horiz_flip.html">Morris Company #32301 bracket </a>($80, includes soft case) or a StroboFrame Quick Flip. The Morris unit extends up to 26 inches. The crossbar has dual cold shoes so you can put a speedlight off-axis two ways, put a radio trigger there, dual speedlights, lots of options. If you take the crossbar off, there's a baby spigot to mount other lighting devices/modifiers to. If I want to get really fancy, I can use it with a 15" x 15" Lastolite EzyBox on top which is kind of neat for some portraits.</p>

[Sabin]

<p>Thank you all for your quick and informative replies. I am glad I have posted the question because before today I never knew about the RRS Wedding Pro, it appears that there are a lot more brackets out there than the ones I looked at before. <br>

So far the RRS Wedding Pro and the Custom bracket look like good contenders for my current set up, the only drawback with the RRS Wedding Pro is that you have to get a completely different L-Plate for different camera bodies, there isn't one plate fits all and I would like to upgrade to a full frame camera when the replacement for the D700 gets released and of course when the budget allows.<br>

John, the reason I was considering purchasing a bracket is that I am trying to use my SB900 as a fill in flash and by using a bracket I hope to eliminate the problems resulting from having the SB900 mounted directly on the hot shoe, red eye, harsh looking lighting and if shooting indoors shadows. Like I've mentioned before I have almost no practical experience with shooting portraits, however from all the research I've done so far this seemed like the best option. <br>

Nadine, unfortunately I think the Sunpack 120J are very hard to come by nowadays (at least in Australia), as an alternative I might try just the SB900 on a stand with maybe a snoot or a speed grid attached. Not sure how the SB900 compares to the Sunpack 120J in terms of performance but for the time being will have to do.<br>

Once again thank you all very much, your suggestions have helped a lot.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I have three or four models of Strobframe and like them all, but each has its quirks. I'm not sure that brand makes a difference but there are a couple of things that do. First, I prefer models where the camera rotates back and forth from horizontal to vertical rather than ones where you flip the flash back and forth. The flip types work fine in horizontal position but can become very top heavy when flipped vertical, and cords and get pinched or tangled. Second, if shooting with a DSLR make sure the bracket is big enough for the body. Many DSLR bodies are the equivalent in size to a film SLR plus motor drive. At least one of my older brackets is a little bit of a close fit on my Nikon D200, which is not by any means the largest DSLR. As others have suggested, no bracket is going to give you the light you get by having the flash in an umbrella on a stand off to the side. If it's too windy out, you might try having an assistant/friend hold the flash and/or umbrella.</p>

[picturesque]

<p><em>...I hope to eliminate the problems resulting from having the SB900 mounted directly on the hot shoe, red eye, harsh looking lighting and if shooting indoors shadows.</em></p>

<p>Sabin, unfortunately using a bracket will not eliminate red eye, harsh looking lighting and shadows (indoors). Red eye is <em>reduced</em> in many cases, it is true, but not eliminated in every case. However, harsh lighting has nothing to do with using a bracket. And shadows will still be there using a bracket indoors. A bracket just pushes the shadows slightly more downward. In the case of a vertical shot, however, a bracket helps avoid those ugly side shadows. The shadows, however, will not be eliminated. You still should keep subjects away from walls and if you bounce your flash, a bracket is not necessary, as shadows will be more diffuse and less 'ugly'.</p>

<p>However, outdoors, if your fill produces any kind of shadow, and if you want even coverage for close subjects on verticals, using a flip bracket will help. I specify a flip bracket because many of the brackets that rotate the camera will have the flash head be horizontally oriented while the camera is vertical. While in 'most' cases, the flash coverage is unaffected, for close subjects, you will see fall off from the unmatched orientation.</p>

<p>The RRS is a great bracket. However, like you, I did not purchase it because of the L bracket issue. A similar bracket is the Flash Frame Flash Flip VF. Flash Frame also makes other ones, such as the Hand On Top bracket. They are available at B&H. Not as elegant as the RRS bracket, however, but not as expensive either.</p>

<p>Custom Brackets make very well built brackets, although they are not compact. Their T bracket and CB brackets flip the flash so the flash head to camera orientation matches.</p>

<p>Flip brackets are hard on the flash foot, as Craig says. Some people use the Manfrotto or Nikon 'false' foot (a screw in metal cold foot) to 'take' the abuse away from the actual flash foot.</p>