Occasionally I have the need to use dual speedlites on a single stand when shooting formals. Ideally I'm looking for some sort of dual flash speedlite bracket that I can mount ontop of a standard spigot. It'd be even better if it had a cold shoe and vari-angle system for directing umbrellas. I've yet to find anything in the UK. I have some great lastolite ones that I like, but the multi flash version mounts the flashes on the side. As I use Phottix Odin's underneath the flash when shooting OCF I don't like the thought of all the weight being perpendicular to the attachment point.
Honestly, if you are mechanical at all, go buy a bar of aluminum, drill three holes in it. Mount coldshoes to the outer holes and tap the middle hole for a tripod.
SloPhoto wrote:
Honestly, if you are mechanical at all, go buy a bar of aluminum, drill three holes in it. Mount coldshoes to the outer holes and tap the middle hole for a tripod.
I use a $0.99 T-Bracket from Home Depot with about $0.49 worth of bolts and a wing-nut on a standard brolly tilter. (shown in the first image above) Done. I use Phottix receivers as well. Doesn't get any simpler.
SloPhoto wrote:
What type of hot/coldshoe is that? Yongnuo receivers?
Yep...Yonguno CTR-301s I think. They have a 1/4" threaded hole in the bottom, so when I need to attach a speedlight to something I usually just grab those. They have built in optical slaves, which comes in handy once in a while, and also have a shoe mount transmitter. The radio works ok, but the range seems to be pretty limited, so I almost never use it. I forget what I paid for them, but I'm sure they were pretty cheap. Something handy to have in the bag anyway.
I like the Denis Reggie bracket the best. The arms for the battery packs do it for me. I've used mine now for two years. I like the build on the brewer bracket but wish it was a more complete solution.
I use a double bracket that is very similar to a Brewer Bracket and always have loved it. I use it with PLM's and having the umbrella rod aligned with the flash-heads showed good improvements in efficiency and quality of light for me.
how about vertical? I did this on Saturday. Bottom flash triggered by a Radio Popper, top flash set to optical slave or whatever. It's pretty ghetto but it kinda worked. HA!
how about vertical? I did this on Saturday. Bottom flash triggered by a Radio Popper, top flash set to optical slave or whatever. It's pretty ghetto but it kinda worked. HA!
hahaha...that is awesome. I totally would do this.
It definitely looks good, but the design is flawed as speedlights attached to it won't have any support apart from their hotshoe. Add a flextt5 and the whole lot will wobble. At some point the hotshoe will break.
I've used this approach - it's pretty simple DIY and the photo only shows a single flash. I've modified it to use two ball bungies and it works great.
It's cheap and it's probably the safest way to do this without having to worry about your shoes breaking which was my primary concern with all other approaches.
I actually use it for just single flash setups as well because it's so effective and gets the flash head so close to the center of the umbrella/modifier.
how about vertical? I did this on Saturday. Bottom flash triggered by a Radio Popper, top flash set to optical slave or whatever. It's pretty ghetto but it kinda worked. HA!
I did this on Saturday. Bottom flash triggered by a Radio Popper, top flash set to optical slave or whatever. It's pretty ghetto but it kinda worked. HA!