I'm in the market for a Flash L bracket and from the photo it looks like there is a shoe mount already at the top of the bracket ..How do you attach the TTL Cord Base to this mount?
Most TTL cords have a flash shoe on the bottom that should mount directly in the shoe mount that is shown. Your flash should then mount on the top of the shoe mount. Take a look at pictures of different TTL cords for your brand of camera. If you happen to have a TTL cord that only has screw threads on the bottom, and no shoe, you may still be able modify the flash bracket and use a screw to mount the cord.
I only know Canon gear by direct experience, but that cord looks like it will work fine. The knob like thing you see the edge of that is on the base side is most likely a clamping device that turns to lock the flash shoe into the bracket. This style of foot on a cord is very common, so even though you can not see the bottom, it will very likely have a flash foot, and should work fine on the bracket you have. If you want a final confirm, you could talk to B&H before you order.
$27. You get what you pay for. I use this one. Very sturdy. You do need the L bracket that attached to the body so it does start to add up. I use RRS quick release clamps, etc.
The Canon and Nikon TTL extension cords have 1/4"-20 threaded sockets you can used to mount them on the bracket. I just leave mine permanently bolted to mine.
Regarding the bracket itself. I don't recommend the one you selected because the flash flip style put a lot of strain on the foot of the flash when its hanging sideways in portrait mode. It also is more likely to cause contract problems with the control pins.
I've use this one with four different digital cameras
In I cradle the bottom of the bracket with my left hand just like the camera without a bracket and keep the right hand on the camera grip. I can switch orientations in a second with eye never leaving the viewfinder and the lighting on the face of the subject staying exactly the same. When not shooting I grab the bracket near the base of the flash letting the camera hang down. I rarely use the grip on the left side, except when changing the camera or flash settings with my right hand.
Since the flash stays vertical at all times there is less strain and it winds up higher and at a more natural downward angle relative to the face. The difference in coverage / orientation between camera sensor and flash head in portrait mode really isn't a problem except in extreme close-ups. In any case its a problem easily solved by adding a diffuser...
That's a older shot before I bolted my OC-E2 TTL cord to the bracket. Avoid using the supplied clamp. It lacks a locking pin and the sharp edges chew up the bottom of the cord mount.
I also suggest adding a quick release plate/ clamp system to any bracket you buy. Using the thumb-screw attachment for the camera is a task best done with three hands. A QR makes mounting / unmounting simpler. If you already have a Arca-Swiss design plate/QR system the RRS lever QR bracket is a good choice. If you don't have a QR, the one sold by Stroboframe shown in the accessories works well. It's camera base plate is a bit wider that the A-S design but it will still fit into an A-S style clamp.
Caveat: the Stroboframe camera flip doesn't have enough clearance for a grip camera, but with the ergonomics of the bracket there's little advantage to using a gripped camera with it. The larger Pro-T model will work with grip cameras. Custom and Norman also make good camera-flip brackets. The RRS bracket is nice too, but expensive.
cgardner wrote:
Regarding the bracket itself. I don't recommend the one you selected because the flash flip style put a lot of strain on the foot of the flash when its hanging sideways in portrait mode. It also is more likely to cause contract problems with the control pins.
.
The point of the bracket is to put the flash ABOVE the camera.. at no time should it be hanging sideways, unlike when it's attached to the camera.
With the bracket in question, it's highly likely that the existing coldshoe fitting is fitted using a 1/4" 20 screw so you would just unscrew that and add your TTL cord. If not, a 1/4" 20 screw is easy to get hold of and would be easy to replace.
Hi Chuck, do you know how that bracket would work with a battery pack or a 1 series camera ? I have the type the OP posted a link to and have been very happy with it but I do have to be careful not to stress the hotshoe in portrait mode.. I might look at the type you use but need something that will be comfortable with a battery pack on my 5DII.
ukphotographer wrote:
The point of the bracket is to put the flash ABOVE the camera.. at no time should it be hanging sideways, unlike when it's attached to the camera.
.
Whoops - yes it would with that bracket..
However.. because of this the flash and camera remain correctly aligned.
TiSE wrote:
Hi Chuck, do you know how that bracket would work with a battery pack or a 1 series camera ?
See the caveat at the end of my first message. The camera in my photo is a 20D, attached to the bracket with a Wiberley QR which raises it about 3/8". As you can see the top of the TTL cord in the hot shoe is nearly touching the left arm of the bracket. So I don't think it will work for yours. But there are several other camera flip models that will.
To clarify( in light of UK's comment):. The photos for the flash flip bracket model the OP is considering shows landscape mode where the flash is vertical over the camera. Not shown is what happens in portrait mode. When you rotate the camera to portrait, the arm of the bracket unfolds and the flash flops over and winds up above the camera lens, but hanging sideways with weight of the flash head putting strain on the foot. When you add the TTL cord the mass of the flash gets extended further and the orientation is more likely to cause pin contact problems than the camera flip style which keeps the flash vertical at all times.
The effectiveness of a bracket isn't just about ergonomics its about how effectively it creates a flattering lighting pattern on faces. That is pretty much a factor of how high it raises the flash above the lens. It's needs to be over 12" above the lens to change the modeling on a face much. My bracket / diffuser combo puts the center of the diffuser 16" above the center of the lens. More importantly it keeps it well above the eye line of the subjects.
There are many different ways to light a face goals are to draw attention to the eyes and mouth that trigger the emotional reaction and hide the distracting nose that sits in the middle as much as possible. For a number of different reasons a 45° downward angle winds up being the most naturally flattering — high enough to create downward modeling similar to natural light, but not so high the brow shades the eyes. When the nose points directly at a raised key light the alignment eliminates the sideward shadow clues making the nose the least distracting of any lighting pattern. Thats why a single flash on a bracket is, all things considered, much more flattering than a flash placed at arm's length off to the side.
For me a bracket is just one part of the solution in an overall lighting strategy, not a one-device-cures-all solution. With any bracket used beyond about 10ft the angle of the light relative to the face gets so low there is little improvement in modeling vs hotshoe, but the bracket will eliminate the upward shadow around heads. Beyond 10ft. bouncing becomes a better strategy for creating downward direction, but it is inefficient and the pattern / ratio is not controllable. That's why I prefer using dual flash whenever possible with the flash on the bracket reverting to the role of fill.
With dual flash the off camera key light can be positioned independently of the camera to set at a 45¨° angle pattern and kept closer as the camera moves back, with the Master flash on the bracket in ETTL mode automatically adjusting power of both to keep the lighting ratio consistent as the key light and shooting distance changes.
The fact the downward angle of the master on the bracket is diminished, while not ideal when used as a key light, is in fact ideal for fill making it more "neutral" and shadowless as the camera moves further away.
With dual flash in an overlapping key/fill configuration on the front of a subject the bracket is actually not really needed much, but often when can't precisely aim the key light on a face I put it behind as rim light using the flash on bracket to control the modeling on the front.
Even if you do little more than just park the off camera flash in the corner like I did above, the addition of the second light creates far more natural 3D modeling than single flash solutions. That's why I recommend people with speedlights buy gear in this order:
1) 580ex / 580exII flash and a bracket - learning how to get the most flattering results with single flash with an option for expansion to dual flash.
2) A second Canon flash (580exII or 430exII) learning to use the Canon optical system, which works fine in most situations.
3) TTL radio triggers if they find the Canon system doesn't work.
The most important component in that list in terms of lighting quality is the bracket
NancyinLA wrote:
...How do you attach the TTL Cord Base to [the Bower bracket] mount?
Unless the Bower is different than others of that type that I've seen, you can remove the cold shoe and use the screw going from the underside of the bracket directly into the threaded socket on the base of your TTL Cord. This makes for a somewhat more rigid mount than setting the cord's foot into the cold shoe.
As mentioned, this bracket (a copy of the original Stroboframe Flip Flash) puts a sideways strain on the flash foot, but these brackets are inexpensive and lightweight, and so some people prefer them to the heavier and more expensive camera-flip style.
I used to have a Stroboframe bracket, and I used it at weddings and theater shoots for several years with no problems. You just need to be aware of the stress points and don't abuse the gear.
I use the StroboFrame PRO T bracket. It's really strong but lightweight. With this one you hold the camera, NOT the bracket. It allows you to access all camera controls, instead of switching your hands back and forth from bracket to camera. Highly recommended.
