Umbrella swivel Bracket

[sharonj]

Hi.... just wondering if anyone know anything about these brackets?

http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/prod5375.htm

I want a bracket that is strong & secure (but also doesn't cost a fortune! Too much to ask??? LOL )
I've tried brackets off ebay & it was awful!!! A blob of jelly is more stable than that was!!

So just wondering if anyone knows about it or has this one? Or can recommend another one?

TIA

[Alpha_7]

I'd be a bit concerned by the coldshoe part, but its difficult to tell without a hands on play how good the bracket is, I've seen some that look sturdy, but put the weight of a flash and umbrella on there and you can't lock it down at the angle you want.

[gstark]

The bit that says these are made of plastic concerns me. Greatly.

An off-camera flash carries a fair bit of weight. A brolly does too, plus its weight will be at the end of the brolly's arm. Think in terms of tyre lever, leverage, and the fact that the fulcrum for this would be this bracket.

The Manfrotto versions of this are made of cast aluminium.

As are the similar units that come with the various lighting kits that one can buy for around PP200. Including lights, stands, and brollies.

What sort of gear do you currently have? Upon what are you thinking to mount this?

[Reschsmooth]

The Manfrotto versions of this are made of cast aluminium.

Gary may be referring to this. We have one of these. It is very solid, with little movement once locked down. There is no hot/cold shoe, but a screw that will fit into the foot of the stands that come with, for example, the Nikon SB800.

[sharonj]

Thanks for the replies

What sort of gear do you currently have? Upon what are you thinking to mount this?

I've ordered a convertible 45" brolly from the US. I was planning on mounting on a tripod (with the extra thread to add to the bracket of course ) & using with my SB600.

I do need sturdy as I'm planning location shoots with OCF, (so not indoor studio sessions).
A tripod would be better for outside/location work, yes?? (Because of the adjustable legs).

[gstark]

How high does the tripod reach?

While a good tripod may be steady, typically tripods won't be much taller than you are. From a lighting pers[ective, that may not be tall enough.

For indoor use, a lightstand will offer adequate stability, provide you keep the cat and the kids securely restrained. Outdoors, sandbags across the base will help the bottom down.

The other issue that you are going to be facing is that of power. or maybe the absence of it. Your lighting - and the way your subjects are illuminated - is based upon the light to subject distance. With a brolly, you need to understand that you are facing the light away from your subject and into the brolly, from where it then starts to travel the distance back towards your subject. Typically, you might add an extra three to four feet to the distance that the light is traveling, and the brolly, in diffusing the light, further reduces the available power.

I'm not trying to scare you, but merely trying to help you understand some of the challenges that you'll be facing with this setup. It will work, but probably not quite in the manner that you intend.

[sharonj]

How high does the tripod reach?

While a good tripod may be steady, typically tripods won't be much taller than you are. From a lighting pers[ective, that may not be tall enough.

Very good point Gary!! Looks like I'm going to be getting a light stand then!

The umbrella I'm getting is a reversible/convertible. So It can be used as a shoot thru *by removing the black cover) as well as reflective.
But.... I do understand what you are saying about the power.

I'm just starting to get into OCF & need some equipment, but no knowing how much of it I will do and $$ issues (1 income atm), I'd prefer to start off cheaply (hence the brolly over a softbox)... and then buy better quality equipment later if necessary.
What equipment/setup would you recommend?

[muzz]

Hi Shaz, welcome.

I have a couple of these brackets but I got mine off the net (GadgetInfinity I think - they look identical to the one you referenced). They have had a couple of tumbles which the umbrellas didn't survive, but the brackets were fine (yes Gary was right, I should've restrained the kids). They mount on light stands, or alternatively you can remove the bottom thumbscrew, bend the hinge to 90° and the thread on the bracket fits the screw on your tripod (only just long enough to grip). If you prefer, you can buy a spigot for a few bucks that screws onto the tripod screw and replicates the top of a light stand.

It's also a good idea to put electrical tape over the bottom of the coldshoe as it is metal and potentially can short out connections between the pins on the hotshoe of the flash.

Have fun with your OCF - have you looked through the Strobist site?

[gstark]

Sharon,

The umbrella I'm getting is a reversible/convertible. So It can be used as a shoot thru *by removing the black cover) as well as reflective.

You'll lose power shooting through the brolly too, so that makes little difference.

What equipment/setup would you recommend?

The basic setup is going to be a light stand, brolly, and some form of adapter bracket to carry the strobe. If you just set out to buy those items, you can probably expect to pay something around PP100-PP130 all up, buying locally.

There are lighting kits available that come with a low power studio head with modeling light, stand, bracket, brolly and/or softbox, radio trigger and cables ... two or three of each, and the cost works out at being less than buying just the basic setup, once you factor in the kits' contents. Worth looking around for, and probably a better way to expend your budget.

We have those kits available here as well (I need to revisit Poon's pricing though) but please read the FAQ sections on bargains, and also review the FAQ sections about meaningful location in your profile.

[Reschsmooth]

If you want to use speedlights, I would recommend the Manfrotto 001 Nano stand - very lightweight but sturdy enough, at a cost of about $130. It folds up to about 40cm long or so. I am taking this, bungied up with a brolly tonight - very portable.

[sharonj]

Thanks everyone for your help in this thread

I've purchases the Manfrotto umbrella clamp & I'm really happy with it

Light stand is next on the list