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I‘ve been encouraged to post a road test of a Wimberley Macro Bracket, Wimberley Plamp and McClamp Stick for those who were unable to attend the Mini Meet on 20/08/05 where this equipment was demonstrated.

Wimberley Macro Bracket

As the name suggests, this flash bracket is ideal for macro work but it also can be used for general flash photography as well.

Cost $US 169

Features:

. Incredible flexibility
. Is robust – Made of metal
. Relatively light - 375 grams
. Is easily accommodated in a camera bag for storage due to compact size
. Mainly designed to be used with lens having a foot but can be used with an L bracket
- A Perpendicular Plate can be purchased separately in cases where users do not have either a lens foot or L bracket to attach the bracket to.

Folds compact for storage




Macro bracket attached to L Bracket (using 90mm macro which does not have a foot)





Bracket attached to lens foot (180mm Macro)




Off tripod use (attached to L Bracket)






Wimberley Plamp/McClamp Stick

These items are mainly designed to hold items like flowers etc steady whilst being photographed.



They can also hold other things like reflectors and mirrors (to assist remote shutter release other than from the front of the camera).



Both cost US$39.95

The McClamp comes with a stick which is inserted into the ground whilst the Plamp attaches to a tripod leg or centre column.

McClamp


Plamp


The Plamp’s length can be extended unlike the McClamp which is fixed

The McClamp also sells a model which attaches to the tripod.

Having used both, the McClamp is a better design as the clamp which attached to the flower stem is well padded whilst the Plamp has the potential to damage those flowers with softer stems due to its design.

Plamp



McClamp



This can be overcome by using a piece of ribbon wrapped around the stem and then clamped as follows



The McClamp clamp is also stronger and copes better with holding heavier items like reflectors.
Both items are extremely lightweight and pack flat for storage

These items are great for macro photographers but as demonstrated, can have a wider general application.

Ray

Excellent and informative review - thanks Ray

Very interesting article Ray, the off flash holder setup is fantastic and looks very flexiable also comes in at a reasonable price as well.
Random piece of information - the Loc-line flexiable pipe is actually used for coolant pipes on manual and some CNC machines to cool the workpiece or tool.

Out of interest, it's late, just got in from the Melb mini-dinner, is that the SC-17 or SC-28?

Looks like the SC29 to me

You're probably right chris but I couldn't see the af-assist illuminator. The last picture I saw of it was really prominant.

You gotta win the prize for the most informative and photographically impressive post this year
Thanks and great work

Ray

fantastic info, thank you for putting it all together for us.

Macro photography is a real interest of mine, once I have some cash (in about 20-25 years when I hope the last rug rat will be gone!!!) I will be putting it towards equipment geared towards macro.

Can I ask what tripod setup you use?

Cheers
Deb

Just got in after a day at Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens. Beautiful place especially for photographers.

Thanks Marcus & Chris

Kipper - Chris is right .. its a SC29 but the 28 will work just as well.

Paul. I was wondering if you could buy the Loc Line locally. The McClamp has a plastic line running through the loc line whilst the Plamp hasnt. That makes the Plamp extendable.

Deb. I use a Gitzo G2227 which I find ideal for all types of photography but in particular macro as it is the most flexible and well built of all the tripods I've looked at

Ray

Ray,
Thanks for bringing it to the last m.meet!
Ive never seen anything like it!

I look forward to seeing the photos that emerged from using your Sigma Macro's on my f100 body!

Excellent review!
Thanks for your contribution!

Jonathan

Ray

An excellent and detailed review of some interesting products. I must apologise for having been slack and not yet posted the pics of these devices I took at the meet. Needless to say I won't be posting them now

Looks GREAT!

Could I put it up on my site
http://kit.potofgrass.com
???
With a big link and credit to you (only small traffic though the site atm... ~5 visits a day via google)

Jenno wrote:I use a Gitzo G2227 which I find ideal for all types of photography but in particular macro as it is the most flexible and well built of all the tripods I've looked at

Almost everything in tripod choice is a compromise, but I must say my Benbo Trekker tripod is good for macro! But in the Gitzo range the Explorers like the 2227 are a good choice (I wonder where they got the idea of the movable centre column from ). It's a shame Benbo ruined the design with the Mk.II of the Trekker.

On the subject of the Wimberley flash brackets, I'm intending to get the Module 4 (the multi-jointed macro component) at some point, but I already have the Module 1 (the component that clamps onto the top of your len's mounting plate) which I bolted a cheap mini ballhead onto. I mount a flash onto the ballhead and it lets me put it into lots of convenient positions for macro work (my macro lens is a Sigma 180mm, BTW).

My point is you can get into the Wimberley system piece by piece (it's not cheap) and you don't have to save up for the whole lot to get into it. For some reason Wimberley don't build in a discount for buying packages rather than individual modules.

I'm seriously considering getting one of these thinga-ma-bobs!

I've looked at the Wimberly website and also your photos but I'm a little unclear on how exactly the Macro Bracket is attached...

I will want to have it attached to my sigma 180mm macro lens. In the photo you have the Bracket attaches to something just infront of the lens foot... Is that the P-10 plate?

I only have a manfrotto tripod head, not a Swiss-Arca style one... Will the P-10 (if that's what it is) attach to my tripod head or do I need to go out and invest in the Swiss-Arca system? (Please don't say yes!!)

Thanks for the info

Paul

I have a Sigma 180mm, and I use the P-10 plate on it. The Wimberley brackets clamp onto an Arca-Swiss dovetail (e.g. the top of the P-10 plate sticking out in front of the len's foot). They can clamp onto the bottom, but that gets in the way of fitting the lens into the head's clamp...

The Wimberley flash brackets go hand-in-hand with an Arca-Swiss mounting system, so I'm sorry to say that "yes" is the answer!

Ok...

Well The Arca-Swiss system was one I was hoping to buy into in the future...

Do you think it would work if I continued to mount my Sigma 180 to the tripod as I do now and use an Arca-Swiss body plate to attach the flash bracket to?

Is that feasable?

Paul

NikonUser wrote:Well The Arca-Swiss system was one I was hoping to buy into in the future...

Do you think it would work if I continued to mount my Sigma 180 to the tripod as I do now and use an Arca-Swiss body plate to attach the flash bracket to?

If I understand correctly, yes.

But what lenses/bodies/heads do you use?
If the Sigma 180mm was the only thing that ever mounted to your tripod head, and the body plate was just for attaching the flash brackets this might make sense, but what happens when you want to attach the camera directly to the tripod head?
One of the joys of a good QR system is having plates and clamps permanently on all equipment so it really is _quick_ release: you can easily and quickly rearrange equipment.

Ray i am not into macro, but mate this was interesting and informative and wow some setup, look like you got all the goodies and the nohow for the job, thanks for this thread.
Cheers
John

This is not Wimberley but Really Right Stuff:

Flash Brackets with
Orbiting Tilt Flash Head



http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/flash/index.html

fozzie,
As you known, I love it and I have one, playing with it alot.
Have you found some useful with it in your photography hobby?

Birddog,

Birddog114 wrote:fozzie,
As you known, I love it and I have one, playing with it alot.
Have you found some useful with it in your photography hobby?

Yes: I have used it in my macro work

fozzie wrote:Birddog,

Birddog114 wrote:fozzie,
As you known, I love it and I have one, playing with it alot.
Have you found some useful with it in your photography hobby?

Yes: I have used it in my macro work

You should try it with portrait shoot, it was designed for that purpose too.
Yes, it's very convenience and helful in macro shoot.

Birddog,

Birddog114 wrote:

fozzie wrote:Birddog,

Birddog114 wrote:fozzie,
As you known, I love it and I have one, playing with it alot.
Have you found some useful with it in your photography hobby?

Yes: I have used it in my macro work

You should try it with portrait shoot, it was designed for that purpose too.
Yes, it's very convenience and helful in macro shoot.

I do not do portraits.

I do enjoy macro, as you can shot almost anywhere.

fozzie wrote:Birddog,

Birddog114 wrote:

fozzie wrote:Birddog,

Birddog114 wrote:fozzie,
As you known, I love it and I have one, playing with it alot.
Have you found some useful with it in your photography hobby?

Yes: I have used it in my macro work

You should try it with portrait shoot, it was designed for that purpose too.
Yes, it's very convenience and helful in macro shoot.

I do not do portraits.

I do enjoy macro, as you can shot almost anywhere.

Find some young ladies around and do portrait shoot!
You shouldn't be lonely like this for the rest of your time

I've looked at this RRS bracket before and I think it has great possibilities, but I don't see how it can work well for some macro applications as there appears to be no easy way to get the flash head close to the subject, if needed.

Thoughts?

cameraguy21773 wrote:I've looked at this RRS bracket before and I think it has great possibilities, but I don't see how it can work well for some macro applications as there appears to be no easy way to get the flash head close to the subject, if needed.

Thoughts?

Yes, the headflash can be bent forward closed to subject.

Hi guys,

Sorry to dredge up an old topic, but i was trying to find somewhere that sells the Plamp, or McClamp in Australia. Does anyone know any place that does?

Thanks alot!