10 Ways to Mount Your Speedlites Off-Camera
10 Ways to Mount Your Off-Camera Flash
Whilst we like to review lights and flashes the essential gear for mounting them is largely overlooked, especially as light stands are designed for lights with ⅝ in 16mm female receptors and generally not suited to directly mounting Speedlites.
The ten products reviewed here will enable your on-camera Speedlites to be used off-camera and create new possibilities to take your lighting to new heights.
Here I look at alternative ways to mount your on-camera flashes off-camera.
Manfrotto Cold Shoe Spring Clamp
https://www.manfrotto.com/uk-en/cold-shoe-spring-clamp-175f-2/
Price: £105.00
Weight: 350g
Fixings: ⅝ in female, 40mm clamp, cold shoe, ⅝ in male, ⅜ in female thread
Originally conceived by Joe McNally and Justin Stailey as an amalgam of parts from the Manfrotto catalogue. Basically, a mini ball head and plastic cold shoe adaptor were screwed to a 175 Spring Clamp. In time it became known as the Justin Clamp or 175-F. The original plastic cold shoe wasn’t durable, as I’ve found out to my cost. Manfrotto introduced the 175-F2 with a secure locking screw collar cold shoe clamp. The ball head locking lever needs little force to secure the ball head and is designed for easy use with gloved hands. The spring clamp has a capacity of 40 mm (1.5in) and will take most Speedlites, outdoor battery flash up to 200Ws or small LED lights, up to and including units such as the Rotolight NEO 3 PRO which weighs in at 740g (26oz) .
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| Manfrotto Cold Shoe Spring Clamp |
Kupo Grip produce a similar product the KCP-390 Off Camera Flash Alli Clamp
https://www.productiongear.co.uk/kupo-kcp-390-off-camera-flash-clamp.html
Price: £50.00
Weight: 390g
Fixings: ⅝ in female, 40mm clamp, cold shoe, ⅝ in male, ⅜ in female thread
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| Kupo camera Flash Alli Clamp in use. Great for those times when a light stand can't be used. |
SMART Speedlite Adapter Bracket
https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-smart-speedlite-adapter-bracket-bowens-s-type-fitting/
Price: £23.90
Weight: 560g
Fixings: Umbrella, Bowens S-Type, 150mm (6in) flange for pop-up soft boxes
This the bulkiest of the products reviewed. It’s suitable for mounting rectangular and round head Speedlites along with outdoor battery flashes from 100Ws to 400Ws. It will accept Bowens S-Type mount light modifiers and shapers, umbrellas with a 8mm shaft. It does not take umbrellas with a hexagonal shaft such as the Double Fold from F J Westcott. The 6 inch/150mm flange is suitable for pop-up soft boxes up to 32 inch/80cm. The SMART Speedlite Adaptor Bracket is the Godox S2 Speedlite bracket rebadged by Pixapro in the UK.
Whilst this a bulky piece of kit, it's also very versatile. Although it's stated that it can be used with the AD400 outdoor battery flash, it's not something I'd recommend as the AD400 is back heavy and has a dedicated Bowens S-Type mount ring available along with numerous others including Elinchrom EL mount.
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| Godox S2 aka Pixapro SMART Speedlite Adaptor Bracket |
Frio
https://colorconfidence.com/collections/frio
Price: £48.00 - £90.00
Weight: 70g - 340g
Fixings: ⅝ in 16mm female receptor, suction, clamp, cold shoe, ¼ in male thread.
The Frio cold shoe was created in 2010 by photographer James Madelin. The brand is now owned by Color Confidence and range has expanded to include a variety of mounts for off-camera flashes. Under the Frio brand there are a number of well made compact and lightweight products perfectly suited to mounting your on-camera flashes off-camera. They include Frio Hold cold shoe adaptor, Frio Arch ball head umbrella swivel, Frio Stand for 16mm ⅝” light stands, Frio Cling vacuum pump ball head cold shoe mount, Frio Grasp Big and Mini articulating clamp for attaching to almost anything round or flat, including table edges, stair railings, poles or anywhere where space is tight.
If you’re someone who likes to pack light for their photography adventures or work the Frio range is well suited to outdoor and mobile photographers, especially where size and weight are important. The Frio Hold cold shoe adaptor is easy to use, the flash hot shoe slides in and is held in place by a spring clip which is an integral part of the design. The Frio range is designed exclusively for use with hot shoe flashes. I’ve used the Frio products for sometime and was one of the early adopters of James Madelin’s original Frio in 2010. This range is intended for smaller, lightweight light modifiers such as Rogue FlashBenders, grids, gels and umbrellas.
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| Frio Arch ball head umbrella swivel, Frio Stand for 16mm ⅝” light stands, Frio Cling vacuum pump ball head cold shoe mount, Frio Grasp Big and Mini articulating clamp |
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| Frio Cling vacuum pump ball head |
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| Frio Arch ball head umbrella swivel in use with a Rogue FlashBender light modifier attached. This image was published in my Ultimate Guide to Flash in Amateur Photographer magazine. |
On a side note, I wonder if the Orbis Ring Flash adaptor (invented by James Madelin) will ever be available in the future? Of its time it was and still is a very useful light modifier. For more power I’ve tested it on the Godox AD200/Pixapro PIKA 200 with the Speedlite/fresnel head. It’s good, with classic halo type shadow around the subject with softer edges.
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| The Orbis Ring Flash Adaptor slips onto the head of a Speedlite |
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| Orbis Ring Flash in use |
Manfrotto Lite-Tite Swivel Aluminium Umbrella Adapter
https://www.manfrotto.com/uk-en/lite-tite-swivel-aluminium-umbrella-adapter-026/
Price: £38.00
Weight: 330g
Fixings: ⅝ in 16mm female, ⅜ in female thread, ¼ in female thread, ¼ in male thread, umbrella receptor. Cold shoe adaptor extra.
The Manfrotto 026 is long established adaptor for mounting reflective and shoot through umbrellas to lights of all kinds including off-camera flashes with the aid of a cold shoe adapter. The umbrella receptor canbe used with hexagonal shaft umbrellas.
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| One of my many trusted Manfrotto 026 swivel umbrella adaptors which has seen action over decades. |
Kupo Roly Poly Counterbalanced Umbrella Swivel Bracket
https://www.productiongear.co.uk/kupo-roly-poly-counterbalanced-umbrella-swivel-bracket.html
Price: £57.00
Weight: 400g
Fixings: ⅝ in 16mm female, ⅜ in female thread, ¼ in female thread, ¼ in male thread, umbrella receptor. Cold shoe adaptor extra.
The Kupo Grip Umbrella swivel is particularly well designed as it has a large grip area with ribs which press into an aluminium washer when tightened. In use I’ve mounted a 72 inch/183cm umbrella without any evidence of drooping from the weight of the umbrella. The umbrella receptor will fit
hexagonal shaft umbrellas.
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| Kupo Roly Poly Counterbalanced Umbrella Swivel Bracket |
Manfrotto Cold Shoe Tilt Head
https://www.manfrotto.com/uk-en/cold-shoe-tilt-head-mlh1hs-2/
Price: £51.00
Weight: 200g
Fixings: ⅝ in 16mm female, cold shoe clamp, umbrella receptor.
Manfrotto’s Cold Shoe Tilt head is suited to Speedlites, off-camera flashes and smaller LED luminaires. The umbrella hole is positioned so a flash is positioned closer to the centre of an umbrella, although it’s not suited to umbrellas with hexagonal shafts. The pivot is spring loaded with increased locking torque to prevent movement during use and potential damage to attached gear. With a maximum load of 2kg the Cold Shoe Tilt Head will support a Speedlite, average weight with batteries 700g, plus a modifier.
One thing that should be supplied with this product is a ⅝ in/16mm male to female 1/4 in - ⅜ in adaptor for use with camera tripods.
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| Well designed, well built with knobs that are easy to adjust. The swivel is spring loaded to prevent damage to your Speedlite. |
Cold Shoe Adaptor vs. Frio Hold
The classic metal screw lock cold shoe adaptor has been around for as long as I can remember and was the main way to fix your hot shoe on-camera flash or Speedlite to other lighting grip for offcamera lighting. In 2010 James Madelin introduced the Frio Cold Shoe (as it was then known) to the market. It received mixed reviews because it's made from plastic or nylon with no locking screw, instead relying on a clip to keep the flash in place. I found some people saying that the Frio Cold Shoe was not secure, this is because they were not locking their flash to the Frio!
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| Metal cold shoe adaptor |
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| Frio Hold cold shoe adaptor |
Pros and Cons
In the event of a fall the chances are the Frio will break saving the flash hot shoe mount. With the metal cold shoe it's likely that the flash hot shoe will break needing an expensive repair!
Metal cold shoe adaptors are available for as little as £3.00 each, whereas the Frio Hold is sold in packed in threes for around £30.00.
DisclosureThis post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and information use.
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