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Home >> Photography >> Accessories Flash Brackets Also read about the Newton Di100FRVG flash bracket Stroboframe Quickflip My first flash bracket that I bought so that I could get better quality flash photography for family outings. Strangely though, I don’t use it all that often for my personal family shots. I’ve also come to dislike this particular bracket for its limitations. Firstly, the bracket is left oriented. That is the stem that rises from the base of the bracket is suppose to be positioned to the left of the camera body. It seems a bit different to do it this way but it does make sense for this particular bracket and the cameras it's suppose to be used with. Normally, when I shoot without a bracket, the tendency is for my right hand, that is the main grip for the camera body, to rise up and turn the camera body counter clockwise for verticals. In this position, the shutter release is on top, facing left (all positions taken from the perspective of the photographer facing the subject). When using the Quickflip, you would do the reverse and pull your right hand down so that the shutter release is down and facing right. The flash is flipped over on the left side and the left hand can grasp the bracket’s foam grip or remain cradling the lens. Much simpler and smoother in action then in typing. You can also reverse the orientation if you prefer to do it that way since it makes little difference except for whether the shutter release is up or down. The bracket is adjustable for flash height positioning. The Quickflip is meant for camera bodies with no motor drive or vertical shutter release. It has a rubber like pad at the base for keeping slippage to a minimum but is still not a substitute for an anti-twist plate. There are several tapped screw holes running along the base plate but I'm not sure what most are for, probably for accommodating a variety of bodies’ positions. You can mount a quick release plate to the bottom through one of these holes, as they are all ¼ inch tapped holes. You won’t be able to mount the bracket onto a tripod with proper positioning and weight distribution but at least you get some stability instead of none when desired. The camera body is secured to the bracket via a finger grip retaining bolt. Although it is quick and easy to release the body from the plate, I find the bolt to be more of a nuisance. Since the bolt protrudes about a half inch under the base plate, you cannot sit the bracket/camera/flash unit on a table. It always has to lie on its back. Another inconvenience is that with with the Nikon system, one must use an SC17 TTL flash cord to mate the flash to the camera body when using a flash bracket. Due to the weight of the flash units when sitting on top of the flash bracket, an anti-twist plate dedicated to the SC17 must be used. The anti-twist plate and SC17 cord are secured by a ¼ inch Phillips screw. There are two tapped holes for correct alignment of the flash head. Although the Phillips screw ensures a solid and tight connection, it makes it inconvenient for quick take down of the SC17 cord. All in all, the Quickflip is not bad for amateur use, although I’m sure that more then a few pros are using it for their wedding work. I don’t use the Quickflip much nowadays but when I'm asked to take some snapshots at a wedding, I’ll have it ready with my F70 either as backup or for moments that require the quieter F70 over the F90x. I bought this bracket for a few reasons. Its superior to the Quickflip in operation and use when using bigger cameras with motor drives, battery packs and vertical shutter releases. It allows the use of anti-twist plates for the camera body and the retaining screw hole at the bottom of the bracket is counter-sunk so that the retaining screw lies flat when a body is secured. In this way, the bracket can be stood up on its bottom instead of lying on its back.
The flash height can be adjusted for proper flash alignment with whatever configuration you have. I’ve come across questions concerning what the proper height should be for the flash. If you’re using a 6x6 medium format system in which there is no need to flip the flash, then height can be a bit between art and science. If, however, you use a rectangular format, then I think it should be pretty easy. The height is whatever will keep the flash centered over the lens both vertically and horizontally. Of course, if you use a camera rotating bracket then you must experiment for best results or buy a bracket that keeps the lens/flash axis centred. For my setup, the bracket is extended about two inches from minimum height. This gives me a 12inch separation between the centre of the lens to the centre of the flash for both horizontal and vertical positioning. The bracket also gives a slight downward tilt to the flash for better coverage of the subject. I can’t remember if the bracket came with a finger grip type bolt to secure the flash or not but that is what I use now. It allows for fast takedown of the SC17 cord. The setup is basically opposite to what the Quickflip uses to secure the camera and flash units.
I like the Pro-T bracket. It’s quite versatile and quite light in construction but still very solid. One item to note about using it with an anti-twist plate. The corkboard-like material that came with the bracket to act as an anti-slip pad for a body takes up too much space between an anti-twist plate and the body. Take the pad off and use a bit of gaffer tape to pad the anti-twist plate with a few layers. The body and plate will make a very tight connection with no play to worry about. The only caveat about removing the corkboard pad is that when using the Pro-T with a body that has no anti-slip plate, like my Bronica SQ-Ai and motor drive combo, you’ll have too much of a gap to make a tight connection. That’s one of the reasons why I looked into a dedicated flash bracket for the Bronica. I looked to Stroboframe for what they had but at the time they didn’t seem to have what I wanted. The one model that I thought would do was the QR66 Reggie model, named after celebrity photographer, Dennis Reggie. The QR66 would work with a basic SQ-Ai but not with its motor drive. The bigger Pro RL can accommodate the motor drive but it looks far too bulky for my needs and I believe the price is quite high too. So I looked into the next big name in flash brackets and found what appears to be the ideal unit, the Newton 7400, a dedicated bracket for the Bronica SQ-Ai with motor drive. Link to the Saunders Group of Companies, owners of Stroboframe 
I ordered this unit after having come across many good reports on the net about Newton flash brackets. Before buying the N7400 for the Bronica kit, I was using the flat side by side bracket that came with my Metz 45 CL-4 flash unit. After the threads failed on that bracket with only mild usage and after a close call because of the blasted Metz bracket, I was determined to have a proper flash bracket with no mechanical hickups. Since I was already a fairly satisfied user of Stroboframe products I naturally looked at their products first. I thought Stroboframe's QR66 was the one for me since it was lightweight with just the basics and meant for a square format camera. I was lucky that I didn't order it because it wasn't compatible with my 'must-use' piece of equipment, the SQ-i motor drive. Having spent nearly $1000 (Can $) for the motor drive I wasn't about to leave it sitting idle for the sake of a $150 flash bracket. I needed a flash bracket that could handle the combined unit of the square body and motor drive unit. Stroboframe's only bracket capable of handling the body and motor is the Pro SQ. This bracket looked far bigger then I really wanted and the price wasn't too pleasing either. So a look at Newton's website got me into the N7400 as the alternative that was also priced more sensibly. Since Newton has gotten a higher profile with Amplis Foto distributing the brackets in Canada, ordering a unit was a simple task It took two weeks to get my N7400 in. I could have really used it just before it got into Vancouver but once in hand I was happy as could be. I tore open the box at the store and I had to admit I wasn't overly impressed. It was small! Having been use to Stroboframe products, I was taken aback by the compactness of the N7400. I thought that maybe I had been sent the wrong product but I was soon proved wrong. The compactness works in its favour I think as less material has to be used and it can therefore be made stronger with less flex and wear. I understand that aircraft aluminium is used to make Newton brackets and each is anodized black for better wear and tear. It looks quite industrial compared to the more finished looking Stroboframe products but given that Robert Newton makes each bracket himself in small batches, its quite understandable and certainly has no bearing on how well the bracket works. The N7400 as I bought it is comprised of three major pieces. One is the body or belly plate that is attached to the underside of the camera body via the tripod socket. Number two is the flash bracket proper that slides onto the body plate via Arca Swiss like quick release grooves. You can see the relationship of the two in the picture above. The body plate is the one in the back. Once locked in the flash bracket is still quite compact and very light. The flash holder section is adjustable in height by about two inches. This fits in with Robert Newton's own personal liking for modest height extension for flashes above the camera body. Since I use a Metz handle mount flash, the height extension isn't an issue for me but I think a bit more extension would be good to have for those who use hotshoe mounted flashes like the Vivitar 283 on the bracket.
Other then those observations, I like this bracket. Very handy to use and easy to cart the whole kit around. I did have some difficulty in mating it to my Metz flash in the begining but an email to Robert Newton resolved that in a day. My problem was that I was using a Metz 45 CL-4 and where Robert is from, in Florida, the CL series of flashes are unavailable. The CT series is sold instead and though technically, the two series of flashes are more or less indentical, mechanically they're not. The CT flashes have the flash bracket coupler on the left side of the flash whereas the CL series have them on the right side. My grey matter wasn't working too well and I couldn't see the easy way to resolve my couplng problem but Robert did. After following his instructions, I reversed the bracket coupler on my CL-4 to orient it to the left side and was able to get a perfect fit with the N7400 and the Metz Adapter piece. Since I bought the N7400, I've been very pleased with the unit. I've permanently attached an Arca Swiss quick release plate to the base of the bracket so that it will always be ready to mate with all of my A-S based quick releases. I should also note the excellent support by Newton should a user have any problems with the brackets. I had several email exchanges with Robert Newton before and after my purchase and he was always willing to help out with advice and clarification to my questions. |
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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Due to its design, the Pro-T and its
smaller brother, the Press-T, are meant for camera bodies with motor/battery
packs and vertical shutter buttons. The stem rises from the right
side of the camera so when shooting verticals, the flash is flipped
to the right while the whole bracket is flipped to the left to allow
the use of the vertical button on the body. It works perfectly with
my F90x/MB10 combo (also works well with the F100/MB15 combo too).
I don’t worry too much about taking
down the MB10 from the bracket. The securing of the MB10 to the bracket
is a bit fussy and time consuming so I often just leave the MB10 on
the bracket and use the standard battery holder with the basic F90x.
If I continue with the F90x kit, I’m thinking I might buy another
MB10 to use for off bracket use. The Pro-T, like the Quickflip, also
has a couple of tapped holes to allow mounting a quick release plate
to the bottom. Again, when used on a tripod, the placement is not
perfectly centered but still quite handy when needed. 
One
other nitpick I have with the bracket is how close the height extension
locking knob is to the motor drive. I have small hands but I felt
that a little extra room in that area would better. I couldn't imagine
a person over six feet tall with a meaty hand would like the tight
spacing too much. A standard hex head type of bolt would have been
a better choice but I understand Robert's reasoning for making the
bracket as quick to set up as possible for fast paced action. 