Reading mode: Light Dark

Wedding rig

Go to last post
D

dewayne howse

Forum Enthusiast
Messages
426
Reaction score
0
Location
detroit, MI, US
I haven't had the chance to try it out yet but this is my attempt to assemble a wedding rig. It is a Stroboframe quickflip 350, a canon offshoe cord, a 580ex and a 30d. I am experimenting so far that is why its setup strange right now. This setup doesnt lend to quick battery or cf card changes.



Just thought I'd share...

It would be interesting if others posted their current rigs, and give out some fresh ideas.
 
The bracket is very nice the thing i dont like is that if you put the flip on the right way then you have to hold the camera underhanded for portraits.
 
I guess the biggest thing I can add here is do you have a duplicate set of this? I'm doing my first wedding later this year and am building up equipment. I have the following so far:

20D
30D
4 camera batteries, 3 chargers
Canon 50mm 1.8
Sigma 24-70 2.8
430EX
580EX
Off camera shoe cord 2
8 AA batteries, 1 charger, Need 8 more batteries and another charger
Sekonic L-358 light meter
1G CF card, 2G CF card, Need more of these
Portable light stand with silver/white umbrella and flash/umbrella mount
Omnibounces for each flash
Stroboframe Flip-it flash bracket. (cheap but will work for now)
Impact 5in1 42" collapsible reflector
20G portable hard drive and CF reader
Lens Pen
Lens/sensor blower
Lumiquest 80/20 with insert kit
Books on exposure, lighting, portraits, weddings!

I'm trying now to learn how to use the Canon flashes together. So far I really like them. May get an ST-E2 down the road to get both flashes off the camera but you have more control with a 580 actually on the camera. I can completely control the off camera flash with it. With the ST-E2 you have to change some settings on the off camera flash manually. Especially if shooting in manual. Also the 580 lets me drop the power on the 430 all the way down to 1/128 instead of only 1/64. Just got them so it's time to start pestering friends!
--
My Pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56596551@N00/
Pics on Image Vortex
http://www.imagevortex.com/stock/users/woffles/
Personal Home Page using Simple Viewer
http://home.earthlink.net/~woffles
 
I use a very similar setup but with the Stroboframe camera flip bracket - this alllows for fliping the camera only and not two step (flip flash then the entire rig) so it works on the tripod much better.

Ken
 
holding the camera upside down for verticals! Any problem with putting the bracket on "backwards"?

Lonnit

--
Please visit my gallery at http://pbase.com/lonnit

and offer your comments. Tell me what you like and what you don't, and why. I welcome all opinions. :)

 
If you are wondering about the battery changes, get the grip and hold 2 batteries. You can shoot for a long while on 2 batteries.

Frankly, I wouldn't shoot a wedding without a spare camera body.

1st one with a wide angle (24-70 f2.8 or 16-35 f2.8), and another with a 70-200 f2.8 IS.

I'd even like a 3rd body with a 50 f1.4 or 85 f1.8. I'd run a flash on the wide angle zoom... but I'd also have a 2nd 580EX as a spare, or to use as a slave in some situations.

good luck.

--

Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.
  • Michael Crichton
 
I used to use the Quickflip 350 and upgraded to the Custom Bracket and never looked back.

Here are the problems with the 350:

1. If you mount the camera with the handle on the left, the shutter button moves to the bottom in portrait mode.

2. If you mount the camera with the handle on the right, you have to wrap your hand around the handle to fire the shutter in landscape mode.

3. Can't use the bracket on a tripod.

4. You have to flip the flash and if you don't have it secured tightly, it can go flying.

5. The camera will not sit securely upright with the bracket on because the mounting screw is the lowest point.

The Custom Bracket solves all those issues but at a pretty high price. By the time you're done with all the parts, it's close to $300.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=243910&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

--
http://www.PatYuen.com
 
Instead of the Stroboframe bracket, consider getting the Custom Brackets CB Junior.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&Q=&is=REG&O=productlist&sku=313176

The nice thing about the CB Junior is that it is designed so that it does not block access to the battery compartment. I have the Stroboframe Press-T bracket, and like most brackets, it blocks access to the battery door. Unfortunately, when I bought my Press-T, the CB Junior was not available. With my Press-T set-up, I use a Stroboframe QRS Quick Release System, which mounts between the camera body and the flash bracket. But it adds to the weight and complexity of the rig, and still takes a bit of coordination to get the bracket off the body. Obviously, the CB Junior has the advantage of not requiring you to remove the bracket at all when you need to change batteries, which is a huge plus.

By the way, I also used to have the Quickflip 350, but I hated the protruding knob at the bottom of the bracket. It gets in the way of handholding the camera, and it won't sit flat on a flat surface when you set it down.
dewayne howse said:
I haven't had the chance to try it out yet but this is my attempt
to assemble a wedding rig. It is a Stroboframe quickflip 350, a
canon offshoe cord, a 580ex and a 30d. I am experimenting so far
that is why its setup strange right now. This setup doesnt lend to
quick battery or cf card changes.



Just thought I'd share...
It would be interesting if others posted their current rigs, and
give out some fresh ideas.
Click to expand...
 
has anyone looked into the really right stuff bracket i really want one .
--

A split second in the real world passes by us so fast never to be had or seen again.my Job is to capture that split second and to make it into something we can all cherish forever.
 
Having to slide the flash along a rail when going from one orientation to the other seems like it could get rather tiresome. Plus, it looks like you have to manually lock the flash in position along the rail with a knob to keep it at a particular location, otherwise your flash could just keep sliding along the rail (and completely flop over). Plus, it doesn't appear that there is a stop position to indicate the "correct" position (in horitontal or vertical orientation) along the rail to align the flash above the lens. So you can potentially lock the flash "off-axis" from the flash, resulting in an imbalanced camera rig because the flash is leaning too much to the right or left. With a flash bracket like a Press-T or CB Junior, you literally just "flip" the bracket arm, and it comes to a stop in the right position. It doesn't look like you can do that with the Really Right Stuff bracket. I would absolutely hate having to loosen a knob, then slide the flash along the rail, while having to eye the position of the flash to make sure you slide it to the "correct" position along the rail so that it is directly above your lens, then tightening the knob to lock it in position, EVERY time I wanted to go from orientation to orientation. It would be just way to slow and cumbersome for wedding/event photography, where you need to go from orientation to orientation in an instant.

The strength of the RRS bracket is that the flash's position is almost infinitely adjustable, meaning you can position the flash forwards or backwards along the lens, as well as at almost any angle around the axis of the lens, in addition to tilting the flash forwards or backwards. But these things are of relatively little value for someone who just wants to quickly be able to switch the camera from vertical to horizontal (and vice versa) while keeping the flash directly overhead. All that adjustability can actually be a hindrance.
J.A.A. PHOTOGRAPHY said:
has anyone looked into the really right stuff bracket i really want
one .
--
A split second in the real world passes by us so fast never to be
had or seen again.my Job is to capture that split second and to
make it into something we can all cherish forever.
Click to expand...
 
It is backward isn't it!? If mounted the "other" way one'd either get the flash at the wrong position or would need huge fingers to go over the handle and trigger the shutter.
Never thought of ergonomy when I bought mine. Only about how cheap it was...!!!

--
Matt

http://www.pbase.com/mattBphoto

 
I returned it this morning. I got a Custom Bracket Jr and it does everything the right way! :) It's on your right hand side and flips so you can hold turn to portrait orientation and hold the camera normally, instead of upside down. It's also angled away from the base of the camera so that you can still access the battery without having to take the camera off the bracket! It doesn't interfere with the CF card door. It's adjustable height so it goes higher. I'm very happy with this one.

Lonnit
--
Please visit my gallery at http://pbase.com/lonnit

and offer your comments. Tell me what you like and what you don't, and why. I welcome all opinions. :)

 
I returned the stroboframe quick flip and went to another shop and got the CB Jr. Huge difference!

As for the quick release, why would you really need that? I mean, since you can use the CB on a tripod, you pretty much have the bracket on for the event and then when you're done, remove it. Am I missing something? Well, I guess if you wanted it off if you are doing a lot of flashless work in between. As it is, I'm not looking forward to all this extra weight! But, it looks like it will do the job quite nicely.

~ Lonnit
 
It looks like it protrudes forward and to the right of the camera, and you can go the vertical position by turning the camera counter-clockwise and flipping the bracket.

That is much nicer than my $50 Sroboframe.

Thanks.
--
Eric Sorensen
Bossier City, Louisiana
http://www.pbase.com/ericsorensen
 
I've been thinking about getting a flash bracket, and the CB junior seems to be a good choice. Obviously, I need the Canon off camera flash shoe cord, but I'm not sure about these other accessories:

FT-JR flash shoe mount ($16.95)
CN-JR anti-twist plate ($14.95)
Bogen/Manfrotto 3298 shoe mount ($7.95)

It sounds like I NEED the FT-JR, is that correct?

Do I ALSO need the CN-JR? What exactly does it do? (I have a 300D, 20D, 420EX, and 580EX).

I've read that the Bogen adapter makes the flash much more stable and lowers the risk of something breaking. I can't quite picture where exactly it goes in the whole assembly?

Any pointers (or perhaps even pictures?) would be most appreciated.

Cheers,

Wolfgang

--
'Great meal. What pots did you use?' -- Petteri

Wolfgang Bluhm
http://www.wbluhm.com/
 
I saw someone mention it in the forums last night as I was searching threads on the stroboframe. I went to the store this morning and he showed it to me. The only thing I know is that he said I needed the flash shoe mount. He said the anti twist plate was not necessary unless you're using the battery grip, which I'm not. That's where my knowledge of the product ends. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Lonnit
dpbear said:
I've been thinking about getting a flash bracket, and the CB junior
seems to be a good choice. Obviously, I need the Canon off camera
flash shoe cord, but I'm not sure about these other accessories:

FT-JR flash shoe mount ($16.95)
CN-JR anti-twist plate ($14.95)
Bogen/Manfrotto 3298 shoe mount ($7.95)

It sounds like I NEED the FT-JR, is that correct?

Do I ALSO need the CN-JR? What exactly does it do? (I have a 300D,
20D, 420EX, and 580EX).

I've read that the Bogen adapter makes the flash much more stable
and lowers the risk of something breaking. I can't quite picture
where exactly it goes in the whole assembly?

Any pointers (or perhaps even pictures?) would be most appreciated.

Cheers,

Wolfgang

--
'Great meal. What pots did you use?' -- Petteri

Wolfgang Bluhm
http://www.wbluhm.com/
Click to expand...
--
Please visit my gallery at http://pbase.com/lonnit

and offer your comments. Tell me what you like and what you don't, and why. I welcome all opinions. :)

 
Great, thanks.

I just realized that I seem to have forgotten some conclusions from prior research. I usually bounce my flash with a Stofen Omnibounce and the flash head pointed up.

From the animation on the Custom Brackets web site it seems that when I flip into portrait mode, my flash head would now point off the side (against a wall) instead of up (towards the ceiling). Is that right?

If that were so, then the flip type brackets may not be the thing for me, and I'm not (yet) prepared to spend a couple of hundred dollars for one of the rotating designs (CB Pro, or RRS), where the flash stays in the same position, and the camera rotates.

Cheers,

Wolfgang

--
'Great meal. What pots did you use?' -- Petteri

Wolfgang Bluhm
http://www.wbluhm.com/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top