Coldshoe (strong, reliable, with lock)

Up until now I've been using these Manfrotto coldshoes with Manfrotto umbrella swivels:

https://www.calphoto.co.uk/product/Manfrotto-Flash-Shoe-1/4-Male-Attachment/MN143S

I chose them because they are simple and look tidy on the Manfrotto swivels. I was using them with Nikon SB80s, which have there own simple lever locking mechanism.

I have two problems with the Manfrotto coldshoes:

- They are not well made, and if you use a flash horizontal (e.g. on a boom, with a small soft box or brolly) the coldshoe will eventually detach from the metal pin that attaches it to the spigot. I've tried Superglue, but it is only a temporary solution

- I've now replaced my Nikon flashes with Yongnuo 560IVs, and these do not have Nikon's simple locking lever - they have a fiddly locking wheel instead. So I now want to bypass the lock on the flash, and use a lock on the coldshoe instead.

What are the best coldshoes on the market? (UK availability preferable.)

A while ago I did the exercise and searched for a coldshoe like you describe and found nothing.

For the little Nissin i40 with RF transceiver I’m fine with using the Frio coldshoe.
For larger speedlights I use a DIY plate for horizontal mounting or just the Lumo Pro LP180 which has a ¼” thread at the head for horizontal mounting. Great speedlight.

Are the Frio brand mounts available in the UK? Those work well and have no moving parts. There are a number of other c.s.mounts that work well too but they involve turning a small screw to look the flash's foot into place.

Which ever one you go with, the most secure way to use them is use both the cold and the flash's lock in tandem with each other as that creates a stronger onnection than either by themselves.

Seedeich said:

A while ago I did the exercise and searched for a coldshoe like you describe and found nothing.

For the little Nissin i40 with RF transceiver I’m fine with using the Frio coldshoe.

Click to expand...

Coldshoes seem few and far between at all the major UK photo dealers (Calumet, Wex, Speedgraphic).

There are plenty on ebay, most of them very cheap. I just ordered this one to test it out (it has a larger tightening knob than many of the others):


In this video a photographer tests several cold shoes and recommends the one made by Stroboframe (red tightening knob). They used to be available in the UK, but I can't find them now:


The Frio coldshoe seems like an interesting new design, but it is not available in the UK. Also I would worry about its construction (1/4 inch female metal thread, encased in plastic), as that's what causing me problems with my Manfotto coldshoes.

I think the answer is to buy several cheapies on ebay, and go with what works best.

Ellis Vener said:

Are the Frio brand mounts available in the UK? Those work well and have no moving parts. There are a number of other c.s.mounts that work well too but they involve turning a small screw to look the flash's foot into place.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Unfortunately no Frio in the UK.

elliotn said:

The Frio coldshoe seems like an interesting new design, but it is not available in the UK. Also I would worry about its construction (1/4 inch female metal thread, encased in plastic), as that's what causing me problems with my Manfotto coldshoes.

Click to expand...

Hard to say what will break first - probably not the connection between the metal socket and the plastic.

I bought some Frios several years ago when they were new and promoted. Never had a failure on them.

You can check out if they are in stock here:

http://shop.silverprint.co.uk/Frio-V2-Coldshoe/product/2674/ENL-FRC2-A/

Thanks - I didn't think of checking Silverprint for strobist type stuff.

Hmm. The Frio is £16 when postage is added. I might hold off until I've tested the 3 different metal shoes I ordered off ebay.

Here you go!

Flash Centre: http://www.theflashcentre.com/frio-universal-hotshoe-mount-i6875.html

I have five of these, bought years ago not long after they first came out, and have been perfectly happy with them when used with my Vivitar and Nissin hotshoe flashes.
I got them at a cheaper price for the five, and not from the Flash Centre, but the company I bought mine from (perhaps the importers at that time, I don't remember) no longer seem to be about.

Some people seem to think that they might break if a stand falls but, personally, I'd prefer that the coldshoe broke in such a situation rather than the flash.

Nionyn said:

Here you go!

Flash Centre: http://www.theflashcentre.com/frio-universal-hotshoe-mount-i6875.html

I have five of these, bought years ago not long after they first came out, and have been perfectly happy with them when used with my Vivitar and Nissin hotshoe flashes.
I got them at a cheaper price for the five, and not from the Flash Centre, but the company I bought mine from (perhaps the importers at that time, I don't remember) no longer seem to be about.

Some people seem to think that they might break if a stand falls but, personally, I'd prefer that the coldshoe broke in such a situation rather than the flash.

Click to expand...

Thank you. I looked at the Flash Centre's website earlier today, but I must have been using the wrong search terms. It costs even more than Silverprint with postage included (£17.50), but I'm based in London, so can drop by and pick one up for testing.

It seems like the Frio is the current cold-shoe of choice. I've read a few complaints of the plastic breaking, but no complaints of the threaded metal socket detaching from the plastic (my main concern).

With your Vivitar and Nissin flashes, do they fit snugly into the Frio? Or is it essential to also use the locking mechanism of the flash?

elliotn said:

With your Vivitar and Nissin flashes, do they fit snugly into the Frio? Or is it essential to also use the locking mechanism of the flash?

Click to expand...

I always clamp my Canon and YongNuo flashes down to prevent wobble.

elliotn said:

Seedeich said:

A while ago I did the exercise and searched for a coldshoe like you describe and found nothing.

For the little Nissin i40 with RF transceiver I’m fine with using the Frio coldshoe.

Click to expand...

Coldshoes seem few and far between at all the major UK photo dealers (Calumet, Wex, Speedgraphic).

There are plenty on ebay, most of them very cheap. I just ordered this one to test it out (it has a larger tightening knob than many of the others):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Adjustabl...to-Flash-Hot-Shoe-Mount-Adapter-/391441889533

Click to expand...

I have been using one like this (mine came from B&H with an umbrella adapter) for 6 years. I have never had a problem with it. It is all aluminum construction and came with a spigot screwed into it.

I have never taken it apart but if you are worried about it coming apart then unscrew the spigot, add a drop of Loctite, and put it back together. After the Loctite dries it won't come apart unless you apply a fair bit of force.

There is one problem with this cold shoe. If you tighten the screw clamp down too much you can crush the plastic foot of a flash or RF trigger.







--
Living and loving it in Pattaya, Thailand. Canon 7D - See the gear list for the rest.

I've now had a chance to compare the old school cold-shoes with the new design from Frio.

One of the old school cold-shoes I ordered from ebay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260968771473 - is very similar to the one shown by Sailor Blue above. I like it. It is well made, contains two springs, and has a plastic knob sufficiently big that the clamp can be tightened without hurting fingers. My Yongnuo 560IVs feel very securely gripped by this cold-shoe.

The Frio is an ingenious design. The Yongnuo 560IV can be attached and detached with minimal bother. The metal thread in the base of the Frio seems very securely fixed into the plastic (unlike the Manfrotto cold-shoes I was having problems with). Once slotted into the Frio, the flash is not going to fall off. I have two small issues with the Frio:

1. Once slotted into the Frio, the flash is quite wobbly until the flash's locking mechanism is tightened down. And even when the Yongnuo 560IV's locking screw is fully tightened, there is still some lateral play. I've also tried my old Nikon SB80s in the Frio, and they are wobbly even with the SB80's lock engaged. I would prefer a design where there were some pressure springs in the Frio's shoe to keep the flash held snug.

2. Recently I've been keeping my swivels and cold-shoes attached to my light stands. At the end of a shoot they get thrown into a bag together with my tripod. I think the protruding plastic of the Frios could get broken when thrown into a bag like this.

I'll test both shoes on forthcoming shoots.

Another old-school cold-shoe has arrived from ebay. They are not all the same - this one has a shorter screw and weaker springs. The first one I got on ebay is the best. I've ordered several more - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260968771473

I'm going to flip the Frios on ebay. I don't like the wobble. It seems that the company that distributes them has gone out of business. Perhaps the Frio is no more? https://twitter.com/enlightphotopro

Looks like it! Thanks for the heads up about Enlight closing shop.