My (semi-short-not-really-kinda-long) review of the Quantum T5D flash

[NickSimcheck]

(Summary on bottom of page)

I just picked up the Quantum T5D Flash (http://qtm.com) a few days ago, and I have gotten about 2 hours of use out of it so far, here's what I have to say;

I purchased the Turbo 2X2 battery, the T5D flash head, the QTTL adapter, the softbox, wide angle diffuser, & Silver bare bulb enhancer. Using the Custom Bracket Digital-S.

Everything was well packaged from B&H Photo (http://bhphoto.com), as always. Let me state that everything is very well constructed. (EDIT - I have changed my opinion on build quality, see my posts later on for my reasoning) That includes Quantum and Custom Bracket.

The instruction manual pretends you already know everything about the T5D and that your just reading to recap. In other words, it doesn't hold your hand very much. But it's packed with useful information.

The Turbo 2X2 is wonderful, easy to use and more juice then I'll ever use in one session. Charging was faster then expected, quantum states a charge time of 3 hours, when mine was charged in 1 hour 45 minutes. Almost half the time expected! I'm not sure if that is because it was the first charging and it already had some juice, though it indacated that it was empty.



The T5D mounts perfectly on the CB Digital-S flash bracket with the Canon 5D (No grip only), it leaves just enough space for the QTTL adapter to fit between. It's a tight fit with Quantum's 1/4" screw-knob, making it hard to change the setting dial on top of the QTTL adapter. But the Custom Bracket comes with it's own screw-knob that's much more compact, but because of that it's hard to tighten down the flash enough.

The only reason I'd want a higher bracket 'for clearance' is because the softbox is very large and just barely clears the view of my 24-70 @ 24mm, it does however cover over the QTTL adapter.

It's a give and take, if you don't mind shadows then get a higher bracket or an extender. But I'm very happy with my setup.



All of the accessories for the T5D don't just push-twist-in like some other setups, the little wheel you see by the head locks in whatever reflector you might have.

The softbox works as expected, it's a little cumbersome but then again the whole setup is. It's super fast to set-up as it is the umbrella type.

The dome helps to cover the wide end of my 24-70, and is a softer light then the flat diffuser.

The flat diffuser (only one included with the T5D head) works good, but doesn't cover much wider then 35mm.

The silver bare bulb enhancer absolutely rocks! point it straight up at a white ceiling and then click it 2 clicks down towards the subject and you get a nice sharp light with a good combo of natural looking light along with filled shadows. Just don't get too close, it's easy to highlight...everything.


The T5D's head rotates in every direction you would ever need, even towards the photographer. I bounced the light behind/above me with my back to the wall and got some really natural even light coverage. You depress a single button on the left side to rotate the head in all directions, then release and it locks both up and down and side to side.


The head is way more powerful then I had expected, I would even go as far as stating that it's close in power to a White Lightning 300ws monolight. I find that in certan times it's a bad thing, cause I want ambient light but there isn't enough to match the head that's stopped all the way down. So I end up loosing my background a little.

The controls are frustrating to say the least. It just isn't logicly set-up to me. If I didn't rely on QTTL to automaticly select The ISO or Apature, I think I'd go mad. The buttons aren't very big, which works out for me because there is more space in between them. I just wish they put more buttons for shortcuts, or better yet...A dasie wheel ALA the Metz. (I think Metz 54?)

Modeling light is nice to have, although useless to me.

I can shoot 3FPS at lost power, it recycles fast.

The actual quality of the light is very high, it seems to be very stable temperature.

QTTL works better then Auto, which works better then most TTL systems. Got it? Basicly the QTTL gets it right everytime for me.



I'll add more as I use it more.

Nick



Summary

If you are looking for a high power, high quality, reliable, portable "on camera" (well bracket actually) flash, this is something to really look into.

Pros-
Quality of light is second to none.
Lots of accesories, not overly priced.
QTTL is dare I say the most reliable automatic flash system made.


Cons-
Controls are cumbersome
It's very heavy. Think of having a Bigma hanging 6" above your already heavy 24-70mm.

[tim]

Good review thanks :)

What kind of price did the flash/battery cost you? FYI just because a charger indicates full it doesn't mean the battery is actually full, sometimes they say full at 90% and the last 10% takes a while to finish. Depends on the cell type though.

[NickSimcheck]

The Turbo 2X2 and T5D came as a "Kit" which ran me $1,092

Everything (including the bracket & wired-camera-battery) was $1,430

[Curtis N]

QTTL works better then Auto, which works better then most TTL systems. Got it?Sorry, no.

Is the QTTL adapter what I think it is - a module that connects to all of the contacts on the hotshoe in order to use the 5D's E-TTL system, or is it something else?

There are lots of "TTL" systems.

[NickSimcheck]

Sorry, no.

Is the QTTL adapter what I think it is - a module that connects to all of the contacts on the hotshoe in order to use the 5D's E-TTL system, or is it something else?

There are lots of "TTL" systems.


Correct.

With the Quantum it's either Manual, Strobe or Automatic. But QTTL is using the Auto from the flash along with the TTL to give feedback on what f/stop and ISO you are on.

Sorry, it's better.

[halfmoonray]

Thanks for the review. I'm looking at the Quantum T5D. I'm using the 580ex now but have budget for either the flash set up you described or the new 50L. Don't know but I'm leaning towards the flash. It would be nice to see some t5d flash pics. Can you post some?

[Curtis N]

Ok, sot QTTL isn't really "TTL", since it doesn't meter through the lens. It's simply an auto-thyristor flash that sets its own aperture and ISO automatically via electronic interface with the camera.

I think I got it. ;)

[NickSimcheck]

I'll post some pictures in the next couple of days.

Curtis, from what I understand that's how it works. Logicly you wouldn't call it "TTL" you'd call it "Smart-Auto" or what have you.

[ssim]

I picked up this exact same setup. I used it on exactly one job and I've been out of action with a bad back since. I used it outdoors as a fill flash with both the reflector on and also as a bare bulb. I just wanted to try that last one. It is an awesome piece of hardware and I can hardly wait to get back out there with it. I have tried the softbox yet either.

Did you buy their freewire system or are you not planning on using it off camera. I ran it the one job using pocket wizards but apparently if you use their freewire system you can keep qttl and not be bothered with assorted cables issues.

I will agree on one thing is that the manual is not for someone that is just starting out in flash photography.


It definitely is not an inexpensive setup. It is one of the more professional looking and handling lighting that I have used in some time.

Thanks for providing your review, I had thought of doing this when I was able but you have saved me that task. I believe that these user reports from other members here are a great tool for people to learn from as they know they can spend some time asking questions of the OP.

[NickSimcheck]

I did not get the Xwire, freewire, freexwire, whatever it's called. Currently I don't see the need for it, as in studio I'll use pocketwizards. The Qflash will remain only on bracket.

How do you like the Nikon film scanner? I have been meaning to get the 9000 ED. I saw a lightly used one on eBay the other day, it had all of the glass slides you can get. Sold for $1,830 USD I think.

[ssim]

How do you like the Nikon film scanner? I have been meaning to get the 9000 ED. I saw a lightly used one on eBay the other day, it had all of the glass slides you can get. Sold for $1,830 USD I think.

It's a sweet unit. My plan has always been to spend the winter months doing my scanning so I haven't used it a great deal yet. I did a fair amount of research before I bought this one and the Nikon's kept coming out on top of the pile. I bought the 9000 as I have a ton of 120/220 negs and slides that I want to do as well. If you are only doing 35mm then I believe they have a model below this one that does everything this one does except it doesn't support the larger film type.

[josuept]

I seem to like the Qflash. I shoot with a Canon 5D. I shoot my weedings at 400 ASA
60 sec at F8. I noticed that some shots are under exposed when shooting QTTL and I have to boost the flash by +2/3 of a stop. Do you have any reccomendations on shooting wedidngs?

[tim]

I seem to like the Qflash. I shoot with a Canon 5D. I shoot my weedings at 400 ASA
60 sec at F8. I noticed that some shots are under exposed when shooting QTTL and I have to boost the flash by +2/3 of a stop. Do you have any reccomendations on shooting wedidngs?

Varying your exposure settings to suit different situations is my first recommendation. As it is you're lighting everything with a flash, hopefully not all on-camera.

[NickSimcheck]

Odd, I tend to overexpose most often with it on QTTL and find myself constantly dialing down the FEC.

[Neens_wa]

Qflash rocks - plain and simple!

I bought the T5D, and used it for the first time shooting a rodeo. I was limited to 1/250th of a second because there's no high speed sync available (shooting w/Canon 30D). I used a 70-200 at 800 ISO on a monopod with a JONES bracket.
With my lens at 2.8, and shutter at 1/250th, it was VERY dry/dusty, so I had to be uber careful with my flash so I didn't illuminate the dust in the air. Took a fair amount of piddling around. I found the controls on the light to be VERY easy to use. The arena was VERY dark - lights overhead pretty much point directly at one another, and falloff is what lit the arena. Poor Pooor lighting!

Trying to stop action for a bull rider or bronc at 1/250th is not an easy task... I shot from outside the ring, total distance probably 80 -90 feet from the actual chute opening.

I did use my Canon 580EX one night, for about 20 minutes, just to see how it would perform with the high speed sync... needless to say, i had it out about 18 minutes too long, and those photos are buried in my windows trash bin. :O) Nice flash, but not for what I wanted.

Right now, there is no finer love in my life than this T5D. I'll be utilizing it on a stand with shoot-through umbrella and/or the Quantum softbox for portability. I don't have any examples with this as of yet - waiting for the dome diffuser and the softbox to arrive.

nina

[Neens_wa]

trying to add images...

[DocFrankenstein]

It's the best on camera flash system if you can put up with the size of the flash and the battery.

[BLS439]

Good review! It's helping me, but I'm not quite 100% conviced yet. I am dumping my Canon 550's and was planning to get the exact same T5D and Turbo 2x2 set.

It's nice to see how well the flash will light a dark arena, but I'm not conviced my 550 would have thrown out that light. I think I'm looking more for the daylight portraits and the power it has there. Does anyone have examples of portrait type stuff or sports uses?

[NickSimcheck]

I'll post some after the 24th, I'm going to use it in a family outdoor portrait.

It's a wonderful flash for stuff like the Rodeo, but it isn't the easiest to use for fill flash. I guess I'll see how it goes.

[Peter Gregg]

Thanks for your mini review, I decided to get one of these units and your comments were very helpful.

I considered the 12x12 softbox, but it would be strictly for use in places like weddings and events and I want to experiment with it a bit first and may not want it or need the softbox afterall. It also seems large, but it might have a use for outdoor night situations when bouncing off the sky becomes difficult - lol.

Peter

[scottbergerphoto]

QTTL is Quantum's use of ETTL. It is not a combination of Auto thyristor flash and something else. It is just ETTL/II. Quantum has made their system fully dedicated to ETTL/II with the included QTTL Adapter cable that attaches to the flash hot shoe. Q Flashes must be mounted to a bracket, not the hot shoe. Q Flashes do have Auto Thyristor Mode, which is completely separate from QTTL and doesn't require the QTTL adaptor. It will work with a PC Cord. I have and use the T2D.

[scottbergerphoto]

I seem to like the Qflash. I shoot with a Canon 5D. I shoot my weedings at 400 ASA
60 sec at F8. I noticed that some shots are under exposed when shooting QTTL and I have to boost the flash by +2/3 of a stop. Do you have any reccomendations on shooting wedidngs?

Sounds like ETTL doesn't it? Quantum is using the Canon ETTL/II when used with a Canon Q Flash Adapter Cable. I almost always have to use + FEC in ETTL/II. Adjust FEC just like you would with a Canon flash. You can set it on the camera or on the QTTL Adapter.

[NickSimcheck]

QTTL is Quantum's use of ETTL. It is not a combination of Auto thyristor flash and something else. It is just ETTL/II. Quantum has made their system fully dedicated to ETTL/II with the included QTTL Adapter cable that attaches to the flash hot shoe. Q Flashes must be mounted to a bracket, not the hot shoe. Q Flashes do have Auto Thyristor Mode, which is completely separate from QTTL and doesn't require the QTTL adaptor. It will work with a PC Cord. I have and use the T2D.

I stand corrected. My impression was that in essence it's an auto thyristor flash, with the adaptor providing TTL infomation as a suppliment.

[scottbergerphoto]

I stand corrected. My impression was that in essence it's an auto thyristor flash, with the adaptor providing TTL infomation as a suppliment.

No problem. ;)

[marian]

I have been using the QFlash X2D for years now (Lumedyne power pack) and it is great.

I'm gonna treat myself to a Christmas present (QFlash 5d) soon! Can't beat it!
: )

[J Rabin]

OK, I'm a QFlash user who is now in portable location light heaven.
Just upgraded my QFlash to T5d-R, back from Quantum for $100, and bought QNexus ($150) to integrate multiple wireless Canon EX flashes and QFlash together in wireless E-TTL Slave Groups. Used twice last week.
Wow. Can't imagine needing more; except maybe flash power great enough to overpower bright sunlight. But that's not my thing and studio is not my thing.

This makes QFlash worth it all. Since the QUALITY of Qflash parabolic reflector light has always been far greater, in my opinion, this integrates the best of both worlds for on the go people, like me. Really good light. Easy to pack, set up and use with portable $45 Norman softbox. Fast recycle. Far superior light quality compared to Canon EX. All hotshoe flash is "fill flash," but I can "make" light with this.

The added bonus of parabolic flash studio light on the flash bracket walking around is a good enough reason for QFlash. This functionality really extends the benefits, for me. Maybe not for you.

Here's the setup and gear:
Canon ST-E2 IR Transmitter (or 580EX Master) on Camera.
Set Channel 2 (unless others on channel). Set E-TTL Ratio.
On camera set Manual Exposure Mode & Center Weighted metering Mode.
If using 580EX, set to Master and disable flash.
Set Tv and ISO to include, or exclude, ambient light and its "color."
Set Av to control light on the subject and depth of field
Set FEC from the camera to control flash output. Use FEL if needed

Background Light. Canon 580 EX or 430EX Flash.
Set Flash to Slave. Press & hold Mode button to put flash in M.
Set power output. Start at 1/8 power +/- and adjust.
Behind subject on stand, clamp, or floor.
No Group set. ST-E2 does not have Slave Group ID C.
Test with wide angle panel, without, with Lumiquest diffuser, etc.

Main Light. Quantum QFlash T5d-R.
Channel 2. Slave Group ID B. Fast recharge setting on battery.
45 +/- degrees off lens axis, higher than subject's face.
With QNexus, flash operates as TTL Slave, no matter Q Mode selected.
Put on light stand with umbrella or box.
Adjust power using FEC or Ratio. Move stand to adjust output on subject.

Fill light. Canon 580EXor 430EX Flash.
Set Flash to Slave. Channel 2. Slave Group ID A
On light stand with umbrella.
Closer to camera, opposite from Main light. 15 degrees above eye level.

Troubleshoot.
Check switches & settings. Check direction of IR sensor.
Make test shots of background alone.
Model light on subjects alone. Use FEL.
If system fails, use QFlash in Manual with Wein slave eye, set to
ignore Canon pre-flash, & Canon EX in Manual Slave or in hotshoe.
HSS does not work with QFlash.
580 EX better than ST-E2 in bright sun (ST-E2 does not like bright light).

Parts List:
ST-E2 IR Transmitter (+ battery spare); multiple Canon 580 EX
and 430 EX flashes (+ battery spares); Canon flash feet;
Quantum QFlash T5d-R; QNexus; Turbo battery; QFlash L bracket;
Battery light stand bracket; Umbrella brackets; Light stands;
Whi-Bal card: Modifiers (Photogenic Eclipse+ umbrella, Norman 19”
octagon softbox, etc.); Clamps; Tools; Posing stool; Ladder, etc.

Jack

[NickSimcheck]

Jack thanks for the feedback... I am seriously kicking around the idea of going wireless now.

[J Rabin]

Nick,
I used to compromise QFlash into Canon wireless E-TTL setups. No more. Full seamless integration. Well thought out. Existing user upgrade path. Quantum takes care of existing customers.

Previously, I fired Canon EX flash in Slave Mode with QFlash on pole triggered by Wein "digital" slave trigger with DIP switches set to ignore Canon E-TTL metering preflash. This was a decent solution, but fired when other photographers were shooting. I used QFlash Bare Bulb to create background ambient light, or set QFlash in Auto (with sensor pointing toward subject) or Manual. It worked, but had compromises.

Now with the "-R" Quantum factory update & QNexus receiver/decoder, Quantum QFlash functionality extends enabling full Canon wireless E-TTL integration. QFlash is costly, but a person would only need 1 QFlash as Main/Key light, and all others can be smaller, cheaper Canon EX flash, all integrated running under E-TTL.

For distance work, or complex multi-QFlash users fall back on radio triggering - FreeWire if you wanted E-TTL/Q-TTL, or Pocket Wizard for Manual flash.

[NickSimcheck]

Question if you don't mind,

What's the longest range (distance) would you guess under most conditions? And at what angle can it pickup the IR beam? (it is IR right?)

[J Rabin]

What's longest range (distance) you guess under most conditions? What angle can it pickup the IR beam?
My guesses on Canon wireless?
Indoors. ST-E2 has modest range, say 40+ feet, shorter distances at peripheral angles. The vertical height is less. You do not need perfect line of sight indoors because IR signal bounces around room. I have gotten it to fire through doorways, but not around corners.
Using 580 EX as Master gets more distance, and more vertical angle. I had EX Slave flashes clamped almost vertical up in barn rafters, with QFlash on a pole at about 60 degrees off lens axis, fired by 580 EX Master, and worked fine.

Outdoors. Much reduced distance. Bets are off. The ST-E2 effective range drops by about 40%, to only 25 feet, with a narrower angle (because you are closer to camera). Brighter the light, less the reach. Again 580 EX works farther then ST-E2. Good for environmental portrait lighting. I use it for macro.

You can fire Canon wireless E-TTL flashes behind you by putting ST-E2 or 580 EX on Off Shoe Cord 2, turning the body backwards. You lose focus assist beam on subject though. I like the feature.
Simplest QFlash set up for Canon Wireless E-TTL would be like:
-One Canon 580EX flash (Master + Group A);
-Connected to camera by Off Shoe Cord 2, either above camera on flash bracket or just to side on pole (or held in your hand);
-One T5d-R QFlash with QNexus, on pole off to side (Group B)

Adjust the flash power with FEC and QFlash to subject distance (QFlash has far more bounce power than hotshoe flash and may need to move back). I think it is better to keep the light closer and add more diffusion, so light source stays "big," than move it back (it becomes more a point source).
The wireless E-TTL Ratio setting is like 1:3 or even 1:4 to get the shadows right. I know ratio looks bass-ackwards, but that's Canon wireless naming convention.

Hope that helps. Jack

[neilcowley]

Humm, great reviews to digest on this almost non-existant subject of the great Quantum gear!

Are any of you using the radio wireless TTL (freeXwire) capacity of the Qflash system. I'm very concerned about the limited range and predictabilty of the canon light wireless triggering option.

[maxim_me]

Correct me if i am wrong:

If you use radio wireless with the Qflash system, you will need :

1)Qflash with power pack
2)Freewire on Qflash
3)QTTL adaptor on camera
4)Freewire on camera for QTTL to transmit

with this setup you can point and shoot ,by radio wireless , for 200ft outdoor
BUT no high speed syn. Only 1/250 shutter.

Does this sums up Qflash radio wireless for outdoor use?
I had a hard time reading Quantum website
I sincerely hope the company takes a serious look at how it presents information.
Or maybe pay a fan to put up a fan's site. probably get better info out there.

[PacAce]

Correct me if i am wrong:

If you use radio wireless with the Qflash system, you will need :

1)Qflash with power pack
2)Freewire on Qflash
3)QTTL adaptor on camera
4)Freewire on camera for QTTL to transmit

with this setup you can point and shoot ,by radio wireless , for 200ft outdoor
BUT no high speed syn. Only 1/250 shutter.

Does this sums up Qflash radio wireless for outdoor use?
I had a hard time reading Quantum website
I sincerely hope the company takes a serious look at how it presents information.
Or maybe pay a fan to put up a fan's site. probably get better info out there.
Yes, that is correct, assuming you want to retain E-TTL compatibility (or as much as Quantum has implemented of it). Shutter speed can be whatever max sync speed the camera offers and slower.

If you don't need E-TTL compatibility, then you can operate the Qflash in manual mode or auto mode and use any regular RF wireless system to trigger the Qflash. In that case, the QTTL module would not be required.

[maxim_me]

Phew

thanks for confirming that....pretty much tearing my hair out trying to read the info on Quantum's web.

Another question...
so if i need a flash on my camera and another off-camera ( 8ft away )
how can i implement QTTL ? ie 2 flash situation , one master the other slave.

with Canon , i can use 2pcs 580ex and that does it. But of course its on infra-red.
So i am trying to get around that by using the Qflash radio system.
( I dont want infra-red )


thanks

[PacAce]

Phew

thanks for confirming that....pretty much tearing my hair out trying to read the info on Quantum's web.

Another question...
so if i need a flash on my camera and another off-camera ( 8ft away )
how can i implement QTTL ? ie 2 flash situation , one master the other slave.

with Canon , i can use 2pcs 580ex and that does it. But of course its on infra-red.
So i am trying to get around that by using the Qflash radio system.
( I dont want infra-red )


thanks
If you haven't downloaded the Qflash T5D-R manual yet, you can download it from the Quantum site (click on Qflash T5d-R/X5d_R when the page comes up):

http://qtm.com/Home/home.php?HPcode=manuals&res_set=yes&res=1280&resh=1050&grad=grad&menuclrH=146&menuclrV=130

The QTTL wireless mode of operation is explained starting on page 21. And the steps for setting up a "master/slave" configuration with ratio is explained in section 14.2 QTTLwR - Wireless Multiple Flash Ratio TTL mode. If you don't want to use ratio and want all the flashes to expose equally, see section 14.1.

BTW, if you need information on how to hook up the FireXWire units, click on FREExWIRE FW7Q, FW8R, FW9T on the same page as above to download the manual. Then go to section 7.0 Wireless QTTL control... on page 12.

[neilcowley]

http://www.qflashacademy.com/

I found a site with a bunch of video lessons, it's not search engine friendly so it took me a while to dig down to get - but there it is. I like lesson 1, and lesson 8.

[maxim_me]

http://www.qflashacademy.com/

I found a site with a bunch of video lessons, it's not search engine friendly so it took me a while to dig down to get - but there it is. I like lesson 1, and lesson 8.


hey
thanks.
The video is really good. Now thats the way to do things.
Make good use of Multimedia thats available on the net.


One thing that bothers me is that the video DOESNT show Qflash together with the camera......so one critical thing is missing.
A Flash bracket.

You CANT use Qflash with D adaptor cable without a Flash bracket.

[NickSimcheck]

One thing that bothers me is that the video DOESNT show Qflash together with the camera......so one critical thing is missing.
A Flash bracket.

You CANT use Qflash with D adaptor cable without a Flash bracket.


You can't use the Qflash on camera without a flash bracket period, it does not have a hotshoe.

[NickSimcheck]

Just wanted to let people know about a couple of problems I have had, and solutions which I believe to be better then factory.

Quantum's standard reflector dish comes with the mounting ring either polished or coated black (as is the rest of the exterior), if you have a coated black ring ignore this, but if you have a polished one I have a simple solution to a common problem.

Sometimes my dish would slip off the Qflash'es head. Which begs the question why in the heck is the inside of the plastic ring (on the flash head) smooth and the outside of the dish polished? Use steel wool and cup it in the inside of your hand and spin it around the dish to create a "brushed" ring, and that will help prevent the dish from slipping off the flash head.

Example:

[NickSimcheck]

My second problem was that I had bought a T4d from a fourm member who said there was a problem with the flash head's ring and that it wouldn't hold the reflector.

I bought it (roll dice right? :lol:) and discovered that the flash was either bumped or he had over tightend the ring causing the plastic mounting holes to break apart. This is what actually holds the two large peices of plastic that form the upper half of the flash head.

Quantum must have known that this was a design flaw because on the T5d and T5d-R as they switched from tiny Phillips screws to larger Torx screws (notice in picture). But that still doesn't entirely fix the problem in my opinion. They just put a band-aid on it.

My solution was to replace the two front screws with 1-5/8" wood screws. I know it sounds extreme but there is not a single negitive other then appearance. The replacement screws thread deeper and hold at the outside of the plastic and not the weak interior mounting point. No drilling or tapping, they're a perfect fit.

Examples:

[NickSimcheck]

If you perform this before the plastic breaks then you don't need a washer as everything is spaced correctly, however if it's broken (as mine was) then you will want the washer because without them you will not be able to slip the dish into the ring. You will understand what I mean once you get it apart and see the design.

An inside look:

[NickSimcheck]

Take a hole-inlarger (for lack of better terms) that you can buy at most hobbie shops and take a very small amount out so that the new screws will sit flush (they still will stick out a little). This isn't something you have to do, but it helps with appearence.

Everything needed:

[PhotographersWorldWide]

If you perform this before the plastic breaks then you don't need a washer as everything is spaced correctly, however if it's broken (as mine was) then you will want the washer because without them you will not be able to slip the dish into the ring. You will understand what I mean once you get it apart and see the design.

An inside look:

If you contact Quantum they will send you a replacement head part for $10 or so. I had one of these go and just replaced the broken part. The head design isn't the strongest on the Quantum's but neither do you need to tighten the lock nut until you force the head clams apart (and the screws through the mouldings).

Other problems to watch for here is that some of the aftermarket fittings have slightly larger or thicker flanges and it's easy to try to force fit these which can result in a breakage.