Magic arm purchase

I bought this Magic Arm for supporting a flash for macro photography. A picture of mine is below.

There are some very affordable ones like this on Amazon, and they simply do not seem to have the strength required to do the job of holding a full size flagship flash. I just don't think they are up to the task.

Wimberly makes one, the M4 Macro arm, and it costs SIGNIFICANTLY more than the Amazon jobs, and they DO hold a 580EX sized flash, no problem.

OK, thanks. This one was an experiment. I might have to bite the bullet and buy the Wimberley one. IIRC it also requires a bracket or two.

Manfrotto makes good grip gear too, and maybe it's cheaper than the Wimberley.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …iable_Friction_​Magic.html

I need to get me one of those, unfortunately thecamerastore.com only has the version with the big lever, the 143.

Alveric wrote in post #17822847
Manfrotto makes good grip gear too, and maybe it's cheaper than the Wimberley.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …iable_Friction_​Magic.html

I need to get me one of those, unfortunately thecamerastore.com only has the version with the big lever, the 143.

OK, so you can't say if this Manfrotto is any good. It could suffer from the same instability as the cheap Chinese one.

Archibald wrote in post #17822855
OK, so you can't say if this Manfrotto is any good. It could suffer from the same instability as the cheap Chinese one.

Not for this particular arm, no. I vouch for Manfrotto because I have quite a bit of their items and they're rock solid. The only 'dud' would be their old macro focusing rail, but when I asked about rails last night Malveaux said that pretty much all rails wiggle when you're turning the knobs; so my rail is not really a dud.

Unlike me, you could drop by thecamerastore and try the arm out, even if it's the 143. Maybe they could even order the 244. A shame they don't have it, as I just purchased a set of extension tubes from them–woulda been nice to have that rail come in the same parcel.

Archibald wrote in post #17822855
OK, so you can't say if this Manfrotto is any good. It could suffer from the same instability as the cheap Chinese one.

From my own >25 years of experience with Manfrotto/Bogen, I would bet good money on suitability and qualtiy of a Manfrotto, whereas I would not bet (unless I had direct experience with a specific product) on the quality/sturdiness of some eBay product manufactured in China.

The ebay listing doesn't state that this is a Manfrotto Magic Arm, I'm guessing it is a cheaper knock-off type. The Manfrotto Magic Arm I have is more than capable of supporting my 5D2 and a normal lens like the 17-40L or 24-70L IS, nothing heavy like a 70-200 f/2.8 but I think it should hold a flash no problem. I would also add, that with a price of $13 you get what you pay for.

There is a guy, ( I think his user name is Mal VeauX ) on POTN that uses a cheap magic arm on a tripod with a 12 inch soft box for macro. He posts allot on POTN but I'm not sure if he posts on this macro forum. Try shooting a PM.

I did try using one of these on my MPE-65 lens set up, connecting it to the tripod collar on the lens. It did hold my 430Ex flash in position ok but I found I needed two hands to adjust the flash position. ie one hand to position the arm and the other hand to tighten it. Not much good with an extending macro lens and you are holding the camera. Probably fine for holding a fixed position though.
I'm now using the arm on my optical table set up to allow positioning of the specimen

Brian V.

The genuine Manfrotto Magic Arm is *very* sturdy. It could position a studio strobe & modifier...

It's not really suited for hot-shoe attachment to the camera; its combined weight with a large strobe would stress the shoe. I typically use a super clamp to attach the arm to a tripod, though if you have a 1/4" or 3/8" threaded socket in your tripod spider that would be worth exploring.

There's really no comparison with the little chinese knock-offs, an entirely different ballpark. I have several of them, they're handy for light stuff, but the Manfrotto is pro grip gear that will support some weight, and allow you to easily reposition it.