Flash bracket (again), what's your dream feature set?

Oh boy, I've read dozens of posts about flash brackets, seems like one of those topics that everybody has a different opinion! Well, I went out and looked at a bunch and the unifying factor of all of them was this feeling that I could make my own, I get this feeling a lot and sometimes I create works of art, and sometimes I was 20 bucks at home depot

In any case, I'd like to try to make my own flash bracket, since I've never really used one I'm not EXACTLY sure what features I'd like to include. This posting is kind of my drawing on a napkin stage and I'd like to get input from those of you that use these a lot.

I plan to MOSTLY use this bracket for taking portraits of friends and various interesting people and stuffs but I'm also interested in using it for 'macro' (closer than a few feet) shots as well.

Idealy I'd like to have as much flexibility in flash positioning (complete 3d, up/down, side to side and fwd/backwards), I do alternate between portrait and landscape orientations frequently (damnit).

So I think what I'm after is something that's symetrical, this would allow me to have the grip on the either side, just losen the bottom bolt and swing 180 degrees. The verticle grip part should telescope, I figure this doesn't have to be than 12-14 inches. Where the flash arm attaches should pivot in a flat arc towards the front of the camera. I thinking the tip of the flash arm should maybe be a ball joint that would allow me to swing the flash in a very wide 3d angle..

So, now the input.. Am I reinventing the wheel? Does somebody else already make this? Does anybody have any experiance with doing any of these ideas and how can I make them easier/better/more practical? Most importantly, will any of this really make a big difference or should I just get a 50$ bracket, leave the flash about centered over my camera and be done with it?

thanks for your time!

I admire your inventiveness and energy - good luck!!

I myself have REbuilt several brackets over the yours, cobbling together miscellaneous pieces and parts from others, but I've never had the talent or ability to build one completely from scratch. I've always ended up buying a finished bracket and then slightly customizing it to my tastes and shooting habits.

Strobonar has decent components (I like their walnut handle grip) and Custom as well as Newton offer very solid components.

You will need to decide whether you want a flash or camera rotation system, to keep the flash top, dead center. The are similar in function, but different in actual construction. Custom Brackets uses a system that slides the camera to just about any position along a "quarter moon" rail (my description). Newton uses a smaller, more compact, much lighter system that pivots the camera or flash 90 degrees.

Personally I don't think you'll really need a grip on both sides. All of my brackets were either left or right grip, and either way was fashioned to be comfortable.

Some sort of handstrap also is helpful, as it makes for an excellent "security blanket" against fatigue; those long, 10-12 hour wedding days.

15$ at home depot and I think I have everything I need except for a cheap source for a ball and socket mount I can use for the flash it's self. If anybody has a clue...

One note, I dont want a a grip on both sides, I want the choice to have it on either side. One great find I came across was an aluminum extention arm for a car washing brush, 8 bucks, telescopes from about 1.5 - 3 ft and already has nice foam grips on it... Everything else is made from C channel aluminum, nice and light and strong as hell.

deconb wrote:
15$ at home depot and I think I have everything I need except for a cheap source for a ball and socket mount I can use for the flash it's self. If anybody has a clue...

One note, I dont want a a grip on both sides, I want the choice to have it on either side. One great find I came across was an aluminum extention arm for a car washing brush, 8 bucks, telescopes from about 1.5 - 3 ft and already has nice foam grips on it... Everything else is made from C channel aluminum, nice and light and strong as hell.

I'm really interested in seeing how this turns out!

ha, don't be expecting TOO much, I'm not exactly a craftsman.. I bet I end up with some good ideas for people who are tho!

You know you absolutely have to post a photo of this when you're done..... can't wait to see the results! Anytime I thought of doing something like this myself, I always found somebody else on the market who did it better; that and I'm not that skilled in metal fabrication.

For that ball socket.....hm..... Ultrapod makes a small lightweight plastic tripod that has a light duty ball socket controlled by a tightening screw. There are other vendors in this genre also.

I'd prefer metal myself, like something you could buy for a Bogen monopod, but this is inexpensive and light. It should be able to support a Canon flash as long as you didn't whip it around too much during a shoot.

FSorry still trying to post my first message on this forum.
Anyway I had the same problem, so decided to manufacture my own, and had such success that I am now figuring out ways to make my own Gimbol head.

Alot of what you need depends upon what lenses you use and how. I use it dominantly on a 70-200 and the 28-70 also mounted on a monopod.

1x alluminium strip, 3/4 inch by 1/8 inch by however long you want, about 9 inches.
1x piece of neoprene for padding
1x Off shoe camera cord
1x standard 3/4 camera thumb screw style bolt
1x 3/4bolt to bolt hotshoe to alluminium plate

Drill three holes, one at either end of the plate, one for hotshoe, one for mounting to camera / Lens and the last one about 4 inches in to mount to the monopod.

Bend Plate according to tastes (keep stretch from camera mount hole to monopod mount hole flat and true.

Use 3/4 screw to mount off camera hotshoe to alluminium. pull neoprene over alluminium. Wrap chord around neoprene down to base near the monopod mount.

Screw in 3/4 Camera mount thumb bolt, and screw onto Monopod.

I have found that you can thread the holes in the aluminium if you predrill with a 5mm bit and then screw in 3/4 thread bolt with allen key style attachment

Voila.... (see pics if that was french)

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Wow! That's quite a contraption you have there - hey, if it does the trick you've saved a few dollars (or euro's) and it gets the job done. Great effort. - Stu