New Lighting Setup

Hey everyone, well after things didn't go so well with my Strobist kit I decided to return it and put together a new lighting setup. After seeing how light and flimsy the Strobist kit was, I realized that I wanted to go with a heavier stand like the Avenger A125B Light Stand, so now I need an umbrella adaptor. The one from my Strobist kit didn't seem to sturdy and I didn't like the way it mounted/held the flash and umbrella. Can someone recommend an umbrella bracket that is more sturdy/fastens a different way then the typical Impact Umbrella Brackets?

BTW if anyone is wondering, I shoot cars and thats why I need such a heavy tripod because I mainly shoot ouside..

Thanks for all the help!

Any suggestions/ideas?

All the umbrella clamps are pretty similar. The one I have in my bag at the moment is Photoflex brand, which is part of the Quantum Multi-Bracket kit (for the Qflash). I must admit that, for the money, I'm not awfully impressed with the quality of the bracket.

I'm inclined to buy the Manfrotto clamp in the future (the links are to B&H). If you need a shoe mount, the Stroboframe mount seems to be rated by many - you can snug it up to the side of the flash so that it is fixed securely. You screw the 1/4-20 male thread of one of the adapter's studs into the bottom to mount it.


I do question your stand choice a little. Would a lighter stand and sandbags be a better option, I wonder? That way, you can take along empty bags if there's suitable contents at the location, also if you're shooting indoors you can do without the bags. Finally, you can get the weight down low on the stand using sandbags to keep the centre of gravity low.

David

I have the Manfrotto clamp that's in the link above, and it is very well built and solid.

Thanks for the suggestions.

David: I don't really mind the weight. I had a Bogen 3373 stand and it was just way too light weight and flimsy, I didn't feel comfortable leaving my flash on there even inside, so I'm going to be opting for a heavier stand and sandbags because I'm going to be shooting using them outside like 75% of the time (if not more). The weight doesn't bother me either because I'm not going to have to carry it around (like a tripod on a hike), its just going in the from the house, to the car, outside and back.

i've got that stand aswell. it's nice, especially with a metal insulated shoe. i don't trust those all-plastic shoes.