Hey everyone, it's Rob from Hypop
and welcome back to another video.
In this one we're going through a massive range
of flash brackets and comparing them one by one.
Let's get into it.
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Feel free to leave down in the comment section
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or if you have any questions about flash brackets
and the different types we have here today.
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@hypop and visit our website hypop.com.au.
Let's get into it. So I've got with me
six different types of flash brackets here.
If you're unaware of what a flash bracket is,
basically it's an essential piece of photographic accessory
that you'll need,
especially if you're dabbling into off-camera flash.
So a lot of the times especially
when you're starting to get into flash photography,
you purchase something like this like a speed light,
something that looks more traditional like this one here.
You'd be using it on camera. So on your camera hot shoe.
But a lot of times people find it a little bit too harsh
and the lights a little bit less flexible
because it's a lot more direct to your subject.
With off camera flash, you'd be using something
like a flash trigger just like this one here.
And you'd be shooting it off camera.
So the trigger will sit on your camera hot shoe instead
and you'll have your flash positioned elsewhere.
Now the advantage of this is that you're able to reposition
the light as you see fit. It's a creative decision
obviously as to where you want to position that light.
There are a lot of events for example
or wedding photographers.
They like to use these types of shoots,
especially if you have a little bit more time
to set up the shot.
So, if you're a bit more run and gun, off camera setups
are a little bit more difficult to use.
They're probably more suited to
if you have a photography assistant for example.
But if you're a one man team or one man set up,
then off camera flash,
unless it's a lot more closer to you,
if you have it on a stand
and you're just moving it around yourself,
it's probably better suited when you have an assistant.
So we have here six different types.
As you can see they suit different needs.
So we just want to go through each one just to compare them
and see which one is right for you.
Now starting here on my left, we have the Godox S2 bracket.
Now the Godox S2 bracket is unique
because it has a round shape here which you can see.
We've also got the original Godox S-type bracket.
So slightly different. They look the same.
Slightly different which we'll go through shortly.
We've also got a triple flash speed light bracket.
So you can see here it has three cold shoe mounts,
can hold three flushes.
And on this side here we've got a dual mount.
So instead of three, you've got two mounts here.
The two cold shoes for two flashes.
We've got an H-type flash bracket here.
So it's called an H-type.
You'll typically find these on Amazon or eBay
or something like that.
However, this one here is quite popular
just due to its build quality make and its simplicity as well.
This is obviously the small size.
And then lastly is the E-type bracket.
So really similar to the H type
but you can see here the E type has a cold shoe on top.
Now, let's jump into the first one
which will be the Godox S2.
So when selecting a flash bracket,
there's three things that you need to look at.
Firstly will be the features, the portability factor
and then lastly will be the price
or the cost of the flash bracket.
So with me here I've got the Godox S2 bracket.
And it's probably my preferred flash bracket
as it has a bunch of different features
and it is still relatively small as you can see there.
But firstly, if you wanted to take a closer
look at our full unboxing
and review of the Godox S2 bracket,
you can take a look at the video up at the top left there.
Now with this particular bracket,
it's slightly different because it features a bowens mount.
So a bowens mount is a type of speed ring mount
that's catered to a lot of different lighting modifiers
that are used in studio photography
or even with continuous lighting.
So it's really popular if you're wanting to use those types
of modifiers, large soft boxes, octa boxes, barn doors,
all those sorts of things.
Now, the great thing about the Godox S2
is that it also still features an umbrella mount.
So, if you're looking for a more run and gun setup
and you're using an umbrella modifier,
you can still use those and mount that directly.
Now, on top of that you can mount
a bunch of different types of speed lights.
So not only can you mount a traditional speed light
just here in the center
but you can also mount round head speed lights
just like this one here. So this is the Godox V1.
It's a round head flash as you can see.
These are growing in popularity
over the traditional speed light shape
just because the round shape here
is more aesthetically pleasing.
It also spreads the light a lot better,
so the light drop-off for your subject
looks a lot more natural.
So if you want to take a closer look at the unboxing of the V1,
you can click the link up above too.
Now with the Godox S2 bracket you have two little mounts here
that you can remove so you can widen up the gap here
to suit round head flashes just like this.
So you can see the clamping mechanism
is a simple screw to clamp
and then it clamps down that light there.
So it's a lot easier to clamp
rather than mounting it via the hot shoe.
Now the advantage of this is that when mounting it via
the flash head itself and clamping it down,
you're not putting any strain on the hot shoe.
And this is important for hot shoes like the Sony
hot shoe for example. It isn't a metal plate hot shoe.
So there's a higher risk there of it damaging,
especially with a lot of wear and tear.
So you're clamping it down with the flash head here.
It's probably a little bit better in terms of longevity
for your flash as well as the flash bracket itself.
Now the great thing about these flash brackets
are obviously they can all tilt.
You can mount a lighting modifier
so it's not having that direct flash on your subject
and it's a little easier to modify.
Also you're able to obviously move these around.
It's still small and portable.
And the cost of this we'll show up onscreen
in Australian dollars as well as US dollars.
The next flash bracket we have here
is the Godox S-type bracket.
So this is the original S bracket from Godox
orsometimes it's called the S1 or the s-type bracket.
Now the main difference between this and the S2
is that it doesn't support these round head flashes.
So if you have around head flash,
you definitely need to be looking at the S2 instead.
However, it does support the standard
or the traditional speed light just like this one here.
So this is the Godox TT685.
And this easily clamps down into the S-type bracket
the same way as the S2.
You just need to screw to clamp down there.
And once again it's clamping down on the flash head.
So in terms of wear and tear, you're a lot more safer
than having to use the hot shoe which may break
or if the whole light stand falls over
then it may damage it altogether.
The great thing about these S brackets once again
are that it features the bowens S-type mount.
So that means lighting modifiers
still has the umbrella mount at the bottom there.
But the disadvantage I suppose of these types of brackets
are that you could only mount one flash.
So you can see here it's only one flash that you can mount.
So if you want something that's a bit higher output,
then you'll need to be looking at one
that can either support multiple flashes
or otherwise be looking at a flash
that's more powerful than a speed light.
The next flash bracket we'll be looking at
is the triple flash mount here. So you can see if you want
a little bit more output with your flash
or you're finding that it's not enough light for you,
you may need to go with multiple flashes.
And the only way to do that is with the triple flash bracket.
Here you can see you can mount three flashes altogether.
You have three cold shoes, two on either side
and then one on the top here.
Now, with these triple flash brackets
they usually come with a sort of ball head mechanism there.
It's not really a massive ball head.
So it's not super, super sturdy. And to be honest, for me anyway,
it would be a little bit more riskier
placing three flashes on here or the weight of three flashes.
And you can see they're also hanging off the sides there.
They're not center mounted.
So that means that there is a higher risk there
and putting a little bit more strain on the hot shoe.
However, it is the only option that you're looking at now.
There's only two options to look at.
Firstly either the flash bracket
or going for just a larger flash.
But these ones here come with that small ball head.
It also sometimes comes with some mobile brackets.
So, if you're wanting to mount a mobile device for example,
so you might have a couple of mobiles here
and then a flash or something like that, you can do that.
It also comes with a few cold shoe plates too.
And that's just in case you don't have any way to mount
the flashes for any particular reason.
But for our demonstration here, we have two flashes.
One is a Sony here and the other is a Fuji.
But you can see they mount directly onto this bracket.
So to mount the flashes, firstly just grab your flash
and we'll mount the side one here.
You can loosen the silver screw there,
slide it into the cold shoe and then screw to tighten.
So you can see that the weight of the flash
is actually quite a lot, so you need to make sure
this ball head is tightened quite a bit.
We've only got it on a small stand here.
So you'd typically have it
on a larger stand for use in on location.
Then now just mount the top flash here.
So there you go. We have two flashes mounted.
So obviously you can go ahead and mount a third flash as well.
The only thing is once again the ball head is quite small.
So it's not going to really be able
to support a large amount of weight on it.
There are other versions of this exact speed light bracket
with a sturdier ball head.
Or perhaps you can forego the ball head altogether
and just use a silver cold shoe bracket just like this
because that way it'll just mount directly to the stand.
The only disadvantage is you're unable to maneuver or reposition
the bracket itself to point it
in the direction that you need it to.
The great thing about the triple bracket though
is that it does have an umbrella
mount modifier in the middle there.
So for this type of setup, you may want to just completely
get rid of the ball head directly off this triple bracket
and screw that ball head off
and mount this directly to the stand.
There you go. That's a lot more sturdier
but you're obviously unable to reposition it as you want to.
Now with these, they're relatively inexpensive.
You can see the shape is obviously quite small.
So it's easy to throw into your camera bag.
It is ideal mostly for stationary type setups.
So if you're having to move this around a lot,
there's obviously a lot of risk and strain
that you're placing on these hot shoes.
I mean they are holding.
But for me personally I'd feel a lot more secure
with something like the S brackets.
The next flash bracket we're looking at
is the double speed light flash bracket.
So you can see here this has two cold shoe mounts
unlike the triple. You've only got two here.
It's basically made out of a tilt bracket.
So you mount this directly onto a stand tilt bracket.
You loosen that and controls the tilt.
There is a sort of step locking mechanism for the tilt
so it doesn't just drop. It has little lock-in positions
every single time you go down and tilt to a certain level.
You've also got the umbrella flash mount there at the middle.
And you've got basically a rail here that has two cold shoes.
These cold shoes once again you can mount two flashes.
So let's go ahead and do that. There you go.
So you have two flashes here.
You can put an umbrella in the side.
And what you might find is that the two flashes
might actually be too close together.
So you can use this rail here, slide them across,
you can spread them out a little bit more.
Just depending what you need it for.
So sometimes you want them close together
maybe so you can have a you know stronger single source of light
or to make it look like so. But you may also get hot spots.
So that may be an issue. But you can see here
the double mount is a lot more sturdier
just because you have one flash on either side
just evenly distributing that weight.
And then if you're using that umbrella modifier there,
you can soften the light a lot more.
So the next bracket we're looking at
is the H-type flash bracket. So this one here
looks quite similar to the Manfrotto 026 bracket.
It's basically a generic version of that.
It is still a really high quality build.
So it's made from metal here.
It does have quite a few handles here
and feels like it's able to tighten the bracket
quite nicely onto the stand
and also to control the tilt function.
So these brackets here,
they come with two little spigot converters on the inside.
So this one here is a 1/4 inch to 3.8 inch female adapter.
And that's the spigot that's just found there.
So you can remove that if you want to mount it to the stand.
And you tighten that to the stand there.
Now this larger handle here controls the tilt.
And you can hear that locking mechanism,
there it's sort of like a rosetta locking system.
So that's nice, especially if you're at a tilt mode there
because that gives it additional support and security
there when at a tilt
so it's not going to just sort of fall down
with the weight of the flash
or even if you have a bracket there.
You've also got the umbrella mount there in the center.
So this silver knob here on the side controls the umbrella mount
and you can feed through an umbrella stem there
and then tighten that down.
And lastly is another spigot here.
This one here is a 1/4 inch
to 3.8 inch male thread adapter that you can mount.
So this one here as you can see, there's no sort of cold shoe
on the flash itself, on the bracket itself.
So you need to use this adapter here
to flip it over to the quarter inch thread, tighten that down,
then you'll be using the speed lite plate
that's usually provided with most flashes.
So this one here we'll use it with the TT685
and just slide that on.
Now what you'll notice with these speedlite plates
are that there is a quarter inch thread there
at the bottom that lines up to here.
So usually you'd probably take this out first and screw that on
and you can mount that here and tighten in.
So yes, that's pretty much locked in to position now.
So obviously you'd have that front on there,
so that way you're able to sort of focus in on your subject,
direct that light as you need it.
Now the only thing is that this bracket here
is a tilt bracket only.
So there's no way to sort of use the ball head
to maneuver it around. The other thing is because
you are using the speed light plate here,
it's only really made from plastic with
that screw thread there at the bottom.
So sometimes it does get damaged,
especially with wear and tear over time.
So that's a slight disadvantage.
However, you can find other alternative methods.
You can buy a little cold shoe
with quarter inch threads at the bottom
to just mount on top there as a separate accessory.
It's not usually included with this one but yes,
that's something good to look at
if you're going for the H-type bracket.
And yes, just overall it's a nice small compact design.
You can see it's nice and small still to fit into a camera bag.
And overall a really affordable and nice looking flash bracket.
Now, the last bracket we're looking at
is the E-type flash bracket.
So this one here is a single flash bracket.
It only has a single cold shoe there.
So really similar to the H-type here
except that it has sort of less sturdy knobs here.
You've got just some standard plastic knobs,
one here that controls the tension for mounting
onto a light stand,
the other here that controls the tilt.
Still has that rosetta locking system which is nice.
So it doesn't just sort off all under the weight of the flash.
And you've also got the umbrella mount here at the center.
So you can use umbrella modifiers.
You can't use any soft boxes and things like that
with this type of flash bracket obviously.
The other thing here is the cold shoe on the top,
it just mounts the flash directly.
Okay. Now there's two things about this cold shoe that,
for me at least,
just gives a little bit of an annoyance here
because really you're unable to sort of line
up the cold shoe here so that it's front facing.
So the actual light, the flash bracket here tilts.
But you're unable to tighten that further
so that it's facing forward
which is one thing that's really annoying.
You'd have to reposition the stand that way.
But then when you're tilting,
it's not really going to go straight for you.
So that's one thing to take note of.
The other thing is that obviously it's still using
that cold shoe there to put tension onto the hot shoe.
Now, this is a Sony flash here.
It has the plastic sort of mix of metal
and plastic hot shoe here,
the multi-function interface hot shoe of Sony.
And yes, just with wear and tear
that's just going to damage over time,
especially if you're tilting it as you can imagine over time,
especially if you're a run and gun type of setup
and you're using these quite frequently.
All that weight there is just holding on the hot shoe there
and then it'll just obviously get damaged overtime.
So something to take note of.
It is a really cost effective flash bracket.
So if it's just something for you to mount upright,
if you're just mounting
it upright just like this, that's great.
It's obviously really quite small,
easy to throw into your camera bag.
And yes, the form factor and price is really perfect
for those just looking for a quick option
for a flash bracket. So that was just a quick look
and comparison of six different speed lights and flash brackets.
So for speed lights and flash brackets,
I think the main thing is really down to the features
and cost of obviously the Godox brackets here.
The S-type brackets are really popular
because you're able to mount softboxes as well.
You will pay a price for that.
We have compared six different types here.
So what we'll do is we'll throw it up on screen
based on those three factors that we're comparing just
so you can take a closer look on a comparison chart
as to which one is right for you.
So thanks for watching.
Don't forget to hit that subscribe button
for more videos just like this. Hit that notification bell
to be updated of any new content we release.
Leave a like on the video if it's helped you.
Feel free to leave down in the comment section
below your thoughts or if you have any questions
about these six different types of flash brackets.
Follow us on social media @hypop
or visit our website hypop.com.au.
Thanks for watching.