Designing a Macro Bracket, pt. 3

Continued from Part 1 and Part 2

In my previous post, I mentioned that I was considering using a cheap straight flash bracket in my macro rig this year, instead of something like the thick stainless steel plates I’ve been using. I ended up ordering this aftermarket Metz flash bracket, and received it this afternoon.

I’m glad I did. The bracket was $7 shipped, so it’s technically a few times as expensive as the steel plates, but it’s also a few times as effective. The screws are thumbscrews, so I don’t need a screwdriver to secure or remove any part of the rig. The surface is non-slip, so I can use it in portrait orientation with the flash slipping down. The length is adjustable, which is great. I’m convinced that to get these qualities from a purely DIY solution would end up costing much more than $7 in tools, even if I’d be saving in materials.

My mini-ballhead won’t fit on the flash end of the bracket (there’s a raised bit that I assume has some function for Metz flashes), so I’ve got that end of my off-camera cord screwed onto it. Honestly, I’m also reconsidering how wise the ballhead is in the first place: the adjustability is nice, but the increased height leaves a lot of deep shadows puddled under most subjects. Having the flash a little lower will probably be okay, and the hotshoe can still rotate a bit without coming loose when I’m shooting at a longer working distance.

Playing with the bracket, I’ve found that it’s long enough to put it on the right side of the camera and still leave room for my hand. This improves the balance quite a bit, since I’m basically holding onto the center of gravity, and it lets me get to the lens more easily if I need to adjust the focus distance. I can also use the vertical buttons on the camera grip this way to shoot in portrait.

So this solves a number of problems, even though it means changing some of my original concept. That’s fine, since I’ll end up with a better macro rig this year for it.

The last question I have to address is the flash itself, and proper diffusion. That’s the most expensive part of the rig that I have to think about this year, and it’ll depend on some work stuff that should be getting sorted out in the next week or so. If all goes well, I’d like to upgrade to a TTL flash. More on this in the next post.