Digital SLR Reviews Blog

Posts Tagged ‘35mm Cameras’

Precision Design Quick Flip Rotating FB350 Flash Bracket for Digital SLR Cameras and Speedlight Flashes

The Precision Design FB350 flash-rotating bracket is light and compact, constructed entirely of sturdy aluminum and ergonomically designed for comfort, speed and durability. The FB350 Flash Bracket fits all shoe-mount flashes and can be used with both digital and 35mm SLR cameras.

The bracket has a pivoting flash arm that keeps the flash over the lens in both horizontal and vertical positions to eliminate “Red Eye” and drastically reduce side shadows for truly professional-looking results. It has a comfortable foam grip and a tripod mountable base. It allows the user to shoot and advance film as if no bracket were attached.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars hotshoe considerations, but great value flash arm bracket
This is the cheapest and best valued “flash arm bracket” that I could find. I am quite happy with it, however it is my first “flash arm bracket” and I have not yet used it extensively. I find it to be very sturdy and professional looking, the grip is a nice cheap foam but works, and the velcro straps are a plus. The flash arm is held with an allen screw and nut for a firm hold but easily moves under manual pressure and I imagine this may need tightening over time.

Considerations: Only the flash arm rotates while some models have both arms rotate (useful?). Also, the flash shoe mount is all metal (so you may want to use some Hosa 2-inch Gaffers Tape 60 Yards, Black to pad it from the metal hotshoe on your flash). Also the flash shoe did not grip my flash (430exii,540ez) very well… until I added a couple of strips of gaffers tape. I’m also going to try to use this as a cheap “diy steadicam” after some mods and a counter weight.

1 Star Precision Design Quick Flip Rotating FB350 Flash Bracket
The shoe must be removed to add the Flash sync cable, the you must carry a Phillips screw driver (no thumb screw, or room for one). The elbow of the arm is set with a allen screw and is not adjustable, and will flow freely with the flash. As the top horizontal arm is not at 90 degrees to the vertical arm. The arm flops down out of level.

Precision Design Quick Flip Rotating FB350 Flash Bracket for Digital SLR Cameras & Speedlight Flashes

4 Stars Almost 5 stars…
I almost gave this a 5 star review. The only issues I’ve had with it, which were no big deal for me but I could see bothering other buyers are:

1) The nut that goes on the swivel kept coming unscrewed after flipping the bracket a few times. I had a locking nut on hand and replaced it with that and have had no further problems, if you don’t have one on hand and yours has the same issue that could be a bit of an inconvenience.

2) The hotshoe mount would not securely hold the end of my generic ettl cord (don’t know if it would hold the Canon branded one any better). I just unscrewed the mount and used the same screw to directly attach it to the bracket, which would be an inconvenience if I wanted to use the same cord off camera without the bracket.

For me I’m still really happy with it, it serves my purposes well for as often as I need a bracket and I’m glad I didn’t spend the extra money on the more known brand.

5 Stars S-weet!!
I was pretty nervous getting the knock-off version for my flash bracket, but I liked the price, so I decided to go for it. It came the day of one of my scheduled wedding shoots, and I decided to use it cold turkey. It was WELL WORTH THE PURCHASE. It’s incredibly lightweight and moves the flash easily. There are no extra buttons that you have to push to manuever it, just an easy flip with your hand. The padding is perfect for long days of holding your camera. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a bracket.

4 Stars Great product for the price
The only reason this got a 4 star rating is because the mount on the top of the camera does not close far enough to hold my flash… keep that in mind if you are buying this expecting to use the mount. I, however am not using the mount, as I purchased a hot shoe cord that I just screwed on top using the screw that comes with the bracket.

It’s a nice bracket for the price. It is a sturdy, all metal frame with a nice grip.

If you are a beginner or don’t have a ton of money to spend, this is a nice bracket. The only thing I don’t like about it is it does not have a hinge at the bottom, so it is not easy to store. It takes up a lot of room in my camera bag.

Also when you use the bracket as a Left handle mount you must rotate the camera clockwise for vertical shots. I”m used to rotating the camera counter-clockwise, with my hand on top so its a little akward… I think I can get used to it though.

Next time I’ll definitely invest a little more money and get one that has a hinge at the bottom for more movement of the flash and so it will fold down.

Buy/More Info

Ape Case Pro for Digital Slr Cameras Large Size By Norazza

APE Safe and APE Tough! Heavily padded, the ACPRO 1400 is designed with multiple compartments that can reconfigure to hold different cameras, lenses and flashes.

PRODUCT FEATURES
The Ape Case PRO1400 is designed to hold SLR, Digital, 35MM, Digital Video Cameras and a wide variety of accessories; 15 pockets and compartments; Heavily padded & pockets secure closed with zippers; Hard bottom with rubber feet; Includes deluxe-comfort shoulder strap; Includes tripod straps; Yellow interior makes it easy to find your accessories.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars RETURNED ITEM
I RETURNED THIS BAG BECAUSE IT WAS MUCH BIGGER THAN I EXPECTED. IT LOOKS STURDY AND IT LOOKS LIKE A GOOD BAG, BUT IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR ME WITH MY ONE CAMERA AND ONE LENSE.

5 Stars Ape Case Pro
This bag is great. Very well made and really like the yellow interior. Lots of space to put all your stuff. For the price, I don’t think you can get a better bag.

5 Stars Best Value for your Money…!!
I had purchased other bags in this price range and nothing has been close to the quality of this bag. With some creative organization I can fit my D200, my D40x, 2 – SB600 flash units and up tp four lenses, not to mention all the extra pockets for your various bits and pieces. My only complaint, you might look unprepared because this bag isn’t huge, but it still holds alot of equipment nicely. You won’t regret this purchase. Top notch product – excellent price…!

4 Stars I’m going Ape for this bag – not so much for the strap…
This bag replaced my nikon gear bag, which had started to fall apart after about a year. Here is what I think after about 3 months of use:

- construction: It’s obvious right away that the bag is tough -the nylon exterior is tough and firm, and the stitching is tight and clean. On the interior, the liner and adjustable dividers are made of soild material with good stitching as well. The Strap is padded well in just the right areas, and durable. However, the adjustable strap ends, if not pulled tight after adjustment, will sometimes work their way out…not a great thing for a bag meant to carry thousands of dollars worth of rig. A few teeth on the adjuster would have gone a long way. The zippers move smoothly and finish clean.

- ergonomics: If you’re a pro, or a prosumer, that likes to carry around more than one body and several lenses you have to know that a backpack is pretty much your only option. That being said, this carries my D80 w/18-200, 50mm, sb200 (2), 600 and 900 flashes, extra batteries, chargers, manuals, filters, remotes etc etc with room to spare. I know it’s been said, but the yellow interior is a HUGE help when you’re looking for your gear in there, and the configuration options for the interior dividers are many and varied, a bonus if you’re trying to squeeze a bunch of gear in there. The drawstring net pouch on the side is a nice touch.

- usage: if you’re moving from place to place and shooting, forego using the zipper on the top and just use the clips. The zipper is nice for keeping the elements out, but it’s a hassle if you’re in a hurry, so those clips are a very nice touch to keep things in place without zipping. If you fill this thing up, it’s going to get heavy, so you’ll probably have to switch shoulders as you go, but still pretty comfortable despite the weight.

- overall: A great bag with a lot of interior space that would probably be perfect were it not for the sometimes unstable strap adjusters. Highly recommended otherwise.

5 Stars Almost a perfect bag
I’m a professional wedding photographer and have had this bag for a year now and really love it. The Pros:

– Size: holds a Canon 50D with a large 24-70 attached, a Rebel XT body only, two prime lenses, a 580 flash and a large collection of accessories.

– Price: I have much more expensive bags than this that don’t do nearly the job it does.

– Yellow interior; this really does make a difference when searching for things in a dimly lit room.

– Has a nicely tailored appearance.

– A place for everything.

– Durable, but soft on the gear

The cons (really, only two):

– There’s an elastic strap to hold extra AA batteries in one of the pockets. A nice idea, but the straps aren’t tight enough so the batteries just fall through to the bottom of the pocket.

– Wish it were just a couple of inches longer. On other sites, this bag is shown with two camearas facing each other with lenses mounted. This is only possible with smaller lenses. The 24-70 isn’t THAT large, but it leaves no room for even the smallest lens on my second body.

For my needs, if this bag were just 2-3 inches longer, it would be the perfect bag. As it is, it’s a nearly perfect bag at an excellent price.

Buy/More Info