Digital SLR Reviews Blog

Posts Tagged ‘35mm Slr 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.

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Nikon SB 400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

The SB-400 gives photographers the opportunity to enjoy brighter and more natural lighting for images taken using a flash. It is designed to suit entry-level digital SLR users while also suitable for more experienced users. Those who have a camera within the D2 series will also benefit from the convenient portable flash unit. The SB-400 offers a guide number of 30 (ISO 200, m), and effortless bounce flash function and is controlled in i-TTL and the D40’s M (manual) mode. Flash shooting distance range from 2 and up to 66 feet Electronic construction – Automatic Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) and series circuitry Guide number – (at 18mm zoom-head position, 20 degrees C/68 degrees F) 30m per 98.4 feet Angle of coverage – Light distribution covers an 18mm lens when mounted on a Nikon DX format digital SLR camera (27mm lens when mounted on an F6 35mm SLR) Flash shooting distance range – 2 to 66 feet (Varies depending on the ISO sensitivity, zoom-head position, and lens aperture in use) Flash mode – i-TTL, M (manual with the D40 only) Flash exposure control set on the camera – Slow-sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction in slow sync, rear-curtain sync flash, FV lock flash, manual flash (with Nikon Creative Lighting System digital and 35mm SLR cameras) Bounce capability – Flash head tilts up to 90 degrees with click-stops at 0, 60, 75, 90 degrees Power Source – Two AA batteries (1.5V or lower) Flashes/Recycling time at full output – Alkaline-manganese (1.5V) 140/3.9 sec, Lithium (1.5V) 250/4.2 sec, Oxyride (1.5V) 150/3.1 sec, Ni-MH rechargeable (1.5V, 2600 mAh) 210/2.5 sec Lights up when the SB-400 is recharged and ready to fire. Blinks to indicate insufficient light, insufficient battery power and incompatibility of camera with SB-400 Flash duration – Approximately 1/1300th second at full output Mounting foot lever lock – Provides secure attachment to the camera accessory

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Flash
I dont think it is much stronger than the original flash on my camera but I am sure it helps. I still have some low light problems. It makes it easier to do rapid shots though.

5 Stars Excellent For Its Size
I’ve always avoided using a flash on my digital cameras because the built-in flashes were so tiny that they were virtually useless and the shoe-mounted flashes were heavy and bulky to pack around. I was always uncomfortable mounting them on my camera’s hot shoe because I felt as if they put a lot of strain on the shoe. I recently bought a Nikon D90 and wanted to take indoor photos of my grandkids. I looked around and found the Nikon SB-400. I was hesitant to buy it because it was spendy and I didn’t know if I’d use it enough. I’m glad that I did and am finding that I now use a flash quite frequently.

This unit is small and streamlined and it doesn’t feel as if it’s going to rip the hot shoe off the camera. It has an amazing amount of power for such a small unit and battery life is excellent. It’s extremely easy to use with the D90 – take it out of its pouch, mount it, and turn it on. The D90’s TTL metering system does the rest. If you want to modify the output of the flash just use the D90’s built-in flash exposure compensation adjustment.

I also purchased the Flip-it! 400 bounce card produced by Demb Flash Products. This small and compact bounce card is designed to work well with the SB-400. It mounts and can be removed easily with an elastic strap that has a Velcro tab. It looks very small but it works great.

3 Stars Limited flash capabilities.
I own the SB-400 and SB-600 and used them frequently for my D80 for 3 years now. Both have performed very well and have not failed. Using rechargeable AA batteries saves me a lot of money. The CONS that I do not like about the SB400 are:

- It displays a shadow when using a longer lens. I purchased a Tonika 12-24mm lens with my D80 and I have to tilt the flash upwards in order to eliminate the shadow that it creates from the barrel when using a direct flash. Using the SB600 or better eliminates this issue.

- When using indoors such as your living room, it may not provide the best illumination. It can only cover smaller space or closer range and you will have to adjust your camera settings to get a better lighting.

Buy this flash if money and weight are an issue. It works well if you are using a prime lens such as the Nikon 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, or 50mm; My recommendation is to get the SB600 instead for better range and illumination. Get the SB800 or 900 for better flash photography or if you intend to use multiple flashes as a remote flash commander when taking creative photography indoors. You will be much happier if you get any of the full flash from Nikon.

5 Stars Perfect flash for Nikon DSLR
Even though this is a smaller flash, the pictures taken with it are great. I have the Nikon SB600, a larger flash. For most situation the result from this flash and the SB600 is the same. This flash is lighter and more portable so I will be using this more often then the SB600. This flash is so light that I leave the flash on the camera. So I get great pictures more often with this smaller unit than the bigger SB600. I learned that a flash that you can use more often is more important than the size/power of the flash. The best thing about this flash is the bounce feature. You can use flip the flash head 60 to 90 degree. This give you a nice picture with natural light instead of the bright flash. This feature is going to make your picture much nicer than without an external flash. You can never get this kind of picture with the built in flash.

5 Stars Just what I needed for my camera system!
Before I got this flash I hesitated to take pictures at night, especially on social occasions. Now I have all the flash power I need with my little camera (Nikon p5100) and night pictures come out sharp and well exposed. Now I can also use my wide angle lens for night pictures, as this flash does not cast a shadow like the built in flash does. What’s more this flash is light and a perfect complement to the p5100.

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