Softbox bracket help

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stevebuk

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Steve
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Hi all,

I recently bought a cheap softbox from eBay. It works fine, but I don't think much of the bracket. It's my first lighting equipment so I am not too sure about the different fixings etc. I think this is called a type B L bracket? Not sure what that means, can anyone explain? Ideally I'd like a more sturdy bracket and hope someone can recommend something a little better?

It has a circular fitting that fits into the back of the softbox and it all seems very flimsy and you will see it is already bending near the cold shoe.

My light stand screws into the bottom of the silver area but it also has another area with two plastic turn screws. Nothing seems to go into the bottom of these and I wondered what they are for? It seems to have no purpose at all??

Any advice on what they other area is for and advice as to a better bracket would be great.

Thanks!
Steve





 
Hi Steve, I have some brackets similar to this - they're quite cheap and cheerful but have served me well for quite a time.
I'm a bit confused by "my light stand screws into the bottom of the silver area". I'd expect you to be putting the 5/8" stud of the light stand into the hole that you're looking into in the final picture. That way the only stress on the bit that's bending is the weight of the flash gun itself.
 
Ahh. Okay. Now I feel daft :) The end of my lightstand has a silver screw sticking out. I assumed it needed screwing into something. As such I screwed it into the bottom of the silver piece on the bottom of the cold shoe. It fitted so I assumed that was the plan. It did feel a little unstable! I've tested and you are of course right that it just slips into the big black hole. Why does the stand have a screw on the end? Is that to score directly into a flash if you don't have a bracket?

Many thanks!
Steve
 
You're welcome Steve. Light stands always seem to have a screw thread on the top. I guess you could use it to mount a cold shoe directly, but even in this situtation you really want an angle bracket to let you point the flash all the way up/down, in which case you end up using the stud not the thread. So short answer, I don't know!
 
The cheap brackets do deform a bit, but it won't stop it working.
 
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