Customer Reviews

Adorama Heavy Duty L-bracket with 2 Standard Flash Shoe Mounts

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

UPDATE:

I ordered another one because I liked the sturdy quality... and I wanted to keep the look of the rig symmetrical. (Check out the pictures.)

This second L-Bracket was in much better quality (see my original review below). The glue job on this one was top notch clean. I looks great. The 2 brackets combined makes the whole rig look really good and the setup is very secure. I like! Now 5 Stars. (and Adorama has been great for all my other orders/items as well...)

ORIGINAL Review:

I just recieved the L-Bracket today in hopes of using it w/ my Canon HF-S100 and the Rhode VideoMic. Well... almost.

Build Quality - billed as "Heavy Duty", well maybe.
* The metal "L" feels substantial/sturdy and is flex resistant.
* The shoe mounts are also metal/steel of the same sturdy quality.
* The rubber guide pad surrounding the section where the mounting screw slides seems adequate, but the glue job during attachment looks sloppy. It'll do its job to buffer between the bracket and your equipment, but QA should have been done better to make it more professional finish quality.
* The mounting screw-nob feels a bit on the "cheap plastic" side - the nob itself. The screw is metal (of course) and seems to have enough thread to screw securely into any photo/video device, about 3/8" of thread available. Mine came "attached" within the guide, unlike the product picture, and does not feel like it can be removed without using some force.
* The rubber grip exhibits the same poor glue job as the rubber guide pad. Glue is clearly visible along the seam with some overflow that looks like someone tried to wipe it off! The grip itself is substantial and has a nice hard rubber touch.

Form - simple design, perfect execution, for specific sizes!
* Most important measurement for video camera use: From inside of the grip to the center of the mounting screw at the furthest setting, maximum distance is 4" in length. So, open your LCD screen on your camcorder, measure from the bottom/outer most edge of the screen bezel to the center of your mounting hole... if your are under 4" then your good to go, otherwise, S.O.L!
* The horizontal bar is about 4.5" in length from elbow to end and 1" wide. (Not accounting for the rubber grip which shortens it by about 1/4".)
* The rubber guide pad glued onto the horizontal bar is 3 1/8" in length and also 1" wide and about 1/8" thick.
* The bend between the horizontal & vertical bar seems to be between 95 to 98-degrees, maybe even 100-degrees?
* The vertical bar is 4" from elbow to the slight bend where the first/vertical shoe mount is located. (The grip itself is about 3 3/4" in length.)
* The shoe mount sections are both about 1" in length. (The first/vertical shoe mount section bends "straight" to a 90-degree angle from horizontal.)

Fit & Function - if it fits, it will function!
* Canon HF-S100... Nope! (.com for you KROQ fans!) If you mount it with the vertical grip on the LCD side you won't be able to open the screen all the way. I have to angle the bracket forward to allow the LCD screen to flip open to its full extension. If you mount it the other direction with the vertical grip on the hand-strap side of the Camcorder, you won't be able to fit your hand through the strap without cramming a couple of fingers - you need to angle it here too! The best way to use this L-Bracket with the Canon HF-S100 is to mount it to a Tri/Monopod with the vertical grip on the hand-strap side and forget handholding the camera.
* Nikon D40... it works/fits in all directions, but i'm not sure why would I ever need it for the D40? Extra lighting maybe???
* Canon PowerShot SD780 IS... Yes, of course! This camera is too small for me, but perfect for my wife, and fits perfectly on the bracket. The bracket actually made it easier for me to handle, especially when taking video. (Look for my review of that camera here as well.)

Summary
If you looking for a sturdy L-bracket w/ 2 shoe mounts and have a camera that fits the dimensions, then this will do the job. Maybe you'll be lucky to get one that does not have a poor glue job like mine.

Even though it does NOT fit my HF-S100, I'm still going to keep it and mount it on a tri/monopod facing the strap direction - it'll serve its purpose of holding my accessories and balance out the camcorder on the opposit side of the LCD screen when it's flipped open. (I was prepared to accept this alternative...)

This is a cheap product and cheap come with worthless. The hotshoe fell off when I had the microphone on it. The hotshoes aren't welded/screwed into the frame. It just sit on top of the frame with three tiny rivets type or pins to hold it down. Very week. It's useless for me right now. Unless you have a weld to weld it togther to make it work.

This Bracket is a good option for the price, it is light and easy to install on the camera.
has two shoes for the flash.
cons. you need to take off the flash every time that you want to take pictures vertically, if you want to bounce the flash.

I needed this to hold my shotgun microphone. It does just that. I really enjoy the quality of it. It is strong metal, and will last for a long time.

I hope that the unit I received was just an erroneous one.

Upon arrival, the hotshoes weren't fastened down completely, which was a little worrisome. But as this was my first L-bracket, I thought maybe that's how they all were. I mounted my light on the top one, and was convinced that there's no way the hotshoe should have any wiggle room. So I started using the other one, which suffered from the same issue, but didn't have as much room to wiggle. I put it in my bag, and the next time I took it out, the side hotshoe was completely detached from the main bracket. Wow, that was fast.

So I was in a pinch (and traveling), so I decided to use the aforementioned top shoe instead. That one lasted about 5 minutes before two of the screws came out. After a long struggle, I was able to free my light from the shoe, but in the process the other screw came out. I now have an L bracket with no useable shoes.

I went to a local store and bought one there for $20. No issues since.

i really enjoy shooting with this getting my flash off the camera really added so new depth to my photos

Excellent product. Because there are very few times I want to use a flash, I don't want it on the camera and I don't want to be lugging the bigger brackets I already own around with me.

The two other brackets I already own are over $120 each and are huge and heavy. This bracket is the perfect alternative, because it is light and small. It remains tight against my 5D Mark II and it performs perfectly.

Excellent purchase. I highly recommend this product.

The issues, and there is only one and thats the Flash shoes. They're wimpy, and give me an uneasy feeling because I ordered this bracket for the primary use as an extended audio platform to remove camera hum. The good qualities: Strong and adjustable, the nut tightens down nicely and has a female nut inside, so I can direct mount this bracket with the camera directly on my cowboy studio shoulder rig and with the help of 1 washer and 1 locking washer,between the shoulder mount and the bracket nut, and this thing pans like butter!! Well thought out. I have not drilled yet but I think that I can drill near the bracket corner and mount a juicedlink or beachtek--right where I want it.

It's a good bracket. Seems strong and durable, but of course it's made out of metal! Two complaints;

1.The rubber handle smells like it was soaked on industrial strength WD-40 and brake cleaner. It's quite a powerful odor, so powerful in fact that the postman asked what kind of car part I had ordered.

2.The rubber seat that camera sits on separated from the metal arm.

I'm going to leave it sitting in the sun for a few hours to try and bake off the odor and then reglue the rubber seat. Considering the price it's worth the effort as it would be kind of silly to send it back.

Like others on here, mine came with the hotshoes "screwed" on with screws in holes that were too big, making the mounts fall out extremely easily. Had to JB Weld the mounts to the bracket to hold them on,