# How strong is the hotshoe?



## sunnyVan (Aug 31, 2013)

If I attach a 600ex-rt to a 6D with a 70-200 2.8 II (or any other heavy lens), is it safe to grab the body of the flash? I don't mean grabbing it once in a while, but consistently, habitually. Has anyone heard of stories of hotshoe snapping?


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## dgatwood (Aug 31, 2013)

Eventually, the bottom of the flash is likely to break off. Find yourself a neck strap that has a hand strap or something.


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## neuroanatomist (Aug 31, 2013)

As stated, the hotshoe is strong but the base of the flash will break off. It's actually designed to do so as a planned failure point, and is a user-replaceable part (4 screws and a quick-connect plug), but save yourself the trouble and risk to the camera after breakaway, and find some other way to carry the rig. I'd recommend a Blackrapid strap or SpiderPro holster.


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## Viggo (Aug 31, 2013)

I destroyed a flash that way, and it was only a 5d and some
Light primes, one too many times and the flash started giving me
Full dumps, and wouldn't trigger wirelessly correctly. 

+1 for a Black Rapid strap .


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## spturtle (Sep 1, 2013)

Why not grab it by the lens, e.g. using the tripod foot rotated upwards. It's best to grab the heaviest part anyway.


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## Don Haines (Sep 1, 2013)

I can't understand why you would want to grab it by the flash....


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## sunnyVan (Sep 1, 2013)

I don't do this. But I've seen someone do it and I got curious. I don't have blackrapid but I got something similar.


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## paul13walnut5 (Sep 1, 2013)

Yes, it's entirely sensible to grab your kit by the cheapest most lightly constructed part.

Clue, The body and lens are metal for a reason.

I hate to flame, but this really is a dumb question.


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## Etienne (Sep 1, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> Yes, it's entirely sensible to grab your kit by the cheapest most lightly constructed part.
> 
> Clue, The body and lens are metal for a reason.
> 
> I hate to flame, but this really is a dumb question.



I don't think it's a dumb question. My 580EX flash feels really strong, I had no idea there was a designed fail-point there. I had assumed that it was strongly built, so I've grabbed my camera by the flash before, but I won't anymore. Thanks for asking this question!


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## scottkinfw (Sep 1, 2013)

You will regret doing that. And it will be expensive as well as painful.


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## paul13walnut5 (Sep 1, 2013)

Grab a kit by a flash and your flash will be destroyed, and gravity be gravity, anything supported beneath the fail point will also almost likely be destroyed.

It's a dumb question.


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 1, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> Grab a kit by a flash and your flash will be destroyed...



Depends on the kit. I grab and carry by the 600EX-RT...when I have one of my flashes mounted on the EOS M + 22mm f/2.


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## Etienne (Sep 1, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> Grab a kit by a flash and your flash will be destroyed, and gravity be gravity, anything supported beneath the fail point will also almost likely be destroyed.
> 
> It's a dumb question.



"Dumb" is not asking the question.


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## dgatwood (Sep 1, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> Grab a kit by a flash and your flash will be destroyed, and gravity be gravity, anything supported beneath the fail point will also almost likely be destroyed.



Depends on whether or not the strap is around your neck at the time.


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## Old Sarge (Sep 1, 2013)

I can't testify about the 600 but back in the day when I supervised one watch of a police departments Physical Evidence Section. We broke so many Vivitar 287 hotshoes that it became standard practice to replace them with an aluminum after market shoe upon purchase (didn't want them to fail in the field). And we were only using them on Nikons with 50mm lens most of the time.


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## pwp (Sep 1, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> As stated, the hotshoe is strong but the base of the flash will break off. It's actually designed to do so as a planned failure point...


I've snapped the break-point on 580EXII on two occasions. On both occasions CPS repaired the flashes in 10 minutes while I waited. Once for free. 

It's sound design. I severely damaged a Nikon film body and totalled a Nikon SB-26 flash some years ago. Both items were write-offs. If there had been a break-point in the flash, the outcome may have saved the body.

-PW


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## danski0224 (Sep 1, 2013)

For all of the "dumb" comments out there, I find it easy to mistakenly grab the camera setup by the attached flash.


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## Timothy_Bruce (Sep 1, 2013)

With the 70-200 defenitiv Not!
but 7D and 50mm 1.4 sometimes get grabbed by the Flash and I never hat a Problem with that. 
The Part that holds the hotshoemount is the desingend breakingpoint, but it is not that fragile.


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## mwh1964 (Sep 1, 2013)

Never ever ad any problems with this since early 90th.


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## crasher8 (Sep 1, 2013)

I was hoping this was about the Lava photographer


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## AudioGlenn (Sep 1, 2013)

just save yourself the worry and pick your rig up by the body handle. that's a lot of weight to bear for such a small contact point. Is it really THAT much more work to do that? or pick it up by the lens. 

I don't think it's a dumb question to ask but it does sound like you should take care of your gear with a little more thought. Who wants to risk not only breaking the bottom of a $600 flash but also dropping over $3500 worth of gear along with it? not me...


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## sunnyVan (Sep 2, 2013)

For the record, I don't own any lens that is as heavy as the 70-200 2.8. I asked this question only out of curiosity. I have a pretty reliable shoulder strap so I never had to grab the flash. Now that I hear these real stories I wouldn't want to risk my body and lenses (even though I don't own 70-200 2.8.) Thanks for all the comments.


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## Valvebounce (Sep 4, 2013)

Hi Folks. 
For the dumb question responses, please don't be like that, if we all start asking ourselves is my question going to be classed as dumb we will all loose out! 
I have a question that I was already pondering asking in case it was dumb, now I may not ask for fear of ridicule, I probably will ask it because of the philosophy I have when I am dealing with my specialist field.

There is no such thing as a dumb question, just one you don't know the answer to. :

Cheers Graham.


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## sunnyVan (Sep 4, 2013)

I don't feel offended by that particular comment(being called dumb). What I care about is getting my answers and being able to grow. I believe I have learned a great deal ever since I found this forum. My friends begin to notice a drastic change in the quality of my images. There are plenty of humble individuals on CR who are willing to share their knowledge, and these are the people I want to learn from. I'm just an honest amateur who is trying to get the most out of my gear. I don't need to pretend to be a know-it-all right now.


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## Halfrack (Sep 4, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> paul13walnut5 said:
> 
> 
> > Grab a kit by a flash and your flash will be destroyed...
> ...



I think the 600EX also qualifies as the heavier or more expensive component. Glad to see I'm not the only one who does this with the M+22 combo. I mean really - what else is there to hold it by.


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