How to Mount Speedlites Anywhere Using Clamps

How to Mount Speedlites Anywhere Using Clamps

Just over a year ago today, I took the leap and made my first MagMod purchase. That first endeavor included: The Basic Kit, a set of Creative Gels, a set of Artistic Gels, an extra MagGrid, an extra MagGrip, a  MagBounce, and a MagSphere. Over the last year I’ve added (and replaced) a few more items into my MagMod kit that is now to a point I’m now extremely happy with. After that initial purchase though, there was still one missing piece that kept lurking in the back of my mind. It wasn't actually a MagMod item so much as it was something I saw in a video on the MagMod page featuring TwoMann Studios.

Right out of the gate, at 0:34 in their Why We Love MagMod - Erika and Lanny Mann video, Lanny Mann begins to attach something to the pole inside of a shower that ends up having a speedlite attached to it (with a MagGrid). At 0:39 the setup disappears from the video until 1:23 and by 1:25, isn’t seen again for the rest of the video— or at least not close enough to examine. I spent a while watching and re-watching these combined seven seconds or so of footage, trying to break down how exactly they were attaching this speed light to a clamp. In yet another MagMod video (this one hosted by Fstoppers Guest Writer, Trevor DayleyHow I Shot It with Crystal Stokes, she mentions the Manfrotto Super Clamp. After scouring through all the comments and reviews of all the seemingly compatible parts I could find, I finally tracked down the total parts necessary to fashion a similar system— but not before I sent a shot-in-the-dark email via contact form on the TwoMann Studios website. Within the same day (only a few hours, really) I received a response from Erika Jensen-Mann telling me exactly what they use.

Hi Paul. We use a Manafrotto nano clamp connected to a noveflex ball and socket flash head. It's connected using a brass connector. I hope this helps!

Erika


This story contains two lessons:

1. Ask questions— sometimes people are really nice and willing to help out.

2. Here’s how to create your own with a twist on the aforementioned items.


While my setup is using exactly zero of the same pieces, it is extremely close.
 

To create the TwoMann version:

1 x Manfrotto Nano Clamp

1 x Novoflex Ball Head with Flash Shoe

1 x Manfrotto 037 Reversible Short Stud — (optional, since the above link to that particular Nano Clamp includes a very small 1/4” adapter)
 

My version:

1 x Manfrotto 035RL Super Clamp with Standard Stud

1 x Oben BD-0 Mini Ball Head

1 x ProMediaGear 1/4"-20 Screw to Cold Shoe Adapter


Now, why did I choose these pieces instead of just ordering the sure-fire parts that Erika Jensen-Mann mentioned? Well, for a couple reasons. To be completely honest, I can be an impatient person and had already loaded up my B&H cart with my own combination of items, but that’s not all— I’m also a bit of a perfectionist. Having read up on all the cold shoe adapters I could find, this one from ProMediaGear is an all-metal construction that gets great reviews because of its durability. Additionally (and arguably, most importantly), I use Canon gear and had found many complaints about other brands of cold shoe mounts not being compatible with the Canon 600EX II-RT system that I use due to the locking mechanism on the bottom of the 600EX RT series flashes. I didn’t want to take the time to scour reviews of the Novoflex to confirm whether or not the included cold shoe mount was as durable and whether or not it worked with the Canon 600EX RT speedlites (although I would guess it does since it appears TwoMann Studios were using Canon gear in that video).

*In full disclosure, I don’t own the brand named Canon speedlites, but rather I use the Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II clones as well as a Shanny SN600C-RT clone (which now seems to be really hard to find in this exact model, I can only find them re-branded as "Eachshot" but those should work just the same).

The assembly of items is pretty straightforward. They can only really be connected to each other a finite number of ways. Here’s how:

Assembling Your Clamp

VOILA!

Nowadays the Canon speedlites aren't the only light sources I use. So, you want to see something extra convenient? How about the Flashpoint eVolv 200 (a.k.a. Godox AD200; a.k.a. my new favorite light source) attached to the same rig, simply by removing the cold shoe mount?

And yes, you see a MagGrip with a MagGrid on the end of that Flashpoint eVolv 200. If you have any questions about how any of this works together: the Yongnuo or Shanny branded flashes, their Canon ST-E3-RT clones (a.k.a. Yongnuo YN-E3-RT -OR- the Shanny SN-E3-RTs), how I'm currently using the Flashpoint R2 E-TTL Transmitter for Canon Cameras (X1T-C) (a.k.a. Godox X1T-C) to trigger the eVolv 200 in conjunction with the 600EX-RT system (hint: I stack the triggers), or you'd just like to learn more about my experience with the Flashpoint eVolv 200, be sure to leave comments with your questions below.

Paul Seiler's picture

Paul Seiler is a full-time wedding photographer based in Raleigh, North Carolina. When he's not balanacing light with composition, Paul can be found spending time with his newborn baby girl, binge-watching TV with his wife Becky, elbows deep in servers at his home-lab, or tinkering with his collection of music equipment.

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9 Comments

Some great info and helpful tips here. Thanks for such a thorough walk thru, Paul!

Thanks Katie! Just passing along what's been so generously taught to me :)

Have you looked at the Justin clamp (Manfrotto 175-1)?

Much lighter in weight than the Super Clamp too.

Jason: The Nano Clamps are much lighter than the Super Clamps too. I'm always a bigger fan of the ability to tighten things down securely rather than relying on springs. Which is a great point for the Kupo KG006711 you mentioned, I love that style.

Hi David, I'd never seen the Manfrotto 175-1. That looks like a pretty neat option as well. Can you mount that one pretty safely to poles? That looks like you could easily mount to a table. How strong is the spring?

Or the Kupo Off Camera Flash Alli Clamp, KG302511, with a better metal locking cold shoe and about $10 bucks less expensive than the Justin Clamp. Also, Tethertools' Rapid Mount System with a whole bunch of options for speedlight mounting. For a cold shoe, the Kupo KG006711 Universal Hot Shoe Adapter is metal, has the ability to positively lock via a set screw and costs about half of the Pro Media adapter. .

Hey Jason, this Kupo Alli Clamp (KG302511) looks pretty solid too. I like that locking cold shoe. The ProMediaGear cold shoe works great for my first 600EX-RT speedlites because of the locking mechanism already built in to the speedlites themselves. I have some other light stand mounts though that have the locking mechanisms like the KG006711 and they always make me feel a bit safer.