Mounting your torch on camera: the possibly even easier way…

I saw the post of Lenart Verheuvel and thought: haven’t I brewed something like this once?

I used the basis of an old cameraflash which attaches to the hotshoe on top of the camera.

A bit of sowing off, drilling some holes and adding some tiewraps dit the trick!

It is very easy to mount and unmount the torch this way.

(The grey thing on the end of the torch is an also homemade diffuser)

To get the lightbeam in the middle of the focussed victim you need to adjust the angle of the torch slightly by sticking a match or something in front or behind the hot shoe under the torch.

Hope this might help some of you!

 

 

 

 

Post author

jeroen

6 Comments

  • JanEbr

    But when do you put your flash then? For nearby mammals, a torch is fine, but a good flash + MagBeam allows me to take ID pictures of animals that are hundreds of meters away.

    We found the best way to attach a torch is to the lens, using the tripod collar on the lens (which any sensible long lens has). The tripod mount on the collar usually has a flat surface around the screw hole (to put against the tripod adapter), that’s where we put the torch and we tighten it down using a hose clamp.

    • Mike Gordon

      The easiest way is to get a light with a belt clip, turn it the other way around and clip onto the lens hood.
      I use fenix tk16. But i will try and check if the same clip will work on the ht18.
      The method using the hotshoe looks like it will bump your forehead while looking through the view finder.

  • Lennartv

    I admire your creativity, but for me this isn’t easier. I wouldn’t be able to work this out on my own going by what you’ve wrote down. Also I like being able to take the flash out easily with the clamp. I would be curious if the torch is really fit on tight and if there is no risk of it falling off, but well done working it out by yourself!

    If you use the system I proposed you should still be able to use a flash Jan. A flash can be attached separately on the Smallrig Cage. You can work with a hot shoe extension cord. You can also put it directly in the hot shoe and attach the torch to the side of the Smallrig Cage or to the far right on top. Personally I find a flash doesn’t have much added value for me. I have a good flash and the MagBeam, but in the end I prefer the torch. The torch I have mounted on my camera (Fenix HT18) is also very powerful, it has a focused beam that still lights stuff up about a kilometer away.

  • jeroen

    Hi Jan,
    I never use flash, because I am a wildlife filmer and I am only interested if subjects are much closer then hundreds of meters. Sorry, I did not think of that. Still , I hope this rig might be useful for some of you or in specific cases…

  • jeroen

    Lennart: the torch sits very ferm but is rather easy to dismount too. I use this torch-on-camera-rig mainly on a tripod for filming and take the torch while searching. If someone likes to know I can give more details how I fixed it.

  • cursors

    Hi Jeroen,

    Which torch are you using for filming?

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