Wimberley versus Kirk macro flash brackets

If you want flexibility and ease of storage, the Wimberley modular flash bracket system will get you there. I use it with Wimberley lens plates so it will clamp on top as well as the bottom. All the modules will fit into a velcro wrap and store easily in a pack or bag.

The clamp is as solid as any of the Kirk or RRS brackets. The weakest link is the #4 ball joints in terms of rigidity (they have some give in them but they don't slip so if you bump the flash, it will settle back to where it was after wobbling for a while). If you use combinations of 1, 2, 3, and 6 with a Bogen micro ball, you get something that has significantly less play in it with most of it being in the flash hot shoe foot and joints. For non-collared lenses such as the Nikkor 105mm AFD f/2.8 micro, being able to hang the flash off the camera plate (or L bracket) is a definite advantage.

If you require a very rigid setup, the collared lens Kirk and RRS flash brackets are the better choice; however, you need different brackets/plates for different lenses. In this case, their is still significant play in the flash hot shoe foot and joints, so does the more rigid setup buy you anything? Certainly if you plan on hanging a soft box or other heavy light modifier on it, but flash only, your call.

I have no experience with the Kirk FB-6 macro bracket, but it doesn't look like it would handle much more than a flash (similar to the Wimberley system in that respect). It certainly isn't as flexible in terms of putting the flash in any arbitrary position.

The Wimberley system works very well. The biggest plus, I think is the ability to attach it to the camera L bracket as well as Arca style plates so that one can use the system with non collared lenses. Now - if we could only get them to manufacture a stiffer Plamp style flash bracket so you could move the flash from horizontal to vertical without loosening and tightening screws. I have no experience with the Kirk system.

Thanks for the responses. This was just the type of information I was looking for.

Hello Stephen,

This is Clay Wimberley. I designed the Wimberley Flash bracket system, so i certainly have some insight into this particular issue (of course i'm also a bit biased). You may have already made your decision, but i thought i'd go ahead and put my two cents in.

First i'll go over the pros of the Wimberley Macro Bracket (Click here for a picture of the bracket on our web site (it's called "Combo 2"))

Our macro bracket offers unparalled poistionability of the flash. It does this through a series of 4 ball and socket joints which are tightened by a total of 2 knobs. the balls are made of a dense rubber which temporarily deforms when pressure is applied. This deformation allows them to hold more weight. If you bump the bracket hard, the flash could move, but the deformed rubber balls insure that it will never come crashing down or flop around. The extreme positionability of our bracket means that you can position the flash almost anywhere you need it no matter if you are shooting in the horizontal or vertical position. You can also use our bracket with collared and non collared leses (provided that you are using the Arca-Swiss style quick release system). The bracket attaches to an arca-swiss style quick release with a very narrow clamp. This clamp is very quick and very secure. Though the clamp is quite small, it exerts as much frictional resistance as a much larger clamp. Our Bracket is also more compact than others on the market. You can actually fold it up and put it in a loose pants pocket (do not try this with tight jeans). This was an important design feature for me since i'm often packing light when doing macro photography. The components of the bracket are part of a modular system, so you can add items to create other useful brackets (e.g. more rigid brackets for telephoto use).

O.k. so there's the sales pitch. Now i'll cover some of the cons of our bracket.

First, price: Our bracket costs $169.00 which is comparable to others on the market, but still not cheap. Also, if you want to use 2 flashes, you must buy 2 brackets this brings the price of our bracket above other dual flash brackets on the market.

Second, Complexity: If you generaly always have the flash in one position and do not need to reposition it very often, our bracket may be more complex than you need. You may be better off making a custom bracket that is lighter and less complex.

Third, Weight: if you can get by with a simple telephoto bracket that postitons the flash directly above the lens (for collared lenses), it will most likely be lighter than our bracket.

So there you have it. If you are interested in trying out our bracket, we have a loaner program which allows you to try out any of our products for 60 days free of charge. Give us a call if you are interesed: (540) 665-2744. Also, i'll include some links which may help you in your decision.

good luck!

-Clay Wimberley

Our Website: www.tripodhead.com (find out more about our brackets and our loaner products)

Click here for another Photo.net string which deals with this same issue.

Click here for a review of our bracket system by Joe MacDonald (Joe is a flash photography expert and a prominent professional Nature Photographer)

Other prominent flash bracket Manufacturers:

Kirk Enterprises

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