11Feb Under $6 1/4 20 ball head to cold shoe mounting solution
So here we have 2 relatively low price 1/4 20 to cold shoe ball head adapters. The one on the right will set you back $9.50 while the one on the left will only cost you $5.40 (or as low as $3.38 if you look around
). The one on the left
took the slow boat from China (about two weeks for delivery) via an ebay order while the one on the right showed up in about 2 days via Amazon prime. They look about the same, don’t they?
Other than a few minor cosmetic differences these two 1/4 20 to cold shoe ball head adapters appear pretty much the same to my eye. Quality, weight, and design all seem pretty much identical. The only real difference here seem to be the amount of time you wait for delivery. It seems to me that if you have the time to wait, you might as well go with the cheaper unit.
The only real issue I have with this type of 1/4 20 to cold shoe ball head adapters is that there is only 1 thumb nut on the cold shoe adapter portion. In order to get things secure you have to tighten the thumb nut down on the camera shoe, then spin the adapter around until it snugs up against the top of the thumb nut. If too much pressure is applied in the loosening direction the whole thing spins free.
In order to resolve this problem I usually apply a dab of loctite or super glue to the inside threads, then thread the cold shoe adapter in enough to secure it without obstructing the workings of the thumb nut (see above picture). Let it dry for an hour or so and the cold shoe adapter is locked in nice and solid. Once that’s done attachment only requires a single thumb nut in order to secure the 1/4 20 to cold shoe ball head adapter to your camera or rig.
Keep in mind these are sub $10 1/4 20 to cold shoe ball head adapters so they aren’t designed to handle a lot of weight. These units are hand for microphones, LCD panels, gopros, and LED lights, but I wouldn’t use them to mount a full sized DSLR and lens to anything. Still they’re very hand to have and at $3 to $5 a peace, you can afforded to have a handful of them in your kit.
February 11th, 2014 at 9:47 am
One of these came with a 312 LED light I got. I actually have used it to mount my EOS M on top of my t3i!
February 11th, 2014 at 10:28 am
I’d say the EOS-M is probably small enough. Might even get away with a t3i on this with a small lens like the 40mm f2.8.