As you know, I’m in studio a LOT. I use a mix of broncolor strobes, Hahnel speedlights and various LED lights, depending on the shoot. I also love gadgets and have a significant collection of arms, cold shoes and mounts.
Vanguard has recently launched a new collection of small accessories. Some of them are very useful and others are quite handy. They’re all very robust – made of machined aluminum, anti-rust steel and cast metal. Even the knobs are metal, which is a refreshing change from the rest of the product on the market. Most manufacturers cut corners with plastic knobs and other non-weight bearing parts but Vanguard chose to make everything more durable. The trade-off is these parts are a little heavier but the weight isn’t noticeable. A lot of the grippy bits are made out of rubber to protect your gear.
Let’s start with the smallest item – CSM or Cold Shoe Mount. Each product has an equally pithy name – easy to remember and not at all cryptic. It’s exactly what the name says – a Cold Shoe Mount. Why would you want it? If you’re like me and have a pile of accessories with broken cold shoe mounts (because they were flimsy plastic from the factory), CSM has a ¼-20 bolt on top to thread into your trigger or LED or mic holder and a cold shoe to fit in your camera’s flash mount or in any shoe holder, such as the ones below. It’s all metal and tightens down firmly whilst being easy to undo later. There’s even a ¼-20 threaded mount on the bottom so you don’t have to remove CSM to mount your accessory directly onto a light stand (bonus if you’re original plastic accessory had to be removed to mount on a light stand.
Next up is the CSM DLX, or Cold Shoe Mount Deluxe (I told you the names were pithy!). This one adds fore/aft tilt to the cold shoe and a unique magnetic quick release ¼-20 mount. It’s an ingenious design that takes a fair amount of force to separate the mount from the Cold Shoe. I’ve installed this on my LED panel that I use for video – it lets me angle the light up or down as needed. It’s so much better than the plastic cold shoe that came with the light!
The CSMM3 (Cold Shoe Multi Mount 3) can be used with the CSM or CSM DLX and adds three (3) cold shoe mounts. I’ve used this to add a microphone, LED light and phone mount on top of my camera for interviews. I use my phone as a teleprompter or as a B-Cam for additional footage. The outer two cold shoe mounts on CSMM3 swivel 180° so you can control the angles. There are also two ¼-20 mounts for additional accessories (more on this below).
If you need a solid crossbar cold shoe with two mounts, the CSMM2 (Cold Shoe Multi Mount 2) fits the bill. My favourite feature of CSMM2 is how compact it is (only 4.5”) and how big it extends (8”!!). The main crossbar has two sliding bars that each hold a sliding cold shoe. It’s very flexible. You can extend the sliding bars and then align the cold shoes along 2” of that bar. The main sliders lock with thumb lever and the cold shoes lock with a thumb screw.
Vanguard has created a series of small and functional arms – TSA S & TSA M (Support Arm Small & Medium) plus TSA DLX M & DLX L (Support Arm Deluxe Medium and Large). TSA S (2.5” folded to 4.5” extended) and M (3” folded to 6” extended) are compact arms with a ¼-20 mount on each end and two ball mounts, with one central locking knob. Each holds up to 2kg/4.4lbs which is significant for their size. The single locking knob makes it easy and quick to firm up the hold. There are also ¼-20 and 3/8-16 mounts on the body for more attachment points.
If you need a little more load-bearing capacity the TSA DLX M (4.4 to 7.1”) and L (6.6 to 11.4”) arms will each hold up to 3kg/6.6lbs! Just like the smaller arms, there’s a centre locking knob and ball heads with ¼-20 mounts on each end. The differences, aside from capacity, are significant. The DLX arms are very robust and the ball heads on each end act like the ball head on your tripod – you have far more freedom over direction as well as a slot for a more secure 90° position. The joints have steel teeth for a firm lock. You can also swap out one of the ¼-20 for 3/8-16 threaded mount – these arms will attach to the mounting point on your Vanguard tripod. This is really handy for mounting your phone or tablet to your tripod, instead of clamping something to the leg that might fall off.
This leads me to the TC M – Universal Tablet Connector Medium. TCM M will hold tablets and phones from 6 to 9”, including my Samsung S22 Ultra vertically or my iPad horizontally. Extend the spring-loaded arms to grip your device and tighten them in place with the large metal lock knob. The knob is big enough that you can leave your gloves on in the cold weather. Rubber pads protect your device from scratches. There are three ¼-20 mounts plus a cold shoe at the top. My favourite feature is the integrated Arca-Swiss compatible tripod mount. A metal stand swings out as a table-top support. It’s really the ideal, all-in-one tablet mount. I used the Support Arms to attach my LED off to the side, plus a microphone in the cold shoe for a vlogging rig. On location, I used it with the Medium Deluxe arm to hold my phone directly to my tripod. This is by far the most useful phone/tablet mount I’ve used.
The last piece of Vanguard gear is the MT-12 Multi-mount. It’s a crossbar that fits on your tripod legs (3/8-16 mount) that you can then use to attach up to four cameras or accessories on one tripod. There’s so much to like about this crossbar. There are 3/8-16 pins on each end plus two sliding MA1 mounts. The MA1s can be locked into place with a smooth and solid-feeling thumb lever. The centre position can also be loosened and you can position the mount off-centre – really handy if you have to balance a heavier camera at one end and lighter gear on the other. The crossbar is grooved so the MA1 mounts slide without rotating on the arm – you won’t have your valuable gear spinning away from you and crashing into your tripod legs. Vanguard added large thumb wheels for locking down your tripod heads to the MA1, as well as a thumb wheel to lock the entire MT-12 to your tripod. There are a lot of really thoughtful features on this crossbar that both protect your gear and make your shoots easier. It’s a nice addition to my kit when I need more than just one camera attached to my tripod.
I’m really pleased with the build quality of these new Vanguard accessories. As more and more companies switch to cheaper and less reliable plastic parts, it’s refreshing to see Vanguard use all metal construction with steel in the vital parts. Cameras and lenses have gotten so expensive to buy and fix that I prefer to invest in better quality accessories that are less likely to damage my gear.
About the Author – Will Prentice
A portrait, fine art and commercial photographer for 30 plus years, Will Prentice is not just a contributor to PHOTONews magazine, but also host of PHOTONewsTV, owner of Captura Photography+Imaging and Technical Support/Brand Manager for Amplis Foto, Canada’s largest distributor of photographic equipment.
Will teaches photographers of all skill levels how to improve their craft – from creative photo projects to picking the right gear for their needs to flattering lighting to getting the best expressions to creating final images for screen and print. His unique style of highly detailed images with perfect tonality, wide dynamic range and stunning colour is instantly recognizable. Commercial clients rely on Will’s creative eye and mastery of lighting.
When he’s not behind the camera or in front of a class, you’ll find Will outdoors in any weather – usually on one of his bikes or enjoying time with his grandchildren.
