Camera with hotshoe
What is the Hot Shoe? (and How You Should Use It)
By Jenn MishraA- A+
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Your privacy is safe.A hot shoe adapter adds functionality to your camera. It is on nearly every digital camera. You may think it is only for flashes.
This article will explore this feature and how you can use your camera’s hot shoe mount.
Hot shoe is a bracket located on the top of your cameraWhat is a Hot Shoe?
A hot shoe (or ‘hotshoe’) is a place to attach accessories to your camera. Most mid-to-high-end digital cameras have it.
It is a square bracket usually placed in the top middle of the camera body. Products slip onto it and then screw down to secure the connection with the body.
Analogue cameras might also have an accessory attachment set in a similar position. We will talk more about the difference in a minute.
This is a convenient place to mount attachments like an external flash. You can see readouts and have easy access to buttons and switches. The mount is usually placed to distribute the weight of the attached items and keep your camera stable.
Cold vs. Hot Shoe Adapters
If you look closely at the mount, you will see metal pins or disks. These electronic points allow cameras and the attached accessories to communicate. For instance, you trigger the flash when you press the shutter button. You may even have a flash with TTL (Through the Lens). Your flash uses the camera’s metering and figures out how powerful it needs to be. It is a kind of ‘auto’ mode for your flash.
Hot shoes are not universal. The contact point is unique to each manufacturer. The attached accessory must be made to work with the specific contact point. This is why a Nikon flash will not work on a Canon. You can mount the speed light. But there will be no communication between the camera and the accessory.
A cold shoe is an accessory mount without the communication system. The accessory may connect another way, but not through the mount. For instance, remote triggers may communicate through a cable.
This is the technical definition of hot and cold shoes.
But most photographers refer to the accessory mount on top of their camera as a ‘hot shoe’. It does not matter whether the accessory is communicating through the mount or not.
Compatible Hot Shoe Accessories
Covers
Consider buying a hot shoe cover. These slip into the mounting brackets. They protect the electronics from moisture and dirt. The product is inexpensive and blends into your camera’s body. But you can buy ones that include a bubble spirit level or add a designer element to your body.
Flash Unit
Each manufacturer makes its own external flash unit or speed light. There are also off-brand flashes. Make sure to buy the right one for your model.
- Sony
- Canon
- Nikon
Radio Triggers
Flash remote triggers like PocketWizards activate studio speed lights. These are specific to both your camera’s model and lighting company.
Remote triggers like the Pluto Trigger control your shutter and allow you to take long exposures.
Video Accessories
Constant lights like the Neewer video light direct a steady stream of light on your subject.
If you take many videos, an external microphone like the Tascam TM-2X Stereo X-Y Microphone is a must-have.
Tethering
Wireless tethering like the Air Direct system lets you send images to a laptop or tablet. The larger screen helps you see detail.
© Tether ToolsGPS Receivers
Not all cameras collect location information. GPS receivers add coordinates to the EXIF data of the image. Make sure you get the correct accessory for your model.
- Canon GP-E1
- Nikon GP-1
Light Meter
Mounting a light meter on a film camera is a great idea. Keep your eyes open for the new Lime One currently on Kickstarter.
Brackets
There are many types of brackets available. Some allow you to mount multiple devices like a constant light and a microphone for video shooting.
Handy are brackets for mounting smartphones or other devices like the Ulanzi SST-06 smartphone tripod.
Conclusion
A hot shoe is more than a mounting bracket. It allows you to connect external accessories that greatly expand the functionality of your camera.
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What is the hotshoe? - Improve Photography
A hotshoe (sometimes written “hot shoe”) is a metal bracket on top of your camera with electrical contacts where an external device (such as a speedlight) can be connected. Most DSLRs come equipped with a hotshoe while compact cameras do not.
The foot of an external flash unit slides into the bracket of the hotshoe. There is a wheel on the speedlight to securely lock it into place on the camera. Once attached, the speedlight prevents the pop-up flash from activating. The flash unit creates a circuit between the shoe and the contacts.
Once the circuit is complete, the flash will fire as the shutter is pressed down. The benefit of attaching a speedlight to the hotshoe is that it gives the photographer a more powerful external flash unit. Most speedlights or external flashes can throw more light at a further distance than your camera's pop-up flash: the on-camera flash can throw light on a subject at a maximum of 10-12 feet while an external flash can reach approximately 150 feet.
The hotshoe, which looks like a squared-off “U”, has a metal contact point in the center. (Many cameras also have proprietary designs with additional metal contacts.) The camera and flash unit must have matching contacts through which they exchange information about when and how long to fire as well as information about the distance between the subject and the speedlight.
That electrical exchange of knowledge is how the term “hotshoe” was born. Earlier cameras (pre-1970s) also had a similar U-shaped bracket called a “cold shoe” or “accessory shoe”, but without the electronic contacts.
Instead, the flash was connected to the camera using a wire running from the flash to a socket on the camera. When electrical contacts were added to the “cold shoe” it became “hot” – now known as the hotshoe.
The circuitry of the hotshoe is manufacturer specific, meaning that you will need to buy a speedlight made specifically for your camera brand for full functionality. You can use a Nikon speedlight on a Canon, but you will lose some of the features and will need to purchase a remote trigger. There are also third-party flashes on the market that are made for your camera as a less expensive option.
You can also take your speedlight off the camera to set up creative lighting situations. There are wireless transmitters that can slide onto the hotshoe that will trigger the flash. Some wireless transmitters transmit a single command just to fire the flash while others allow for more complicated commands just like if the flash was directly attached via the hotshoe.
But external flashes are not the only device that can connect to a hotshoe.
Other accessories include a geotagger/GPS receiver, a spirit level, a shotgun stereo microphone or a radio transmitter to fire a remote flash. There are even reflectors or diffusers that can connect to the hotshoe! And let’s not overlook a Wi-Fi option – there are devices that can slide into the hotshoe and, with a corresponding app, allow you to view your images remotely on your tablet or smartphone. Some apps even allow you to control some camera functions including aperture, shutter, ISO and white balance. Hotshoe adapters can even trigger studio lights!
What is a cold shoe and how to use this "wisdom" in photography?
If you have used flash on your camera before, you are familiar with the term "hot shoe". How about a cold shoe? What is it and what is it used for? Professional photographer Chad Verzosa explains why this accessory is worth keeping in your camera bag.
Hot shoe and cold shoe
To avoid confusion, let's clarify the difference between "hot" and "cold" shoes.
- The hot shoe is a special metal bracket on the top of the camera that you use to attach an external flash. It's called hot because it has electronic contacts that allow it to send an electrical control signal from the camera to the off-camera.
- The cold shoe is similar to the hot shoe in many ways, except that it does not have the electronic contacts to trigger the flash. Hence the term "cold".
There are many types of cold shoes for different applications. Consider some of the popular options and how to use them.
Cold shoe for external flash
One of the most common uses for a cold shoe is mounting flashes on tripods or studio stands.
As a rule, they are equipped with top brackets and bottom threaded fastening. All you have to do is screw them to the stand, mount the flash like you would on a regular hot shoe, and you're done. These are simple and compact devices that capture the flash well.
Also available with adjustable cold shoe mounts.
They not only hold the flash, but also allow you to direct the light in any direction. Most of these cold shoe fixtures have holes that you can easily install, for example, a photo umbrella.
It is reasonable to ask that since the cold shoe does not have an electronic contact, how can you control the flash remotely? In this case, the cold shoe simply acts as an adapter to hold the flash. The flash is turned on via a wireless trigger, which receives a command from the camera via an optical or radio signal.
Cold shoe with electronic contacts
So the difference between a cold shoe and a hot shoe is, first of all, that the latter can transmit electrical signals and cause the flash to fire. However, there are also cold shoes that can be electronically connected to the camera's hot shoe.
Despite this internal electronic connection, they are still referred to as cold shoes because they cannot fire the flash themselves, unlike a regular hot shoe.
You can consider them as if "electric extension cords", which allow you to transfer the electrical impulse to the flash.
Cold shoes with electronic connections are quite uncommon today because they allow you to connect the camera directly to a flash with a PC sync cable.
However, there are times when you will need this particular type of cold shoe, for example, to physically fire two or more flashes from a single hot shoe. The most common designs that use cold shoes with electrical contacts are L-shaped extensions and double holders, which are discussed below.
Cold shoe holder (extension)
The cold shoe holder has brackets made of metal or plastic that extend from the hot shoe to the side of the camera. Some variants have internal electrical connections that allow the camera's hot shoe to send signals directly to the flash without a sync cable.
Why such a strange design? Shooting a camera flash directly at the subject is known to produce poor results.
The cold shoe holder (extension) is designed to provide the effect of an external flash when it is actually attached to the camera. The brackets are located to the left or right of the camera, so you don't aim the light directly at the subject. Such accessories are especially useful for reportage shooting of news. They provide an attractive appearance to the facility without the need for a separate lighting stand.
As with all cold shoe options discussed above, extensions come in a variety of designs. There is a basic L-shaped design, some variants also have adjustable arms. There are also dual mounts that allow you to attach two flashes at once to the top of the camera.
Cold shoe adapter for microphones and other photo and video accessories
Since DSLRs and mirrorless cameras began to include video recording features, the hot shoe has become a convenient place to mount all kinds of video and audio accessories. This adapter can be used to connect microphones, video monitors, LED lights and of course a GoPro camera.
These adapters are often used to record video through a GoPro while you are taking photos with the main camera.
How to use the cold shoe?
Due to differences in the design of cold shoes, the method of mounting also varies. But, no matter what type of cold shoe you have, installing it is simple and straightforward. Since the brackets are universal in size, they will fit any camera with a standard hot shoe.
The simplest versions have brackets that you can fit into a hot shoe, or a threaded mount that you can attach to a tripod. More complex designs have either screws or knobs that are easy to loosen or tighten. These types of cold shoes are often safer because they ensure your equipment is held securely and won't slip off.
When choosing a cold shoe, check that it is compatible with the camera design.
Hot shoe | it's... What is a hot shoe?
Hot shoe
This term has other meanings, see Shoe (disambiguation).
Hot shoe is a device on a camera designed for mechanical and electrical connection, usually a flash. The predecessor was the cold shoe - it has no electrical connection.
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History
Cold shoe for flash with mechanical flash from the cameraSmenya 8M
The first accessory shoe was installed on the prototype Leica camera in 1913, however, it was not used for a flash, but for installing an interchangeable rangefinder on the camera. The cold shoe was used for the most mass-produced camera - Smena 8M - for a flash lamp (synchronization is carried out mechanically, through the shutter button). One of the earliest known uses of a hot shoe (a shoe with an electrical sync contact) is a 1938 Univex Mercury CC camera to mount flash [1] [2] .
After World War II, the hot shoe for mounting flashes became ubiquitous.
Center contact shoe
Hot shoe on DSLR Canon EOS 350D
As a rule, the hot shoe consists of metal "lugs" and a central contact located between them. The connector on the bottom of the flash slides into the "ears" on the camera, connecting to the contact, and then fixed on the camera with a screw clamp. Normally, there is no electrical contact between the central contact and the lugs, but when the shutter is released, the camera connects them together, thus closing the circuit and commanding the flash to light up.
Auxiliary contacts
This operation is standard and is supported by a large number of flashes from different manufacturers. However, in addition to the central contact, many cameras have additional contacts in the hot shoe. They allow you to exchange information between the camera and the "system" flash. This allows you to match the flash power with the parameters set on the camera, transmit information about the color temperature of the pulse to the camera, turn on the backlight (including invisible infrared) for autofocus on the flash, etc.
The number, location of additional contacts and the format for transmitting information each camera manufacturer has its own, so a “non-native” flash installed on the camera will only receive information from the central contact about the moment the shutter was released, and in order to take advantage of all the additional features of the system flash, you must use “native” flashes from the camera manufacturer or specially designed for this family third party flash cameras.
Shoe Minolta/Konica Minolta/Sony
Hot shoe on DSLR KM Dynax 7D
However, not all camera manufacturers use a hot shoe with a center pin. In 1988, Minolta introduced the Maxxum 7000i SLR. This camera was the first to introduce the new hot shoe, which has since been fitted to all Minolta cameras. After being merged into Konica Minolta, this shoe was also used in its developments, including the Dynax 7D digital SLR camera. After the sale of the photography division to Sony, the shoe was inherited by Sony and was used in the first DSLR Sony α 100.
