Is a 350g speedlight too heavy for a camera hot shoe?
Asked 12/25/2017
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I have a Canon 77D and a Yongnuo YN-560 IV speedlight that weighs about 350g. It mounts directly via the hot shoe, but I’m concerned the flash might be too heavy, especially when rotating the camera for portrait orientation. Is that weight safe for normal on-camera use, or can a flash be heavy enough to risk damaging the hot shoe?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Can a flash be too heavy to be used directly on the hot shoe?
Yes, a flash could be so large and heavy that it could not be used directly on the camera's hot shoe.
I've bought a Yongnuo YN-560 IV which weighs 350g... but I'm worried that attaching it to the camera (Canon 77D) is unsafe... Are my worries justified?
No, the Yongnuo YN-560 IV, at 350g, is hardly too "massive" to be used directly on a camera's hot shoe. The Canon 600EX-RT tips the scales at 425 grams and is regularly used on the hot shoes of many Canon cameras with no ill effects.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
8y ago
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Yes, in theory a flash can be large or heavy enough to be a poor choice for direct hot-shoe mounting. But a Yongnuo YN-560 IV at about 350g is not unusually heavy for an on-camera speedlight.
For comparison, Canon’s 600EX-RT is about 425g and is commonly used directly on Canon hot shoes without issue. So for normal shooting, your YN-560 IV should be fine on a Canon 77D.
As with any flash, the main risk comes less from static weight and more from impacts or leverage—such as bumping the flash, carrying the camera by the flash, or stressing it while moving around. In portrait orientation, normal use is still generally fine.
So: your concern is understandable, but that particular flash is within the range of typical hot-shoe-mounted speedlights.
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