Leica CTOOM flash bracket w/M9

[rivercityrocker]

Anybody use one of these? Occasionally I shoot events and I normally bring a Nikon DSLR, but I figured I could probably use the Leica if I wanted to.

Most flash brackets on the market today are designed for larger AF DSLR's so you can hold the bracket/camera with the left and operate the AF/shutter-release with the right.

It seems like the CTOOM bracket would be the best option to set the flash off to the side while still being small enough to keep my left hand free to focus and my right hand close enough to press the shutter-release.

Anyone have any experience?

 

[t.s.k.]

The CTOOM is a fantastic compact bracket, particularly the slimmer all-metal version.
The flash mount is close enough to reach the lens to focus with one finger. Stiffer helicoids might pose a greater challenge. Shifting to portraits is extremely easy as well (shooting is done with the release on the bottom of course)

Here's one on my M2 - don't mind the fact that I'm missing the sync cable 🙂

However I'm wondering if it will fit the M9 baseplate. CTOOMs aren't very expensive anyways so I guess you can buy one and see if it works.

 

[rivercityrocker]

I don't doubt it could be attached, but it wouldn't fit the same way it does on your M2 because the tripod socket is in a different place.

It looks like it would sit off to left more. My concern would be how much force the offset would exert on the baseplate. The way it mounts on the M2 the downward force is applied to the most stable part (away from the plate latch). Seems like even a small flash like the Nikon SB-600 would put pressure on the latch which cold cause issues down the road.

 

[rivercityrocker]

If worse comes to worse, I suppose I could always use it with my IIIf.

 

[mdarnton]

CTOOM is great, and beautifully made. You need to have one. I remove the Leica screw and put a normal Chinese one, which is a bit longer, in the center hole. With that, it fits my Nikon FGs and ML grip perfectly. With the ML grip, the camera is sitting in a tray and the weight is taken by the grip, not the camera. Since the CTOOM is really made for cameras with a mounting stud on the left, I worried about ripping the baseplate off my M4s, too, but the grip solves that.

The nice thing about the CTOOM is if you want to shoot vertical bounce, or off a side wall, the arm swings over sideways with just a bit of extra pressure. Otherwise, it stays where you put it.

I used a SB-20 like t.s.k., also, because it's a nice light flash, but I put it on a cold shoe wire adapter for the Leica, or a TTL extension cable on the Nikon, because that way the cold shoe in the CTOOM doesn't short out the SB-20's hot shoe connections and it gives the flash a little boost upwards for finger space. I might eventually figure out something a little higher.

 

[t.s.k.]

Just to illustrate what mdarnton pointed out, there are three socket holes on the bottom plate. You'll likely need longer screws for the other two holes. Sorry, I've never seen an M9 bottom plate. Perhaps another member has more details.

FYI, modifying the original screw location will end up destroying the retaining clip and possibly the screw itself.