Cold shoe too thin

[ant!]

Hi,
My Minolta Autocord has a cold shoe adapter on the side, but it is somehow thinner (thinner gap) then the typical hotshoe. I can attach my Minolta 360PX flash since it has a screw to tighten the flash on the shoe, but ideally I don't want to attach it directly there (The 360PX has a PC link input, but with a somehow smaller plug, so I would need a PC link to small plug, not sure which, probably Vivitar style plug?).
I have a PC-link to hotshoe adapter and a Minolta off-camera sensor cable (to use the flash's auto-flash off-camera, the cable has a light sensor and disables the flash's build in sensor, mentioned as well here), so ideally I would connect
- the PC-link to hotshoe adapter to the camera's PC connector and the hotshoe on the cold shoe
- the off-camera sensor cable in the hotshoe (like this I have a minimal stack on the cold shoe and the flash sensor could point into the same direction as the camera), and this cable then to the flash which is wherever I want it.

My problem: The hotshoe adapter and the off-camera cable sensor have a too high "feet" to slide in the hotshoe, as they don't have an adjustable foot like the flash itself.

Am I missing something? Is there a simple solution? In theory I would need only a simple plastic adapter, in case it exists?

 

[Kino]

Get a flash bracket and save the camera from destruction.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...MI6LL8iaqD7wIVg4fICh3NhAy8EAQYASABEgJRjfD_BwE

 

[reddesert]

Those side mounted cold accessory shoes on TLRs are not really designed for modern electronic flash units (rather, old bulb reflectors), and there is no firm standard for how thick of a shoe they can fit.

Your instinct to not put the flash itself on the accessory shoe is good. The flash illumination is not good from that point and the shoe isn't designed to take the weight of a modern flash hanging off it to the side.

IMO your best bet is to get a flash bracket with a handle, that allows you to raise the flash and gives a secure grip and mounting for the flash and TLR. Don't use a flash bracket designed for 35mm that puts the flash directly over the camera, because you need to see down into the waist level finder.

 

[ant!]

Thanks! I guess a bracket will it then be, that makes sense!

 

[eli griggs]

I have a Minolta Autocord "E" or "Export" model, from 1958 and it wears a hot shoe, along with a (?) Sunpac 321 medium size flash (when needed) without difficulty.

Since this well known flash has a built in bracket that allows it to turn 90 degrees to an upright position, and the small head can be pulled out to rotate to either side, another 90 Degrees., away from or shoot across the lens, as well as twist the main unit.

IIRC, this has a Guide Number of 60.

No quite as powerful as a Vivitar 283/285, at GN 80, but maybe a third of the weight and much less bulky.

I suggest you see if the wiring is in place, beneath your cold shoe and if all's good, switch it out.

PS: I have a couple different brackets and well built ones a good fit if you want to use bigger flash units.

Avoid the ones with a thumb rest grip, like the Hasselblad, which makes some twisting of the Left Hand Wrist difficult.

Cheers.

 

[ant!]

The Sunpak 321 looks indeed nice & compact, but I since I don't use flash often and have already a few Minolta flashes (360PX and some earlier), I don't think I will buy another one.
My Autocord has definitely only a cold shoe, and when replacing the leather I had it off already, there is no wiring under. Actually, I was just googeling and don't find any indication of an Autocord with a hotshoe, so I am a bit surprised. I have the Autocord LMX from 1958 with Selenium meter (still working fine!), so of similar age. Camera-wiki doesn't list your Export version neither, but I find it through Google (without further details, just that it has a Seiko shutter and no light meter).

So, the flash bracket with the adapter I have still makes sense for me...