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I'm a hobbyist looking to get into off-camera lighting on a budget. I have a Sony a57. I already have a manual flash that works when attached to the camera. Based on this guide, I'm looking at purchasing this lighting kit and these wireless triggers from Cowboy Studio.

Do I need to buy a lighting mount that is specific to Sony? Or does the bottom of the wireless receiver have a "standard" mount that will fit on any lighting mount?

Basically, are these pieces of equipment compatible with my Sony a57 or will I need to look at something else, or get additional adapters?

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Well, if you want to use any of the flashes you purchase on your camera body as well, then getting receivers that are designed for Sony (originally Minolta) hot shoes is a good idea and that may mean needing a Sony mount. However, one thing to consider is that Sony, for reasons I'm try to understand, put an ISO standard hot shoe on the A99. So... If there's any chance you'll upgrade to the flagship or move to another brand, you might consider going to a more standard shoe design and buying flashes designed for that instead.

At any rate, looking at the images of the receivers, it's a little hard to tell of the bottom is standard. It looks it, which means it should fit the cold shoe on the umbrella adapter as is. To confirm that, you could contact Cowboy Studio and confirm the best setup for your camera since you're looking at going with their gear across the board and it takes away any worry.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks John. I think you confirmed my understanding, that it depends on the receiver mount. I will confirm with Cowboy Studio that it is a standard cold shoe mount. As for whether I will go with standard hot shoe in the future, who knows. But I do understand the tradeoff. \$\endgroup\$ Dec 26, 2012 at 15:59
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    \$\begingroup\$ Another good source is flashzebra.com. They folks there really know what swivel mount, TTL cord, etc that you need, which is really handy if you are not using a Canon/Nikon that most of the stores sell. \$\endgroup\$ Dec 26, 2012 at 16:24
  • \$\begingroup\$ I think it's an indication that they're taking a serious run at the pro segment again. Last time the shoe was changed, the PC terminal was all that mattered to a pro using external lighting (the hot shoe was just where you put the adapter to make up for the lack of a PC terminal), and the new shoe was better in every way except for third-party compatibility. Now they need to worry about PocketWizard, Profoto Air, Elinchrom SkyPort, AB CyberSync, etc., since nobody works corded anymore. And it gives them a neat place to put the new accessory connector (under the front lip). \$\endgroup\$
    – user2719
    Dec 27, 2012 at 2:05

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