Hello,
This is a very interesting thread, let me join to the party. I'm not really on the same boat because you plan to use only cactus triggers and flashes, but I can tell my experience with brackets. When I started to get paid works, I was thinking about a flash bracket. My needs were simple: to set the flash so I could avoid side shadows behind my subjets (on walls, etc) regardless if I shoot landscape or portrait, and also to anchor a trigger to control external flashes. I made a little investigation and bought the demb flash bracket (+ saucer flip-it card) that I still own. At the beginning I was using this bracket the 'correct' way. You put it at the right side of the camera, between lens and grip, so you can get your camera, handle your lens for zoom/focusing, and with some velcro I had my trigger attached to the bracket too. You can find pics about this bracket searching, here is one:
With this configuration I had two cables: main, big, corded P-TTL cable and a little one from camera's sync port to trigger's sync port.
The main disadvantages for me, that made me abandon the idea of putting a flash on a bracket were:
* added weight and bad balance. Flash bracket and cables added extra weight and stress on my right arm, also, cables were bothersome. But the flash on top of the bracket made the whole set unbalanced, added more strees to my right arm/hand. After two hours of use your are tired.
* there were really not so many situations were I need to shoot vertical, that would justify the flash bracket. Even if you need to shoot vertical, if you mix ambient and other lights with your main flash, the side shadow is not so obvious. Moreover, most of the vertical pics can be taken horizontal, just zoom out, crop the pic, done.
So last year I was rethinking about the bracket, main flash, trigger, cables, weight, balance... my decision was:
* to put the main flash on the camera's shoe, just so simple
* 'configure' the bracket so it's on the left side of the camera, just as a simple L-bracket
* put my trigger on the bracket instead of the flash
This way the set is more balanced, I put my right hand on camera grip and left hand is getting the bracket, and this is more rested. So the bracket is just a way to have the trigger attached. Similar to this pic (my second 'HSS-device'), but forget about the two triggers stacked on the bracket
, just flash on camera, trigger on bracket, sync cable from trigger to camera's sync port. Yes, you still have a cable.
Negative points: this bracket is not intented to be used in this way, too high, the trigger can interfere with the flash (can be solved), has not a real grip... but worked for me this year... it's not too ugly.
I think that I finally will get a good/strong and simple L-bracket with a grip and will put my trigger on the bracket's shoe, and this will be my final configuration: not so high so I can put the trigger without interfering with the flash, a real grip so was comfortable to handle, light, simple.
About diffusers/bouncers on main flash. My most used device is the demb saucer flip-it, but there are very similar ligh modifiers on the market. This is a 'big bounce card' style modifier, I like it because is easy to set and use, really ligth, doesn't put stress on your flash... there are a lot of similar bouncers, but this does the job for me.
I read a lot about the magmod, and plan to buy the magbeam, but just to project patterns on the wall.
Last year, when I was re-thinking about how to use my flash bracket, triggers, etc, one of the options was to get a RF60x to use as main P-TTL flash, controlled by the Cactus V6 II (so cactus on camera's shoe and RF60x on flash bracket again), similar to your setup, but I dismissed the idea:
* again the added weight and balancing issues
* not sure if worked because the cactus be so close to the RF60x
* have to use the xTTL firmware, and I use the multibrand HSS firmware for the Cactus.
About using the same flash on camera and off camera. My setup is different, as all my external flashes are manual, and only my main flash is P-TTL, so if I need to go outside to get a pic, I get my foldable light stand + umbrella bracket + AD200 + light umbrella with one hand, and my camera + trigger with the other, set the lights in a minute or so and start to shoot. So I have a flash on camera if needed, and other off camera with stand and umbrella, it works for me.
Please tell us your final experience with cactus V6 II + RF on flash bracket. I still didn't find my ideal bracket, but I'm near.
Regards,