I just picked up a used 550EX flash & intend to do some bird shots using a Better Beamer and a 100-400 EF L.
Should I worry about finding a flash bracket or is the 100-400 short enoug ht onot get in the way?
Thanks in advance for your sage advice.
Flash bracket would be nice to put the flash away from camera body to get less flashy eyes. So far I am using without one as I haven't found cheap flash bracket.
i use mine all the time without a problem, but a flash bracket is next on the list of "things to get"............any serious flash photography shots will benefit no matter what lens is used.
I would think that at the distances you'll be using a Better Beamer, a flash bracket won't give you enough extra distance from the lens to make any significant difference. If you're shooting vertical though it would probably be useful to keep the flash over the lens, but then again perhaps not if you're just using the flash as fill.
Thanks for all the replies.
I was wondering if the 100-400 was long enough (I think the 600 is) to cause blocking problems of the Better Beamer equiped flash (550EX) if directly camera mounted.
I used the 550 and Better Beamer on my 1DM2 without a flash bracket. It worked fine until I noticed that my flash bracket had become loose. Apparently carrying the whole rig slung over my shoulder created stress at the point were the flash was mated to the camera. The flash is pretty heavy when loaded with batteries and tends to bounce. I bought the Wimberley flash bracket so that the flash bracket wouldn't have the stress. I still get red eye at times but the flash in now mounted rock solid. I can also turn my camera for a vertical without having the flash move since the bracket is attached to the tripod instead of the camera. The flash is now screwed to the Canon extension cord and is very secure.
I have a flash bracket that I bought for macro work that takes a lot of space and is awkward to carry around. As a result, it doesn't get used unless I specifically decide to do macro photography only. The Wimberley I choose is small and easy to carry. It mounts in seconds.
I don't live around the corner from Canon Repair and don't qualify for CPS. I expected to loose the use of my camera for a month or two in order to replace the hotshoe. I bought the bracket and the wobble in the hot shoe didn't get any worse. There was a discussion about loose hot shoes on a forum that told how to repair it at home. Four tiny screws hold the hot shoe on and one of mine was very loose. In less than 15 minutes, my hot shoe was rock solid again.
I still use the flash bracket. I've noticed that I take more vertical shots of birds now. I didn't make a conscious effort to shoot verticals so I was a bit puzzled. One day, out in the field, it dawned on me. When I shot a vertical before, there was alot of movement. The flash and that big Better Beamer moved from vertical to horizontal. The bird noticed and took off. With the Wimberley, there is almost no movement from the bird's point of view - this results in more vertical photos.
Thanks aekurth! That's some great information to have!
Do you have the Wimberley F-1 Telephoto Bracket?
I'm looking at their web page and I think that's what I need to use with my Kirk BH1 ball head. I'll eventually get a sidekick and it looks like it will fit that also.
Thanks again.
I have the F-4 Wimberley Head Bracket. It is made specifically for the Wimberley head. They are about to ship a new model so my bracket will need an adapter - if I want to upgrade the head. It is very solid mounted to the Wimberley head.
The F-1 Telephoto Bracket would be my choice without the Wimberley head. They are modular so you can configure them a number of ways. Before you purchase it, make sure you have enough length on the arca plate on the lens foot or you may not be able to mount it on the tripod and mount the flash at the same time.
