Post your best bird shots!

[dsiegel5151]

These are a common species but you don't see alot of images of them, they have very nice iridescent colos and I love the bright yellow eye!

Yeah, I'd like to shoot some more Grackles once I get a better lighting setup (i.e., the better beamer you suggested and/or some wireless triggers). They can be very pretty birds. Unfortunately, I had about the worst lighting conditions to work with this morning. I didn't have time to shoot this morning before I had to teach for the sun to get far enough over my house to light up my feeders. So the backlighting was a little too much and I had to use iso settings that I feel are unacceptable for the 40D just to get 1/250s. Hopefully we get more rain this year and I continue to have a bunch visit my flooded yard.

[Joel Eade]

Yeah, I'd like to shoot some more Grackles once I get a better lighting setup (i.e., the better beamer you suggested and/or some wireless triggers).

Love the Better Beamer ... probably the best "bang for the buck" accessory I have ever seen...it's magical.

[conropl]

Love the Better Beamer ... probably the best "bang for the buck" accessory I have ever seen...it's magical.

It is interesting brought the Better Beamer up... I went into a photography store yesterday looking for a Better Beam. I had heard this salesman tell customer after customer that they did not really want to buy what they can in for (he always had a better idea). So when I asked him if they had a Better Beamer he went into a long story about how they tested in extensively and a Snoot is better. Basically he kept calling it a diffuser, and I could not get him to agree that it actually focuses the light to a tighter pattern - contrary to the designed purpose of a ferensal lens, he said it diffuses the light and scaters it more. I realize that plastic ferensel lenses are not great optical devises, but everything I have read agrees with you, and now I guess I am going to have to order one on line.

Thanks for confirming what I was thinking.

[Joel Eade]

It is interesting brought the Better Beamer up... I went into a photography store yesterday looking for a Better Beam. I had heard this salesman tell customer after customer that they did not really want to buy what they can in for (he always had a better idea). So when I asked him if they had a Better Beamer he went into a long story about how they tested in extensively and a Snoot is better. Basically he kept calling it a diffuser, and I could not get him to agree that it actually focuses the light to a tighter pattern - contrary to the designed purpose of a ferensal lens, he said it diffuses the light and scaters it more. I realize that plastic ferensel lenses are not great optical devises, but everything I have read agrees with you, and now I guess I am going to have to order one on line.

Thanks for confirming what I was thinking.

That guy was certainly not giving you correct information. I would doubt he actually used one in the field. It is a plastic fresnel lens that focuses your flash at a much farther distance, so it is nice for small objects like birds. Because it focuses the light it allows you to use lower power settings on your speedlite and thus it recycles much faster and the batteries last much longer too. Using it with the flash set to a low power allows you to fill in shadows and get nice even light on your subject....it works really really well.

[Raid]

That guy was certainly not giving you correct information. I would doubt he actually used one in the field. It is a plastic fresnel lens that focuses your flash at a much farther distance, so it is nice for small objects like birds. Because it focuses the light it allows you to use lower power settings on your speedlite and thus it recycles much faster and the batteries last much longer too. Using it with the flash set to a low power allows you to fill in shadows and get nice even light on your subject....it works really really well.

Hi Joel
Have looked at the Better Beamer a number of times. The problem I have is knowing how to get the best out of it. I have done a lot of searching for how to information but all I have found it either too confusing or too simple. As I only have a 7D, EF 70-300 L & 430EX, most of the info I found related to 300+ lenses. Although I have even seen a pro (1D & EF 70-200 2.8) photographing a music festival using one.

Is there how too information with the unit? or would you be able to direct me to a how to guide?

Tony

[Joel Eade]

Hi Joel
Have looked at the Better Beamer a number of times. The problem I have is knowing how to get the best out of it. I have done a lot of searching for how to information but all I have found it either too confusing or too simple. As I only have a 7D, EF 70-300 L & 430EX, most of the info I found related to 300+ lenses. Although I have even seen a pro (1D & EF 70-200 2.8) photographing a music festival using one.

Is there how too information with the unit? or would you be able to direct me to a how to guide?

Tony

Tony,

It comes with an instruction sheet and it really isn't too complicated. I have used one with my 430 EXII and 300mm lens many times, so it will work with your gear.

Basically you set your flash zoom to 50mm, for fill flash you can use a low ETTL setting like -2 1/3 stops....take a test image and adjust exposure from there. I shoot in manual mode but it works equally well in AV or TV mode. You can also put your flash in manual mode on a very low setting such as 1/16 or 1/32 power and use it that way as well. Just a little experimentation and you will have it working in no time

I think if you read any tutorial on "Fill Flash" it will be applicable to using the Better Beamer check this out....

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/re...r_beamer.shtml

[bob williams]

Well, I just posted my first blog post on h-bird photography. This post was all about ghosting in your images and hopefully some ideas on how to prevent it. Take a look and tell me what you think and please feel free to leave comments on the blog.

http://rwilliamsimaging.com/blog

Bob