Better Beamer users, please

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In another post, I discussed shooting an event in an auditorium-style room. It was poorly lit. I was using a telephoto zoom, with a speedlite (430EX II) on a 7D, with the ISO up to 1600.

Got to thinking about the Better Beamer. Some of you are birders, so I assume you're using one of these.

Would they do a better job in a situation like I mentioned above?

Does it act like a miniature softbox?

I also have a 580EX II. I see that they make them for either speedlite.

Your valued input would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

[HDNitehawk]

The better beamer is more like a snoot, and directs and magnifies the light in one direction. A soft box would diffuse the light in many directions.

The 580ex is going to give you more reach than the 430ex. Are you that far away that the 580ex wouldn't be effective? The better beamer will give you more reach, but in most situations that come to mind for an indoor auditorium I would not use it. The big lens draws enough attention on its on without adding the beamer to it. But to each his own on this one.

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The 580ex is going to give you more reach than the 430ex. Are you that far away that the 580ex wouldn't be effective? The better beamer will give you more reach, but in most situations that come to mind for an indoor auditorium I would not use it. The big lens draws enough attention on its on without adding the beamer to it. But to each his own on this one.

Yes, the 580 would give more reach. The problem is that when pointing the flash directly, the typical hard light cast shows up, and I also get a lot of red-eye, because I'm using a long lens.

I'm sure it would draw attention, but from a strictly performance point of view, would the beamer give a better light with little or no red-eye?

I assume you're using a Beamer? Does it do what I'm looking for?

[HDNitehawk]

I have used it outside for wildlife only. If you're not happy with the 580 results by itself I am not sure you would like the beamers results.

I assumed by you're post you were looking for more reach. Is it possible you are looking for more diffuse results, something like the Gary Fong Lightsphere?

[jrw]

Is it possible for you to use more flashes/strobes with RF triggers and battery packs in this venue? If so, would you be able to set them up around the auditorium before the event? Have been to events in the past where the photographer(s) have placed a half dozen or more flashes to create additional light. Have also seen a couple of places upgrade their lighting after many years of complaints from photographers, teams, parents, and other interested parties. Some of them had banned flash usage and users of the facilities could no longer find photographers willing to work inside them. Nobody wants to buy blurry or grainy photos apparently.

With the extra flashes the shadow lines will be softened. Red eye problems should pretty much disappear. Biggest problem will likely be complaints about all of the flashes going off. This is what led to flash units being banned in above mentioned facilities.

Is it possible for you to use wider aperture lenses? Is it feasible to upgrade your body for better ISO performance? 1D4 1Dx possibly 5D3, are ones that spring to mind depending on what you specifically need. You will lose the 1.6 crop factor, but would gain a lot of ISO headroom.

Poor lighting in some facilities can really make it tough to capture great images. To make it work you either need to create your own light, or find the right combination of lens and body to allow working in the space. When you can't do either, it might be time to spectate.

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HDNitehawk, thanks for the insight. I think the 430EX II flash gave me enough reach. Maybe I should have probably brought the 580EX II to this event, but you're right, what I needed was more diffuse results.

The event was a karate competition/graduation. Not exactly a wedding reception environment, where I could stroll up to a group of people sitting at a table. I had to stand away from the group of participants.

jrw, this was event was cluttered with people, and chairs, that surrounded the performers, so I couldn't get in real close. It would have been impractical to set up any flashes, especially where I had to stand, to get the shots.

I do have a 70-200 f/4 IS, but because I wasn't sure of the size of the room, I brought my 70-300 L. I didn't really need the reach of the 300, so it would have been helpful to have had the faster f/4. Wish I had the f/2.8!

So, it sounds like either an f/4 or f/2.8 70-200, with a 580EX II, and a light dome would have given me much better results.

Live and learn, I guess.

[clemmb]

Would they do a better job in a situation like I mentioned above?

No

I shot a wedding today. I have a 580EXII on a Newton flash bracket. The first example is with my 70-300 @ 138mm. As you can see I got red eye because the flash is on the same axis as the lens at this distance.

IMG_0259 by clemmb60, on Flickr

The next is the same setup with my 24-105 @ 82mm. At this distance the flash is above the axis of the lens and so no redeye

IMG_0105 by clemmb60, on Flickr

The best result is the same setup but also two flashes bouncing off the ceiling for better depth. Still the 580EXII on the flash bracket but two flashes on light stands bouncing off ceiling. Much better.

IMG_0385 by clemmb60, on Flickr

Hope this helps

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Mark, your first shot is exactly what I ran into. Exactly....

The others look great, and more of what I'd expect, since the flash is off axis.

Guess I'll have to, at least, bring a movable flash (i.e., a buddy to hold a flash off axis) in order to avoid that first result. Thanks.