How effective is "Better Beamer"?

I met some bird photographers using flash combined with "Better Beamer" I just wonder how effective is this device plus when you're shooting at 1/640 sec or faster, how/will the flash synchronize to the shutter? Is 1/160 sec the fastest speed synchronized?

You should be able to get a little better sync speed than 1/160th when using a speedlite on camera, depending on model of camera.

You can get 1/640th (or any speed) by enabling High Speed Sync on the flash, which fires a rapid burst of flashes so the whole frame is exposed, without showing the trailing shutter curtain.

The problem with HSS is that you get less power, as the flash can't fire one big flash then recharge. This reduces the range, which the better beamer will help increase a little.

Here is a link to a little article about the use of high speed sync (HSS) on a flash head: http://www.rpphoto.com​/howto/view.asp?articl​eID=1026

And while using the flash in HSS lowers the overall output the Better Beamer will roughly add a couple stops worth of light back to the output (dependent on Guide Number (GN) rating, aperture, ISO and FEC).

And when you are using the flash only for fill that works out to a possible range much more than is usually ever needed and certainly more than a flash head alone is capable of.

Doubling ISO increases the GN by a factor of 1.4, dropping flash exposure by a stop also increases the GN by the same 1.4 factor. So it is quite easy to use a flash to fill for distances where one normally wouldn't even bother taking a shot of a subject, like several hundred feet. The Beamer is an excellent tool to have at hand when needed.

Shots taken when using fill flash often require a bit more time and work in post production to reduce the evidence of using fill, often eyes or other body parts will have reflective elements that are clear indicators that flash was used. These can be easily mitigated in most cases resulting in very good images that otherwise weren't possible under the conditions as they were at the time of the capture.

How do you "aim" the flash head to coincide with the point you see through the lens? I assume the BB concentrates the light in a sort of spotlight effect- it seems you could easily have the "spotlight" aimed off target. And wouldn't the head angle have to change between very close subjects and those farther away?

Is this done by trial and error chimping??

Jim

The flash head is already designed to put light on the subject, so you don't have to aim anything. The beemer straps to the head and places the center of its lens over the center of the flash head. It maybe off a degree or two but that is really irrelevant.

When using a BB you set you flash head to a zoom length of 50mm, consider the angle of lighting that is available at that point when using just a straight flash, the area covered is pretty considerable.

Now the "lens" of a bb is a fresnel type, so it is concentrating the light into a smaller area. But even it is an eigth of the area that a 50mm flash covers this still much larger than a bird at some 40 feet or whatever, and of course the further the subject the greater the spread of light (and the less output, inverse square still applies).

And as a fill you really don't need much additional light, a least a stop or less, usually closer to two stops down from ambient is all you need to lift the shadows or equalize the back lighting.

On close subjects however, the bb is overkill. An un-aided flash head will work well just like it does on lifting shadows on a portrait or even a landscape scene. If under roughly 30 feet for me with a 580 head, I won't bother with the bb, I just be sure the it is zoomed to the 105mm and throw some light out there.

Chimping can come into play, if I am using fill I am always starting at -1 2/3rd's of a stop, seems to be a rough starting place that usually gives decent results. Often though dependent of the lighting that can change either direction easily a stop so checking for blown highlights or worse yet IMO the flash look is important.

Did this make sense? Hope so.

eaglesnest wrote in post #7952878
I met some bird photographers using flash combined with "Better Beamer" I just wonder how effective is this device plus when you're shooting at 1/640 sec or faster, how/will the flash synchronize to the shutter? Is 1/160 sec the fastest speed synchronized?

Mine is fitted to a 580 ex ii on a 5D mark ii, I use it for fill light with my wildlife photography.

I usually shot at about 1/1000 for the bigger birds like herons (see flickr) I got it because the fill light in lightroom 2.3 introduced too much noise.

http://www.flickr.com/​photos/smclaren/

As ideas go, this is one of the simplest I have ever come across, it can be fitted in seconds, and the effective range is more than I can use, and for a cost of around £25 it is a no brianer.

S

I find it effective but seldom use it because I notice a greater incidence of steel eye as opposed to just flash alone.

Yep, I lost bunch of osprey shots to steel eye due to the better beamer.

However, it did help - particularly when they're flying above with the sun above them.

Blue Deuce wrote in post #8074062
I find it effective but seldom use it because I notice a greater incidence of steel eye as opposed to just flash alone.

May I ask what steel eye is? And is the any way of correcting it in lightroom?

Thanks

It's the Bird equivalent of "Red Eye" or when the flash catches the eye in an unnatural way..

The BB works and works well.
You can happily use it with hi speed synch, as the amount of light you want is minimal,.. for fill flash.

Dialing in -1 thru -2 full stops of FEC is preferred to help prevent giving the image a "flash look"

There is also another option that works very well with a little less bulk.
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …photo_Flash_Ext​ender.html

butterfly2937 wrote in post #8096995
There is also another option that works very well with a little less bulk.
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …photo_Flash_Ext​ender.html

Looks like a $4 fresnel lens with $.20 worth of velcro.

It's definitely more compact, but I can't see it having the reach of a better beamer.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #8096962
It's the Bird equivalent of "Red Eye" or when the flash catches the eye in an unnatural way..

The BB works and works well.
You can happily use it with hi speed synch, as the amount of light you want is minimal,.. for fill flash.

Dialing in -1 thru -2 full stops of FEC is preferred to help prevent giving the image a "flash look"

Thanks, I am really having fun with the BB.

Which way does the fresnel part of the plastic face? Does it face towards the flash or subject?

Rough side toward the flash, smooth side toward the subject.