Better Beamer flash extenders

Newtricks · Aug 31, 2013

Searched the site and found a couple post about this tool, nothing to convince me it does what it claims. The Los Angeles river is just behind my back yard fence, every morning at dawn ducks, egrets and heron fly in from the Sepulveda wildlife refuge. The fastest glass I have is 300mm @ f/5.6, the sb-700 will not cover the distances needed to catch these birds as they come flying in pre-sunrise and spending $$$$$ on a fast 300, 400 or 500 lens is out of the question, my wife would have a cow (pictures of that would more than pay for the lens though).

Does anyone have personal experience with these tools, can they really make 60 to 100 foot shots a possibility?

Thanks in advance and be well,

Anthony

sm4him · Aug 31, 2013

Yes, I have a better beamer, and yes, they do work pretty much as advertised. They're not gonna make up for not having a long enough lens though.

I've mostly only used mine on birds that were up in trees when I didn't have enough available light. I'm not sure how well it would work on birds in flight across the water, as I can't say I've ever tried it.

I find it a useful thing to have, but to be honest I haven't used mine in a while.

My opinion is, it's worth a try; they're less than $40, and if you don't like it you can probably resell it and get most of your money back.

SCraig · Aug 31, 2013

I agree with Sharon. I have one and it does what is advertised. I've gotten proper exposures using it on an SB-700 at 75' to 100'. Also keep in mind that the SB-700 has a telephoto setting that helps some to (slide switch on the right side beside the LCD).

Nahin · Aug 31, 2013

The Better Beamer Flash X-tender will extend the distance of flash range. It also allows for more rapidly refresh rates and reduced battery expenditure, generating a better chance of catching the accomplishment when it happens. It's lightweight, simple to attach, and conveniently folds flat for packing.