Better Beamer (Page 2): I hate to burst your bubble, here, but the first "minivan" was an AMC Pacer AM VAN 80 concept car

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

mechengvic wrote:

I hate it when that happens!! I was drawing pictures of "people movers" vehicles in the early eighties that look just like the mini vans that came out soon after. We are geniuses ahead of our time!

I hate to burst your bubble, here, but the first "minivan" was an AMC Pacer AM VAN 80 concept car - in 1980.

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/07/02/amcs-concept-80-am-van-coming-to-kenosha-history-center-in-time-for-2014-kenosha-homecoming/

I can swear I remember reading Popular Mechanics some time before they made this concept car, and they published sketches of a four door version. :)

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

mechengvic wrote:

Beautiful shot! Looks naturally lit. So get the beamer a bit off axis... Check.

I use one of these - it puts the flash way up high - no steel eye

http://www.tripodhead.com/products/flash-bracket-telephoto-brackets.cfm

mechengvic Loc: SoCalo

Gene51 wrote:

I hate to burst your bubble, here, but the first "minivan" was an AMC Pacer AM VAN 80 concept car - in 1980.

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/07/02/amcs-concept-80-am-van-coming-to-kenosha-history-center-in-time-for-2014-kenosha-homecoming/

I can swear I remember reading Popular Mechanics some time before they made this concept car, and they published sketches of a four door version. :)

Yeah but you should've seen my drawing, it looked just like the Ford aerostar!

mechengvic Loc: SoCalo

Gene51 wrote:

I use one of these - it puts the flash way up high - no steel eye

http://www.tripodhead.com/products/flash-bracket-telephoto-brackets.cfm

Those are nice but for that price I think I'll just get one of my kids to hold the flash for me!!! :mrgreen:

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

mechengvic wrote:

Those are nice but for that price I think I'll just get one of my kids to hold the flash for me!!! :mrgreen:

If you are patient, you will find them used on eBay - I paid $125 for mine.

mechengvic Loc: SoCalo

Gene51 wrote:

If you are patient, you will find them used on eBay - I paid $125 for mine.

OK, I'm searching right now, got to use my new Gimbal for the first time tonight shooting fireworks, these look suited for one.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

mechengvic wrote:

OK, I'm searching right now, got to use my new Gimbal for the first time tonight shooting fireworks, these look suited for one.

Really right stuff has other solutions, but are more expensive. Kirk used to make an FB-11, but I haven't seen one in a while.

The nice thing about the Kirk/RRS/Wimberley - is that they attach to the lens foot - so the flash ends up being closer to the lens/camera center of gravity -

jcboy3

mechengvic wrote:

OK, I'm searching right now, got to use my new Gimbal for the first time tonight shooting fireworks, these look suited for one.

Here's a couple of pics of my setup, with the following:

Olympus OMD E-M1 with Battery Grip
Metabones Nikon-m43 adapter
Nikon TC-301 2x teleconverter
Nikon 400mm f/3.5
Promaster Gimbal Head
Promaster Carbon Tripod
Wimberly 110mm Arca Plate
Neewer Professional Rail Nodal Slide
L-Bracket
BSA Red Dot Sight
Xtend-a-sight Plus hot shoe mounting bracket
Hot shoe to 1/4-20 adapter
Manfrotto 3232 Swivel Tilt Head
Olympus FL-50 flash w/ TTL flash cable
Better Beamer FX-3

I use the long Wimberly plate to balance the camera since the 400mm is very front heavy.

The L-Bracket gets the flash head 12" above the lens.

The red dot sight is used to aim because the field of view of the 400mm with 2x TC is very small (it's a 1600mm equivalent!).

The L-bracket is adjusted to align the red dot sight, and then the Manfrotto swivel tilt head is used to align the flash.

The better beamer has been slightly modified with stick on foam sheets to keep it from slipping when attached to the flash.

If the lighting is poor, I will attach a flash mount bracket to the bottom of the camera to hold a wireless shutter release (prefer wireless because a wired release is just something to trip on with this setup). In good light, I'll just fire it off with the shutter release.

mechengvic Loc: SoCalo

jcboy3 wrote:

Here's a couple of pics of my setup, with the foll... (show quote)

That is one badass setup!!! I have the same camera and the same gimbal. Thanks for the info and the pics!!!