Posted by Rob Howard on February 22, 2007 at 11:04 AM
Hi Guys,
Just to let you know I tried to order mine from NPN but they no longer ship to the UK. . I ended up getting mine from Warehouse Express, but check they have them in stock, they sell them as Kirk flash xtender check which one you will need for your particular flash. ring them on : 01603 486413. I only got mine last week so still playing with it and finding best exposure rate's etc, but it seems very useful.
HTH
Regards
Rob
Posted by Andy Bate on February 22, 2007 at 11:55 AM
found some on ebay under 'Flash Extender' ... anyone had any experience of these ones?? they look just the same
Posted by Andy Astbury on February 22, 2007 at 12:42 PM
Well I've got a Flash Extender that supposedly fits the Nikon SB800 - thats what it says on the label.
If I mount it as per the instuctions the fresnel screen has a distinct 'bow' in it which spreads the beam - the opposite of the entire excercise - so I ended up putting 'packers' under the 2 sides prior to fastening the velcro strap (2p coins did the trick)! This put a bit more spread on the sides so that the fresnel lies flat.
But the whole contraption slips and twists about, so then I graduated to using bluetack instead of 2p's - that way once the extender is on it STAYS ON!
The other problem is that it does really need to be 'set-up' - if the fresnel screen is a couple of millimeters off center then the beamer is not looking at the same spot your lens is - so a few test shots at a blank wall or something similar and the required tweeks to get the lens and extender singing off the same hymn sheet is a good idea.
If you use your flash on a bracket then centering the beamer is even more hassle.............
When set up right mine gives me 2.5 extra stops - but if it's got knocked or twisted a bit on the flash and I havn't noticed the results can be worse than if I were just using the flash without the extender.
IMHO it's cheap, it works (after a fashion) and it's always in my bag should I need it - but I must say that using it, for me, causes that same feeling of trepidation that you get when you tell the wife you can't live without a Nikon 600 f4 and a D2Xs
Regards
Andy
Posted by Kevin Lewis on February 22, 2007 at 12:44 PM
Speedgraphic have them in stock and are cheaper than WHE. Wnnderful accessory when you get the light balance right
The ebay item here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Flash-Extender-for-Canon-580Ex-3-Flash-Bounce-2-Port_W0QQitemZ130079446740QQihZ003QQcategoryZ15221QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem looks identical to the Kirk flash x-tender and you get some other diffusers similar to a stofen and a lumiquest unit. Ridiculously cheap which is slightly worrying though and it supposedly is UK based but has a fair smattering of german in the description of other items for sale by the smae seller
Posted by Vincent Jones on February 22, 2007 at 1:41 PM
The Beamer is a cracking piece of kit especially when the conditions are dull. Got mine from WHE & very satisfied with it to & the price.
With regards to the problems Andy Astbury faced with trying to keep it attached tight to the SB800, what I did if this helps is add 2 small strips of self sticking velcro to the flash head, when the Beamer wraps round the head it binds very tightly to the velcro on the head of the flash. No need to use a 2p to help wedge it in place, I hope the above is of help.
Just to let you know I tried to order mine from NPN but they no longer ship to the UK
Didn't realize that.They must have changed their policy since I bought mine,although that must be getting on for twelve months ago now.
Posted by Andy Astbury on February 24, 2007 at 4:04 AM
Vincent - I actually wondered if the one I got was indeed for the wrong flash even though it did say SB800 on the label.
The sideplates bare no relationship whatsoever to the sides of an SB800, and it actually came with 2 bits of sticky velcro, but the fresnel still bowed out over half an inch - I followed the instructions to the letter too!
Either the fresnel is too long or the sideplate angle is too shallow.
I always use my flash on manual and try to balance for the ambient - the extender is really good here because I can knock 2 stops off the output and it does prolong the battery life and increase recycle time - especially with the fifth battery attached.
Discussion
9 repliesthanks
Just to let you know I tried to order mine from NPN but they no longer ship to the UK.
HTH
Regards
Rob
If I mount it as per the instuctions the fresnel screen has a distinct 'bow' in it which spreads the beam - the opposite of the entire excercise - so I ended up putting 'packers' under the 2 sides prior to fastening the velcro strap (2p coins did the trick)! This put a bit more spread on the sides so that the fresnel lies flat.
But the whole contraption slips and twists about, so then I graduated to using bluetack instead of 2p's - that way once the extender is on it STAYS ON!
The other problem is that it does really need to be 'set-up' - if the fresnel screen is a couple of millimeters off center then the beamer is not looking at the same spot your lens is - so a few test shots at a blank wall or something similar and the required tweeks to get the lens and extender singing off the same hymn sheet is a good idea.
If you use your flash on a bracket then centering the beamer is even more hassle.............
When set up right mine gives me 2.5 extra stops - but if it's got knocked or twisted a bit on the flash and I havn't noticed the results can be worse than if I were just using the flash without the extender.
IMHO it's cheap, it works (after a fashion) and it's always in my bag should I need it - but I must say that using it, for me, causes that same feeling of trepidation that you get when you tell the wife you can't live without a Nikon 600 f4 and a D2Xs
Regards
Andy
The ebay item here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Flash-Extender-for-Canon-580Ex-3-Flash-Bounce-2-Port_W0QQitemZ130079446740QQihZ003QQcategoryZ15221QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem looks identical to the Kirk flash x-tender and you get some other diffusers similar to a stofen and a lumiquest unit. Ridiculously cheap which is slightly worrying though and it supposedly is UK based but has a fair smattering of german in the description of other items for sale by the smae seller
With regards to the problems Andy Astbury faced with trying to keep it attached tight to the SB800, what I did if this helps is add 2 small strips of self sticking velcro to the flash head, when the Beamer wraps round the head it binds very tightly to the velcro on the head of the flash. No need to use a 2p to help wedge it in place, I hope the above is of help.
Vince
Didn't realize that.They must have changed their policy since I bought mine,although that must be getting on for twelve months ago now.
The sideplates bare no relationship whatsoever to the sides of an SB800, and it actually came with 2 bits of sticky velcro, but the fresnel still bowed out over half an inch - I followed the instructions to the letter too!
Either the fresnel is too long or the sideplate angle is too shallow.
I always use my flash on manual and try to balance for the ambient - the extender is really good here because I can knock 2 stops off the output and it does prolong the battery life and increase recycle time - especially with the fifth battery attached.
Regards
Andy