1/100, f/2.8, ISO 3200, -1 FEC, 24mm (24-70mm f/2.8 L)
A huge mirror at the wedding reception venue on Saturday provided me with the opportunity to take a shot of myself in action (contrast is poor due to lens flare). As you can see, I dress quite plainly, but the advantage of this is that I'm not afraid to get dirty. If the shot requires me to lie on the floor, I do!
In action you can see:
1. A Lastolite micro Apollo light modifier - a portable softbox.
2. Hiding behind which is a 580EX II Speedlite.
3. A Custom Brackets digital Pro-M kit - allowing the camera to be rotated between portrait and landscape formats.
4. A Canon EOS 5D with BG-E4 battery grip.
5. A Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L zoom lens.
6. A CP-E4 battery pack.
It's not light but serves to tone the photographer's upper body (optimistic view) and cause backache (realistic view).
Check out more of my photography here: wedding photography Kent
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9 comments:
Hi David,
I'm also considering the Custom Brackets Pro M. Is this thing comfortable to use - it looks quite awkward?
Also they state you can't use the STE2 flash trigger with this rig - why is that?
I assume the whole thing can sit on a monopod also?
Many thanks
Peter
Hi Peter,
It's heavy but extremely useful. I take the camera off the bracket for a lot of the time - but to do this you need to buy a quick release plate.
You can attach it to a monopod but again you need to buy another customised release plate.
These probably add another £100 to the asking price so be warned!
I frequently use the bracket with a 580EX II Speedlite set to master and trigger slave flash units. No problems at all. I can't see why it wouldn't work with the ST-E2 trigger.
Yours,
David
Hi David
I'm thinking about getting this bracket but you state that you take the camera off the bracket a lot: What's your reason for doing this? Do you mean for shots without flash? Is it also possible to trigger the flash via the STE2 transmitter in this configuration (should I use a bigger softbox)?
BTW, did you start off in your business shooting flash in one hand camera in the other?
Many thanks
John
Hi John,
The camera mounted on the flash bracket is bulky and heavy - you really don't want to be carrying it all day.
For shots using flash I do all of the following:
1. Use flash bracket with 580EX II connected to camera via on off-camera shoe cord. This flash unit can be set to master in order to control other off-camera flash units.
2. Use the camera with an ST-E2 transmitter connected in one hand and a Speedlite in the other.
3. Use the camera with an ST-E2 transmitter and have flash units on stands or held by guests!
Hope this helps.
Yours,
David
Thanks David.
Do you fnd the ST-E2 to be as effective as the 580EXII in low light. Last time I compared, the ST-E2 red focus matrix beam was much less intense than the one from the 580EX2 (less range?). It seemed to delay focusing too. Have you noticed this?
My second part to this question is if you use the ST-E2 without a flash does it improve the ability to focus in low light due to the focus beam helping out?
Finally, how long does the battery last in the ST-E2 in your usage scenario.
Many thanks
Check out my post on the ST-E2 transmitter.
I've never noticed a difference between the two but I haven't run comparison tests! The ST-E2 uses near-infrared wheareas the 580EX II uses visible light - this may account for the difference in intensities you see.
The ST-E2 does indeed improve the camera's ability to focus in low light.
I've had the same battery in my ST-E2 for over a year.
Yours,
David
Hello David
I'm about to purchase the Custom Brackets Pro M with the Lastolite Micro Apollo XL may I ask now that you have used it for a number of years is it still your preferred flash setup or have you discovered more suitable kit that yields better results your own personal style of working, also may I ask which release plate do you use to attach the Canon 5D2.
Best Regards
Paul
Hi Paul,
I use this set-up when I have no choice but to fire flash forwards. 95% of the time I bounce flash using a 600EX-RT and ST-E3-RT.
I bought a quick release tripod plate in addition to the Pro-M kit from: http://www.robertwhite.co.uk
All the best,
David
Great, many thanks for the info David
Paul
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