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- dns-mart (2509)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseGreat communication. A pleasure to do business with.
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Reviews (9)
16 December 2010
Pentax smc DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL offers good value
In the midrange of its focal length, e.g. 35mm, and a medium f stop, this is a very sharp lens, rivaling anything that's available including expensive primes. Focus sharpness drops off noticeably at the long and short ends of the range. It isn't a fast lens so its best use is outdoors or with flash indoors. Construction is plastic but it feels solid. It is very light so it is nice lens to take on a hike. Note that if you are buying a used version that came with someone's kit it will not have a lens hood. You can buy an after market hood for a few bucks on ebay. You'll need a hood or a protective filter because the front element of the lens sits right at the end of the barrel just waiting to be scratched. If you get a used lens in excellent condition and play to its strengths it offers incredible value.
20 October 2018
The MagBeam is overweight
2 of 2 found this helpful I do bird and wildlife photography. A bit of flash often adds subtly to the quality of an image, even in good light. This is because a small amount of flash brings out detail, e.g., feathers on a bird, and produces a catch light in eyes.
I purchased couple of Better Beamers for my flash guns a couple of years ago but stopped using them because they are fiddly to attach to the flash unit. More critically, a BB gets banged up and out of adjustment if you try to walk with it attached to a long lens. When you're ready for a shot, the BB isn't.
The MagBeam Wildlife Kit looked like a great improvement in design compared with the BB, so I bought one. It is certainly a lot sturdier than the BB. I have no concerns about damaging it if I leave it attached to my flashgun while out and about.
But it has, for me, two big fails.
First it is heavy. I've paid top dollar for the lightest top quality equipment that is available because the less weight I have to carry the deeper I can get into the back country, and the better shots I get, and the less aspirin I have to take at the end of a long day. With the attachment system the Magbeam weighs nearly 1 lb. And it is leveraged weight when it is attached to your camera/flash. It is noticeable immediately, and wears on you during a long walk.
The second flaw is connected to the first. Put a pound of extra weight on the front end of a flashgun and it will overwhelm the friction of the pivot and rotation fittings. The head of my Godox Ving860 pivots up if I'm walking with the flash held upside down with the MagBeam attached. When I lift the camera for a quick shot the flash head is pointed up towards the sky rather than at the target. I have to adjust it for every shot. Likewise I can't adjust the MagBeam's pivot angle so that the flash output is aligned with the camera's focus point -- the weight of the Magbeam pulls the flash head right back down to the lowest angle.
So .... Looks good on paper Needs to take off some weight.
30 October 2017
Too fiddly
Two problems. First, the nuts used to tighten the two spring bar tools to the V-fork handle don’t grab well. So the spring bars slip in use. Second, it is difficult to position the two spring bar tools so that both are at the correct angle to the watch lugs. Instructions might help — none were included. If I were doing it again I would buy the $200 Bergeon unit or make do with a standard $8 spring bar removal tool.