For me the Wildlife Watching Supplies Double Bean Bag is a vital piece of kit for any photographer. I rarely go out photographing without it. I find I use it much more than my tripod - not only is it lighter and more easily transported but it can be used in a greater array of situations. The Bean Bag provides a solid support for telephoto lenses, but is also useful for macro and wide-angle work. It's adaptable, and that's the reason I love this product so much. You can rest it on the ground, on car windows, fence-posts, the branches of trees (the list goes on) and it will provide you with a stable base from which to shoot, allowing you to get sharper images even in low light conditions. I've found myself shooting at as low as 1/80 of a second shutter speed and still retaining sharp images.
Male Blackbird taken at 1/80th
The Double Bean Bag comes in Advantage Timber camouflage and is made of a durable material. It has two liner bags which you fill with grain or seed (personally I use rice), it also comes with a padded shoulder strap, so it's comfortable to carry when you're out for a day of photography. Although if it does start to drag down on your shoulder (it weighs about 2-3kg) you can always take out one of the two liner bags, halving the weight, and it will still provide you with a great support.
Resting on a wall to provide a solid support
Ground level work is where it really comes into its own, it allows you to shoot at eye-level with ground feeding birds and water birds and even mammals, in a much more comfortable fashion than if you were hand-holding your camera. The lack of shake from your hands will also help you compose images better as well as keeping them sharper.
Over the past year I've been working on a project photographing Grey Wagtails at my local park. The Bean Bag has helped me a lot in this project, enabling me to get eye-level images as they feed along the edge of a small canal.
Grey Wagtail feeding
I hope now you agree with me, this is a must-buy for any wildlife photographer. It's versatile, sturdy and easily transportable, you'll find yourself getting shots that may otherwise not have been possible.
Downsides? There aren't really any, if the weight is a problem for you, removing one of the liner bags is an easy solution.
If you don't already own the Wildlife Watching Supplies Double Bean Bag, what are you waiting for? You won't regret it.
You can find it here
Resting on a wall to provide a solid support
Ground level work is where it really comes into its own, it allows you to shoot at eye-level with ground feeding birds and water birds and even mammals, in a much more comfortable fashion than if you were hand-holding your camera. The lack of shake from your hands will also help you compose images better as well as keeping them sharper.
Over the past year I've been working on a project photographing Grey Wagtails at my local park. The Bean Bag has helped me a lot in this project, enabling me to get eye-level images as they feed along the edge of a small canal.
Grey Wagtail feeding
I hope now you agree with me, this is a must-buy for any wildlife photographer. It's versatile, sturdy and easily transportable, you'll find yourself getting shots that may otherwise not have been possible.
Downsides? There aren't really any, if the weight is a problem for you, removing one of the liner bags is an easy solution.
If you don't already own the Wildlife Watching Supplies Double Bean Bag, what are you waiting for? You won't regret it.
You can find it here