Review on The Flash X-Tender Better Beamer FX-6: Enhancing Nikon SB-900 Flash Output by Tom Beland

Believe it or not, I bought this to shoot parades, not birds. I have started using flash when photographing parades as the parade route I am on forces me to shoot into the sun every time as parades usually start at the same time i.e. 12pm. I have found that a little shading works really well as most people wear some sort of uniform with hats and the shading removes the shadows on their faces. The problem I wanted to solve with Beamer is as follows. my technique is only effective at close range while competitors are shooting from the side and i really wanted to shoot them from the front at a high angle as i can't get on the parade route. I also tried to use the architecture of the beamer shoot and emphasize the distinctive features of the buildings at twilight/night. The problem in both cases is that this thing is so faint that the spot where the light hits can't be repeated and the shape of the light doesn't match. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the flash just has two long plastic rods that attach to the flash with velcro and a flexible soft plastic lens that attaches to the temples with really thin strips of velcro. Hands on the sides and nothing on top and bottom. This whole contraption aims at a different spot every time you put it on and every time you hit it, and the shape of the light changes depending on how far the lens is bent. I think it works fine if you have time to set it up properly and have some kind of "range", but it just doesn't work for me. What I plan to do is make the top and bottom out of coroplast or something, and while I'm about to cover everything with foil or something, there's a lot of light lost through the top and bottom at the moment, and I don't know once, which is due to the black plastic in the gun. I guess another option would be to use it with an external flash on a light stand and then be able to move the camera around hoping the light hits the frame.