Beginner Bean Bag Lens Support Advice

WaltonR

WaltonR

Messages
374
Name
Richard Walton
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi All.
I'm looking for a little bit of advice with regards to bean bag lens support filling.
I've bought a Grippa Bean Bag from Amazon but it comes empty. They suggest filling it with normal polystyrene bean bag pellets, but I'm wondering what else is out there. Also I'm trying to be a bit more environmentally responsible. Furthermore, do I want the hassle of removing hundred of statically charged balls from my gear.
What do others use?
I'm looking for something with a bit of mass that would bed down a bit, but not so heavy it's a pain to cart around.
Any advice would be good.
Thanks.
 
I have a Pod which is filled with what appear to be ABS pellets (as used in injection moulding). I'm tempted to replace them with small dried beans but am just being careful not to spill the contents. If you double bag the beans in a waterproof bag, they should last pretty much forever and, if you're travelling light, you can transport the bag empty, filling with locally sourced beans/rice/sand at your destination.
 
Great idea about locally sourced beans n things.
Thanks.
 
I used a home made one from an old denim trouser leg (or sleeve?) and filled with the larger polystyrene packing thingys. I seem to remember I tried beans in a plastic bag but they didn’t spread so well and were heavier. It was a useful bit of padding in a camera bag when not in use.
 
chrism8 said:
Rice is supposed to be fairly good as mentioned above
Click to expand...
chrism8 said:
Rice is supposed to be fairly good as mentioned above
Click to expand...

Yes. The possible problem with rice/beans/etc is if they get damp (which won’t initially be obvious) as hinted above by double wrapping in plastic but I think that defeated the functionality — it was about 40 years ago, so I may be misremembering :LOL: .
 
andrewc said:
Wheat. It doubles up as a hot bag to sooth aches and pains and can be zapped in the microwave provided it doesn’t contain metal
Click to expand...
And can ignite if you are not careful. It needs to be damp (ie contain water) to work which is a disadvantage from a photographic viewpoint.
 
I use bird seed.
If I am going on holiday I empty it and refill when I arrive at my destination, I then empty it before I go home.
You can also use small portions from it to attract birds of course :)
 
Suvv said:
I use bird seed.
If I am going on holiday I empty it and refill when I arrive at my destination, I then empty it before I go home.
You can also use small portions from it to attract birds of course :)
Click to expand...
Now that's a good idea!
Thanks guys.
I think I'll go the bird seed route. The bean bag is waterproof, apparently, so there shouldn't be any reason to double bag the filling.
(y)
 
WaltonR said:
Now that's a good idea!
Thanks guys.
I think I'll go the bird seed route. The bean bag is waterproof, apparently, so there shouldn't be any reason to double bag the filling.
(y)
Click to expand...
If you are not bird watcher you could fill it with Mint Imperials or whatever you favourite sweets are :LOL:
 
sphexx said:
If you are not bird watcher you could fill it with Mint Imperials or whatever you favourite sweets are :LOL:
Click to expand...
Hmmm. Now there's an interesting twist I hadn't accounted for. What to do, what to do now? :thinking:
 
Bird seed for its surface conformity and a few sweeties for emergencies?
 
I've used all sorts in the past, polystyrene balls, ABS balls, sand, gravel, pebbles and rice.

I found rice to be the best, with small pebbles coming a close second. :)

On one occasion I got hungry and ate some of the rice with a chopped up Peperami Firestick (I always used to keep a small kettle and stove in the car for fishing).
 
Crushed walnut shells gives similar results to rice, but are less prone to moisture/mould and will not go bad over time like foodstuffs and is environmentally friendly too. Best of all words, and can be found cheaply online.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top