Beanbag filling

markyboy.1967

markyboy.1967

Messages
8,118
Name
Mark Molloy
Edit My Images
Yes
I recently bought a very very nice beanbag and need ideas for some filling for it.In the past i have used bird sead however over time it breaks down and also it can be quite heavy on a trek.Im not to sure about the little poly balls you get even though they are light in weight--do they offer strong support for big lenses? The beanbag is a large bag and it will weigh quite a bit if filled with seeds or lentils etc so any ideas welcomed that offer a solid support and weigh less than other fillings..Cheers...
 
Last edited:
I originally used broken rice from Tescos (incredibly cheap) which does the job well but h***, is it heavy! I am of a certain age and you may well manage better than I in that respect.
Anyway, I use polystyrene balls now which work fine as long as you take the time to settle the camera well into the bag.
 
I've used polystyrene balls in my bean bags, it works quite well like yellow belly said if you let the lens/camera settle on the bean bag. Support wise I think they are pretty solid, I've yet to use mine with my new 300 f2.8 but a friends finds his 300 f2.8 fine. If you sat in a bean bag full of polystyrene balls it supports our weight pretty weigh so it should be too different for a lens.

i have noticed that there is a slight rustling noise as the weigh settles and compresses the polystyrene balls. You also need to replace the polystyrene balls or at least top them up as they get compressed with repeated use. I definitely wouldn't like to carry a bean bag full of rice around, that could weigh 2kg or more. Ebay is a great place to buy polystyrene balls, a cubic foot for £4-5 would last you a while.
 
I use 5 mm poly balls in my bean bag and use a 500 f4 on it with no problems. I also made a second set of liners and filled them with split peas and although it may give slightly more support it is bloody heavy. If I'm walking any distance I take the poly bags.

Struggled to find small poly balls when I filled mine but eventually got them from Custompac. One cubic foot for £8.46 plus delivery. A cubic foot is a lot of poly balls so worth getting a mate and sharing a pack.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Thanks folks, i will try those poly balls but not holding out much hope as i like a firm support however for long walks im sure i could put up with them..lol
Click to expand...

It also depends on how tightly you pack them in Mark. I kept adding until I had the feel I wanted. Once the lens settles it is supported pretty well. I have no issues with using the poly balls at low shutter speeds and given that the split pea fills weigh 4 kilos any slight improvement from using the heavier bag is more then compensated for by the reduction in weight.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Would be difficult due to the shape of the beanbag- its an " H" shape bag and fills from the one side. Its the Sabi ( biggest one) from Gura Gear.
Click to expand...
That is a problem, mine has the same one opening filling the two sides but not as large as yours. I'm surprised no one has thought of designing a H style bean bag that can use interchangeable liners.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top