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Wimberley Plamp II PP-200

£31.885£63.77Clearance
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The Wimberley Plamp is a very useful tool that always travels with me in the field. I use the Plamp to hold a subject like a flower while I photograph it, steady a subject in the wind, and even hold a card to shade my lens to eliminate flare. It works like a third hand.” When shooting flowers for example there are several issues – the main problem is wind – even very mild wind (sometimes wind you can’t even feel or see) can move a flower and make for an unsharp image. The Plamp II special notch on the inside of the top clamp is ideal for gripping onto the stem of a flower and holding it without any movement. reflectors, which are generally held in a relatively vertical position and not fully cantilevered out, can be held and positioned confidently with a single Ground Plamp

It was designed specifically for macro photography and I wanted a lightweight tool, easy to carry, and effective at helping me concentrate to taking great photos. So who is the target audience for Plamp II? well, if you are serious about shooting flowers or insects outdoors, this is (in our opinion at least) a must have tool – it is well made and easy to carry and use – and although you can probably make a DIY solution that will do at least some of what the Plamp II does – we really see no point in doing so – as this unit is so well made and relatively affordable (we are talking about the Plamp II itself). The Plamp Stake can be anchored in a wide variety of ground types, creating a stable, stand-alone pole for attaching your Plamp. This opens up new creative possibilities and isolates your subject from unwanted vibrations and movements coming from your tripod and camera . Ground Stake Extension The segmented arm of your Plamp is approximately 19" long. If you do not need all this length, we encourage you to shorten your Plamp. To shorten the arm, bend the arm sharply until it snaps in two (do not worry, you will not hurt the Plamp), remove a length and reconnect the pieces. We love macro photography (just watch our super macro extensive article here on LensVid). One thing every experienced macro photography knows is that you will need to learn to improvise – especially ways to hold small items in a delicate way as well as lights in an easy, flexible way close to your subject.For what its worth, I have had some success combining the Plamp with "chenille" from craft supply stores; what we used to call "pipe cleaners". I use the Plamp to hold the chenille, then carefully wrap the chenille around the the plant stem or whatever. Frankly, this doesn't fully solve the vibration problem, but it is easier to reposition the flower (or whatever) than having to move the articulated segments of the Plamp. I also found that even the small clamp on the end of the Plamp would tend to crush non-woody stems, and I don't like doing that. So the chenille avoids that problem as well.

The large clamp is compatible with most tripods from the major manufacturers, including the Gitzo range. Clamping the Plamp to the tripod is a good way of transporting it between potential subjects. The last part is the main clamp. It has a very interesting design which includes 3 different areas – the first is a rod holder (for holding a an accessory rod+clamp – more on that below), foam holder (for a firm grip of very thin objects with no damage) and a special notch (which is maybe the most important part – we shall talk about it more below). Secondly, like anything else made of plastic, it does have a useful life span that will be shorter than something made of metal. Your Plamp will loosen up after many uses. How much of a problem is this for you? That depends on how frequently you use it. My plamp is still stiff as a board. If you use yours a couple of hundred time, yes, it may loosen up to the point where you'll have to get a replacement. Apply pressure to the sides of the green clamp at the end of the arm. This will open the jaws of the clam. Slide the stem or leaf of your subject between the clamp's jaws, let go.To grasp a particularly delicate plant leaf or flower petal you can make the jaws of the Plamp softer and flatter by inserting a folded piece of heavy paper betwee the jaws of the clamp. If you are having a hard time positioning the Plamp so that the green clamp is not in the picture frame you may want to wrap a loop of grass around your subject to steady it. Alternatively, you may want to use a forked branch or twig with a bud to prop up your subject. You can also use a selection of household items such as rubber bands, string, pipe cleaners and twist ties instead of grass and twigs. The ability to hold small reflectors/diffusers might still be improved (although it is more than decent for anything up to 12″ and maybe even 22″).

Any review of the Wimberley Plamp should include its weaknesses too and I only know of two shortcomings. The first weakness is that the plamp is quite stiff when you first get one. This makes it challenging to make very minute changes in its exact position. Cameras – LCD screen is heavily worn either by de-lamination or has scratches to it. Rubber grips are starting to come away from the body. Use the Plamp in the field and you will certainly get a few strange looks from passers-by. It’s not a common sight in Hertfordshire. The Plamp is very easy to use. The best clamping points are those not connected to the camera. Unless you weight your tripod, vibrations may be transferred and cause unwanted camera movement. A sturdy fence or such like makes the best anchor point. If you don’t want to risk damage to delicate stems, you can use something soft, but non-slip around the stem and attach the ends to the Plamp. It's highly effective at preventing the movement of stems in a breeze and will permit flower or other macro photography in less than perfect conditions. Keeping the arm as short as possible will reduce vibrations. It's possible to remove some of the segments and shorten the arm. Your problem is that you're too far from civilization. If you were in the Detroit area, you could pop into one of dozens of Grainger, McMaster Carr, or Production Tool locations to play with the Loc-Line, try before you buy. Diffusers can be cantilevered above your subject using one Plamp, however it is pushing the limits of the Plamp’s holding capacity

Wimberley Plamp 2. One end of the Plamp clamps to your tripod while the other grasps the object. Use the Plamp to stabilize windblown subjects, adjust the position or angle of your subject, or move obstructing foliage. You can also use the Plamp to hold reflectors and lens shades. One day in the field or studio with a Plamp and you will begin to realize its full potential. Most experienced macro shooters create there own methods and solutions – some very simple – some extremely complex (and expensive). We also had a chance to improvise all sorts of solutions when we worked on our super macro project which took several months. All this makes us appreciate the effectiveness of the Plamp II even more. I experimented with one straw length and two straw lengths and what I found was that I could wind the pair of pipe cleaners around the lens and angle it so that it was not in the shot to hold the straw out straight and then if I was taking a picture of a flower then wind the other end cleaner around the stem or somesuch.Whether you use your Wimberley Plamp as a clamp for macro photography, a third hand for photography, or as a flexible clamp for another purpose, it's an interesting gadget you can have fun with.

I consider the Plamp to be a necessary piece of equipment for serious wildflower photographers and recommend it highly. I am adding it to the equipment list on all the workshops I conduct where wildflower photography is anticipated." Larger arm diameter makes it possible to clamp to another Plamp offering versatile positioning and extension.Call it a flexible friend. It can make a big difference to photography on days when there’s a nuisance breeze blowing. It can also be used to support a reflector to throw a bit of soft light onto your subject. It’s highly portable and with a little bit of practice, is easy to use. I've used it this way more than once to see what I was doing while fixing a drain pipe under the kitchen sink.

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