If you’re into wildlife photography than you no doubt have found yourself driving down the road to get bird pictures or animal pictures and wham out of nowhere that bird you’ve just been dying to get a good shot of is right there on the side of the road.  Your longest lens is mounted and on the front seat with you but you know if you try to get out of the car it’s bye bye birdy.  So you do what I have done for years, you pick up 15 lbs of glass and camera and try to hand hold it to get the shot.  If the light is good you just might get the shot, but odds are when you get home you’re initial excitement turns to disappointment as you review one blurred image after another.  It is this very scenario that began my quest for the best bean bag for wildlife photography.

After many reviews and videos I finally ordered the Apex Bean Bag from Essential Photo Gear .  As you can see from the photos this unit can be used as the standard wildlife photography bean bag or you can mount your tripod head with the included mounting plate to turn it into stable base from which to mount your big glass.  I had visions of using it from my car with a Wimberley style head attached so I could pan with my Nikon 600mm lens from my car. When it arrived I promptly filled it up with sunflower seeds, mounted my Jobu BWG Pro head, slapped on the 600m and ran out to the car to give it a try. Continue reading »