Thoughts on OCF gear, Gorillapod Focus GP8 and softbox.

[B-Man]

Hello! This is my post, so for introduction i will talk a bit about my self and my gear.

I consider my self as an amateur in photography and some may say that photography is my expensive hobby. Im a student currently doing my degree in UK. I really like taking photos and try to improve every now and then. I have been reading this forum ever since the urge to buy the 70-200 2.8 II L last 2+ years and now consider my self as a regular reader of this great forum. This forum help me to understand more about photography and the contents is very valuable for a noob like me. Willing to learn new stuff provided i have enough time to spare.

My Gear:-

My 1st (and still my current) DSLR is Canon 1000d, started in sept 2008.
Canon 580ex2
Canon batt grip BG-E5 (March 2009)
Canon EF 70-200 2.8 II L (July 2010)
Canon RS-60E3
Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 + 498RC2 Ball Head (Nov 2011)
Plenty of Rechargeable Batt
Lowepro Bags
High End Windows PC for gaming and photos post-processing (sometimes edit or crop my image)
and other accesories.

Now about my question dear readers:-

What do you think about the OCF33 from OCF gear (http://ocfgear.com/) ??? Any experience with it? I cant justify the price of pocket wizard or ST-E2 as im doing for hobby and currently only have 1 flash. Im not gonna buy a 7d for its wireless flash features because my 1000d is still suffient for my need. The Canon brand cord is kinda short for outdoor off-flash photography.


Gorillapod Focus GP8! Is it really that good? Any complains? is it really portable to bring during vacation? Im thinking to buy it with out the ball head for now. Really need help about this one. Im going for euro trip this end of december and just can't bring my manfrotto with me. Will buy in the next few days so any help/advice about this gorillapod is really appreciated.


Can someone recommend me a good softbox that i can use with the 580ex2? Any differences between Branded softboxes versus cheap ebay softboxes? Any good guides using the soft box available online?

Thanks for reading and really appreciate for any advices and comments. ;D

 

[wickidwombat]

I have several gorillapods, I use the big one with a 1D body even, although this is pretty much at the limit of its ability to hold, i would not try mounting the 70-200 and 1D on it together though, very portable and easy to use.
dont waste you money on the gorrillapod ball head though they cant support very much at all

 

[B-Man]

so are you saying that i should just stick with manfrotto ball head? or any other recommendation to compliment the gorillapod focus gp8?

 

[wickidwombat]

yeah just put any other normal ball head on it and make sure you get the one rated for heavier loads, its not alot bigger, and you can throw it a pocket in cargo pants or whatever when you are walking around and then its always there if you want to pop it on. very handy to have around