Shoulder mount, Mark II (1 Viewer)

[MikeEvans]

Not the most impressive piece of woodwork I'll admit!

The grip at the front makes it a lot easier to hold than the previous effort, and now I don't have to keep removing the quick release plate from the scope when changing between shoulder mount and tripod. Quite pleased all in all. :t:

The business end is the top of a Manfrotto 234RC which I got from eBay.

 

[Sancho]

It's a fine piece of artwork, Mike...but I can't figure out how you hold it. It looks very long....can you post a shot of you holding it to your eye? Also, do you use a 27x ep with it, and if so, can you hold it steady enough? Ta.:t:

 

[Lisa W]

Mike,
That looks very good, would also like to see a photo of you holding it. I have a friend researching building one for me that I found here.

 

[MikeEvans]

It's a fine piece of artwork, Mike...but I can't figure out how you hold it. It looks very long....can you post a shot of you holding it to your eye? Also, do you use a 27x ep with it, and if so, can you hold it steady enough? Ta.:t:

It's not so big really, it's just that the 234RC top is not a lot longer than the QR plate that fits it. Here's another photo I took at the same time with the ED50 mounted, to give you a better idea of the size. The curved bit goes against my right shoulder, and with the grip below the scope in my right hand the eyepiece is pretty much in the correct positon for my right eye.

I'll try to get a picture of it 'in action' tomorrow.

I only have the 20x eyepiece or the zoom to choose from, so can't comment on the 27x, although I'd love to give one a go. I'll experiment with the zoom to see how effective it is at higher mags.

 

[MikeEvans]

Here's a photo of the shoulder mount in use. Truth be told it is about 1 or 2 centimetres longer than it needs to be, but it's perfectly usable as is. I found it difficult to knock up a test piece that I could experiment with the length on that I felt confident leaving the scope attached to, so in the end I just went for my best guess, which turned out not to be far off. If I can be bothered I might make a Mark III at some point.

I've had a play with the zoom eyepiece, it's not as easy to use as the 20x, but that's mainly due to eye relief. I found it easier without my glasses on. The position of the eyepiece means that when I'm looking through it my eye is looking directly forward, but my eye socket prevents me getting close enough with glasses on at 40x zoom. This isn't a problem on a tripod as I naturally turn my face to the left slightly and look to the right slightly, which gets me a few precious millimetres nearer. This is not an issue with the 20x eyepiece and since the eye-relief figures are the same I doubt it would be an issue with the 27x or higher.

In terms of holding the scope steady, when standing up it's unsurprisingly not comparable to the steadiness of a good (or even a fairly bad) tripod, but it's entirely usable throughout the zoom range. I think that the 27x eyepiece would work just fine. You wouldn't be able to digiscope with it , but that's not the intention anyway. The shake at 20x when standing seems less that I get with my 10x binoculars. Obviously if you drop to one knee or lean against something solid it's much better.

 

[Lisa W]

Mike,
Thanks for posting the photo. Looks like it does the job of allowing for maneuverability.

 

[RAH]

Mike, your mount looks very nice. I'm wondering how something like that compares to a monopod (another light alternative to a full tripod). Have you tried a monopod? It has the advantage of supporting the weight of the scope (i.e. because it rests on the ground at all times), whereas your mount is no doubt more flexible and faster than a monopod would be. I'm wondering about the steadiness versus your mount.

 

[MikeEvans]

I've not used a 'proper' monopod, but I have experimented using my tripod with just a single leg extended. It's more stable, but seems more of a faff to use than the shoulder mount (although I can't claim to have great experience of either yet!).

The big plus of the shoulder mounted scope is that it can be hung on a strap and just raised to the eye for instant use, and pointed straight at whatever turns up. With a monopod or tripod, you either have to carry it extended, which can get in the way, or extend it each time you want to use it, get the height right, and the angle of the scope on top etc.

I really made the mount for those occasions when I go for a walk somewhere there *might* be something interesting to look at, but quite likely there might not be. I got frustrated with lugging my fully extended tripod around for hours with nothing to point it at, or carrying it retracted and not getting it set up in time, or leaving it behind and wishing I hadn't!

 

[Sancho]

Mind you, Mike....never, ever use that gizmo in unstable countries or at times of civil unrest....

 

[MikeEvans]

Mind you, Mike....never, ever use that gizmo in unstable countries or at times of civil unrest....

Hehe, I see what you're saying, it does look a little suspicious.

After a bit of a test yesterday I've decided to make a Mark III version. I want to rotate the scope around it's axis by between 45 and 90 degrees, so that with the main body of the ED50 supported by my left hand I can use my thumb to focus. This will also bring the eyepiece over to the left, and make it more comfortable to use. Whether this will affect pointing it in the right direction is another matter! The in-focus case will have to go though, as there's too much material around the scope body, so that if you grip the scope body the excess material rubs against the underside of the focussing knob and makes it hard to turn. Maybe the Cley-Spy case is better in this respect.

I'll bore you all again with a photo when it's done.

 

[Sancho]

I'm intrigued not only by your woodworking skills, but by your dedication to getting this right. Have you thought, before publicising Mk.III, of patenting it and trying to sell it to someone? Seriously. Just a thought!:t:

 

[MikeEvans]

I'm intrigued not only by your woodworking skills, but by your dedication to getting this right. Have you thought, before publicising Mk.III, of patenting it and trying to sell it to someone? Seriously. Just a thought!:t:

Nah, Not my bag man. There are already things like this that you can buy (I'm thinking of the Bush Hawk), but they seem damn expensive for what they are. If whatever I come up with in the end works well and costs very little to make, then I'm happy to share it.

 

[WHIMBREL]

I'm intrigued not only by your woodworking skills, but by your dedication to getting this right. Have you thought, before publicising Mk.III, of patenting it and trying to sell it to someone? Seriously. Just a thought!:t:

Quite a few years back the Russian camera company Zenith had a metal one like this called if memory serves the 'photosniper' to hold it's single lens reflex cameras steady.

Regards,

Bill

 

[Sancho]

Nah, Not my bag man. There are already things like this that you can buy (I'm thinking of the Bush Hawk), but they seem damn expensive for what they are. If whatever I come up with in the end works well and costs very little to make, then I'm happy to share it.

Fair play to you, Mike. People like you are why the world is still occasionally a decent place. I'm intrigued, though, when people come up with really good ideas and have the skills to create something useful. (I'm possessed of neither the remotest skill nor a whit of entrepreneurship.....)

 

[Claymore]

Quite a few years back the Russian camera company Zenith had a metal one like this called if memory serves the 'photosniper' to hold it's single lens reflex cameras steady.

Regards,

Bill

Hi,
Do a search in the photography forum for Kaiser Shoulder Pod, it might interest you
Cheers
Brian

 

[Sancho]

Still looking forward to the Mark III, Mike...."Yo Punk, I've got a Pink Scope and I'm not afraid to Use It!"

 

[MikeEvans]

It might be a little while - I'm going to spend the weekend actually looking at some birds for a change