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thoughts on camera supports (1 Viewer)

eospete

Active member
Here is a stripped down version of the article I wrote for North West Nature Group Members on Camera Supports. You can get the full article with plans from www.nwng.org.uk or my own website www.madeley.garlick.net. I hope people find it useful.

Camera Supports
A compilation of thoughts, advice and ideas to support your camera.
By Peter Madeley

I always find it amazing that photographers spend a fortune on expensive lenses, cameras film and travel opportunities only to then forget the simplest of techniques for ensuring sharp, shake free pictures then blame the equipment. Of course there are many devices to help with this but I always look for something, anything to support the camera to give the pictures that extra edge of sharpness.

• Tripods
• Monopods
• A String Monopod
• Beanbags
• Window Mounts
• Sand Sledge
• Mirror Slap
• Hand Holding
• In Conclusion

Tripods
The best things you will ever buy as long as you get the very sturdiest you can afford. Gitzo and Manfrotto are considered to be among the best. The flimsy tripods with built in heads are fine for small compact cameras for holidays and the like but you will become endlessly frustrated if you try and do any serious photography with these. Remember your expensive gear is going to sit atop your tripod for many years so make it your very best friend. I am also coming to the opinion that many of the quick release systems available do not help with critical framing and introduce another opportunity for vibration. In future I will try to do without my quick releases.

Monopods
As for tripods, the cheap flimsy models will let tend to you down and my Manfrotto never has. A simple tilt head is all that is needed and a quick release device with locking mechanism if you prefer. Ball heads flap about and 3 way heads are unnecessary. I will use a monopod only when the subject is moving - otherwise a tripod is the better tool. Tuck the leg of the monopod inside your calf for extra support or lean against a wall or fence. I would suggest that a monopod give you about an extra 2 stops slower shutter speed to avoid camera shake or 2 apertures more depth of field. Use it with an image stabiliser lens and this goes to about 3 stops. If I need any more than that its better using a tripod with a slacked head.

String Monopod
Fasten a 1/4 Whitworth Thread bolt to a 6ft long piece of string. Screw the bolt into your camera and stand on the end of the string until it comes up to eye level and is taut. This provides a resistance force in the opposite direction to the force of pressing the shutter and gives you about 1 stop extra shutter speed when hand holding. This trick can be useful in confined spaces and where tripods and monopods are not allowed AND It's cheap.


Bean Bags
Such a simple device so often underrated is the humble bean bag. It can be complicated and expensive or simply a packet of rice from a corner shop.

The trick is to make a well to snuggle the lens into rather than have it perched on top. When using a bean bag and a still subject, use a cable release or the camera's self timer and mirror Lock up if your camera has this function. As fillings go, rice is heavy for its volume and soaks up water, split peas are great as are lentils but if you can get plastic extrusion moulding waste, then this is the best and I will gladly buy a few kg off you.

Some beanies worth looking at are

Wildlife Watching Supplies - Highly recommended this bag and accessories.
http://www.wildlifewatchingsupplies.co.uk/ (in the products section)



lightweight pocket able flat bean bag with a bolt for fixing to the camera. Very good support if you have a lens mount or only shoot in horizontal format and prefer to hold the camera whilst you shoot. (7 day shop are doing the POD for £9.99 now)

I use the Kinesis Safari Sack http://www.kinesisgear.com though it is REALLY heavy (which is why it works) to carry around and now just sits in my car for shooting from the window. For stalking I'll be using the Pod.

DIY Window Mount
Commercial mounts for cars are available for example the Groofwin, Kirk Window mount and Ergorest but these I find expensive for what they are and I felt it must be possible to make an alternative.

For 2 years I have been using a bean bag over the window to mount my long lens (400mm) when using the car as a mobile hide for wildlife photography. The disadvantage with this is that the lens needs to be left on the passenger seat and lifted on to the beanbag in order to shoot. With skittish creatures such as Red Grouse this movement causes alarm and they tend to move away. Ideally, the lens needs to be fixed in a ready to shoot position.

To solve this problem I made a window mount from a Shelf kit which costs around £5 - I purchased my shelf kit from Focus/Do-it-All, but similar kits are available from other DIY chains. Most of the materials required to make the mount come in the shelf kit. Just 4 cuts with a small saw are required.

My most recent project is to make window screen from doubled over AdvantageTM netting with camouflage taped seams and a slit up the middle. This prevents the animals from seeing as much movement in the vehicle and if both windows are fitted also effectively removes any silhouette of the photographer. I gained my most successful grouse pictures using these bits of DIY gear."


Sand Sledge
The objective of the mission was to obtain close up low level shots of seals basking on wet sandbanks. A stealthy, low approach was essential to avoid spooking the animals using a simple easy to manipulate support device.

Tripods and bean bags whilst providing a firm base has on previous visits proved difficult to manoeuvre. Tripods, preset for low level work were cumbersome and tended to bed into the sand. Bean bags collected wet sand and a source of grit in the equipment.

The answer was rather simple – make a sand sledge which should be
• Lightweight yet stable
• easy to adjust the viewpoint
• easy to construct
• lightweight for carrying and
• cheap to make

The design needed to ensure that the camera was held at a comfortable eye level. Runners to allow the whole kit to slide on wet or dry sand with equal ease.

Evaluation
Trial tests were carried out at Donna Nook Nature Reserve during the 2002 breeding season of the North Atlantic Grey seals.

• The camera strap was removed to avoid picking up sand
• A ball and socket tripod head with quick release plate was mounted on the threaded bolt (You could use any favourite tripod head)
• A small piece of Velcro allowed a cable release device to be held in place
• The sledge was pushed in front of the body and slid smoothly and quietly over the sand during the commando style approach allow a less threatening approach
• Stability and find tuning of viewpoint was found to be superior to using a tripod or beanbag
• An added bonus was that the sledge also kept the photographer’s hands off the sand during the crawl.

If you prefer, remove the tripod head drape a bean bag across the top of the sledge gripping to the camera mount. There is no reason why the sledge would not work just as effectively across grass or other surfaces for flowers, fungi, or damp mud when photographing shorebirds. The possibilities are only just being explored. Whatever the time of year – enjoy your sledging!!!

Mirror Slap
When the mirror in an SLR camera flips out of the way it creates a vibration for about 1/15 sec. With long lenses or in close up this vibration can result in soft photographs. The most affected shutter speeds are in the range 1/15 to 1/2 second. If your camera has the function of Mirror Lock use it whenever possible for these speeds. This flips the mirror out of the way and allow vibration to die down. The viewfinder goes black so make your composition first.

If you have no mirror lock then draping a beanbag OVER the lens barrel can damped some of the vibrations and reduce the problem of mirror slap.

Handholding your camera
A good rule of thumb is to use a shutter speed equal to the focal length of the lens eg 50mm lens 1/60, 200mm lens 1/250 and so on. This is not easy when light levels are low and these are the times when you need to think about using a tripod, monopod or beanbag to support the camera.


Some of the modern lenses from Canon, Nikon and Sigma have an image stabiliser system built in which allows you to hand hold at about 2 stops slower speed. The slowest I can handhold my stabilised 400mm is 1/250.

If you have just run up a hill or are cold, then body vibration can also be a problem.

As regards hand holding there’s a great piece on Moose Petersons website
http://www.moose395.net/howto/shortlens.html Also try http://www.vividlight.com/articles/112.htm

To test your hand holding skills, photograph a newspaper taped to a wall at a range of shutter speeds and see how well you do.

1 - Breathe normally
2 - Set yourself
3 - Cup the lens securely with your left hand keeping the left elbow against the body.
4 - This is the most important. Roll your trigger finger on the shutter. Do not press it, or jab it.


In conclusion
Whatever you used to support your camera it can only do good and I guarantee your images will improve. I find using a support also slows me down and makes me think more deeply about the technicalities of the photograph and the lighting and composition.
 
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The link to www.moose395.net doesn't work any more. Did you post it wrong, or has it just expired? The other one does. I know that he has pictures of both his portrate and landscape position. Have you seen these pictures and/or know where they reside on the web? They are nice.... I wish I'd saved them.

Heck, I've got his email address (talked about doing a private lesson with him) maybe I should just ask? Na, too easy!

Eric
 
I am also coming to the opinion that many of the quick release systems available do not help with critical framing and introduce another opportunity for vibration. In future I will try to do without my quick releases.

I have never had any problem at all with Manfrotto heads, almost all of which have a quick release plate. In fact the ability to use two screws nice and tight on a 600mm F4 and yet not have to spend ages when taking it from or putting it into the box is invaluable.

Also I rarely, if ever, use the camera shutter button when using a tripod, instead I use a remote release, as this cuts the movement of the camera.
 
The string monopod sounds impressive. I'll have to try it! Ver interesting thread (no pun intended ;) ) as I was thinking of trying out a monopod - more for ease of carrying than anything else.

Susan
 
When you use lenses like 500 mm or 600mm , then there is only one good choice
and that is a gitzo 1410 or 1548 , and a wimberley head or maybe a video head , i use a gitzo 1410 and wimberley head, and its a dream combo and a safe one for the lens (no ball flop )
 
Another idea

One other thing I've found that helps when using one of the longer lenses (400 mm VR in my case) is to cross your LEFT arm over and rest your hand on your RIGHT shoulder. Pull on your shoulder so your arm's tight. You then rest the lens in the crook of your elbow, breath properly, and shoot. It seems to be a little better than handholding stability-wise. Looks weird, but then again, so do we, lugging all that gear around!
 
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