Hand holding ebony

[marcwilson]

An odd one this but I need to be able to hand hold my ebony SW45 for a couple of shots where a tripod or any support is just not possible.
Now I can pre focus using the g.g....infinity anyway...and sort out a mounted viewfinder (fotoman, etc).

But I need to be able to hold it without the fear of dropping it 30 metres!

Has anyone come across any attachment that would work..perhaps soemthing that would attach to the tripod base?

Thanks,

Marc

[Greg Lockrey]

Really Right Stuff has all kinds of slide bars and attachments that you could cobble up to your Ebony. http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/index.asp

[Gordon Moat]

There is always the Fig Rig. This was made originally for heavy video cameras. There is a sliding position plate to get the balance correct. I have actually been considering one for my Shen-Hao.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio

[Ed Richards]

Get a right angle flash bracket, screw it to the tripod plate, and put a Linhof grip on the side. Or just get a Crown Graphic, for less than you will spend rigging it out.:-)

[Frank Petronio]

Haha yeah everybody with an Ebony (or Arca or Linhof) should pick up a $200 Crown for real-world shooting ;-) I get tempted to myself.

[scrichton]

There is always the Fig Rig.

Couldn't agree more. The fig rig is designed to allow motion of the arms with as little strain as possible. Therefore to hold something still such as your camera it is ideal. If slightly dear, but you get what you pay for with camera supports.

[Andrew_4548]

Are you going to be standing up to take the pictures or mountaineering if there's a 30m drop?

If you're standing up, you could use the "poor man's monopod" of a bolt in the tripod socket and a chain down to the ground which you stand on, pulling slightly upwards to tension it and hold the camera a bit more steady. Old style toilet chain or similar available from hardware shops used to be good for the stuff and a 3/8" BSW bolt with a ring through it fastens into the camera.

And it fits in your pocket when done unlike a monopod...

[PViapiano]

Wait...is that Fig Rig just a circular tube with a crossbar...is that all it is?

[Andrew_4548]

Yup - you're paying for the name / endorsement and the hours and hours of development that's gone into it...

Cynical, moi?

[Gordon Moat]

Basically, yes the Fig Rig is a circle with a crossbar. On the crossbar is a sliding plate mount with lockdown, similar to the Bogen/Manfrotto macro positioning plate, and several of their video heads. They also include grips and mounting points for other items. You could probably make something like it and save $50, if you have some metal working items handy.

The idea of the sliding plate camera mount is to balance the Fig Rig. The downside is that it is heavy to hold the camera at arms length for any significant time.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio