shoulder/hip support for EX1 – extended hand-held shooting

[Craig Seeman]

I’d add has anybody used
CVP Shoulder support
or
Vortex Media Shoulder support

[Michael Slowe]

The Vortex does look interesting but quite cumbersome. I have often meant to ask if anyone has used it. Had a feel of the EX3 today but it’s not any easier than the EX1 and it’s heavier and more expensive! I investigated the possibility of getting the eyepiece attachment of the EX3 from Sony and finding a way to fix it on to the EX1 screen. Could be done, it’s not heavy and it un clips. I found also that it would cost over £300, crazy when you see what it really is!

Michael Slowe

[William Urschel]

I have tried 6 devices, some shoulder, some shoulder waist, some waist, and the one short of a tripod or a good monopod that I like best is the Davis and Sanford by Tiffen Steady Stick – a great, non debilitating waist support, and I’ve steadily and cvery comfortably held the camera for four or five hours at a time – and I’m not htat strong! And it offers the greatest flexibility for vertical and horizontal pans while providing a solid platform. By the way, that CVP really attracted me until I found out that UK company evidently wanted hundreds of dollars to ship it – no way! Another really disappointing one for me was “The Gliders”, which has a myriad of adjustments, and potentially good support, but there is no way I can tighten up one critial fulcrum to keep the whole thing from flopping forward on its lower chest support – I may just have a defective product – I really would have liked to have seen it work. since it has both a lower chest support as well as the shoulder hook similar to the CVP, at a considerably lesser price, many more adjustments, and much more substantial construction – if only I could tighten up a “Pull and Turn” knob on it – and by the way, it was recommended VERY highly by a prominately respected videographer on this site!

[Max Reid]

I have a old funky shoulder brace of unknown brand for the PD-150 that looks a lot lit the CVP unit. It hooks over the shoulder and has a little arm come out to mount the camera. With a little adjusting I got it to work for the EX3. It’s nice in that it’s light and small. it’s amazing what a wonderful hand held camera the EX3 becomes with the brace. The bad balance disappears, the EX3 seems to weigh almost nothing and I the fatigue is minimal.

One other advantage of this old brace is that it places the lens about 4 inches below my eyeline, so when I am shooting, the eyepiece is sloped down at about a 30 degree angle. I am left-eyed so this allows me to see OVER the camera with my right eye. Love it.

But the CVP unit looks pretty good too. Anyone try it?

Max Reid
http://www.maxreid.net

[Michael Slowe]

Max, does it look anything like the Vortex one, if you’ve seen a picture of it? I use the EX1 but it still could use a brace but it’s lighter than the EX3.

Michael Slowe

[Max Reid]

This old brace I have doesn’t look like the Vortex brace. The Vortex hooks over the shoulder in the back. My brace is more like the CVP in that it hooks onto the back of the shoulder but comes down in the front– If you can imagine a sideways letter “P” with the hump part of the “P” turned up and fitting over your shoulder and the bottom part coming out to support the camera four inches or so below the top of your shoulder.

The Vortex brace might work fine, and I haven’t used it, but from what I have seen, it holds the camera fairly high. If you can get the camera down, so the lens is below your eye, the camera can fit closer to your body, taking the weight off your arms and making steady shots easier.

Max Reid
http://www.maxreid.net

[Chris Babbitt]

This appears to be the same unit as the one CVP sells. It looks like it is available from a few different E-Bay sellers. Very cheap! Philip Bloom gave it a rave review on his web site. Here’s the E-Bay address:
Sorry, I don’t know how to post a link.

https://cgi.ebay.com/Shoulder-Body-Support-Tripod-for-Video-Camera-Camcorder_W0QQitemZ200301794179QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Video_Cam_Accessories?hash=item200301794179&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

[Jeremy Wilker]

I also got the Gliders brace after reading a certain good review and it has exactly the same problem you describe. The main pivot point will not get tight enough for any camera (EX3 or DVX100A). I tried to get the mounting screw out of the brace so I could add a rubber gasket/washer or something but even with a seemingly large amount of pressure it would not budge and seemed on the verge of breaking the brace. Anyone have any idea how that screw mounts into the brace? I’m tempted to drill it out and replace it so I can actually get it tight. That said, it has a few other flaws in my opinion (except that price is so nice!): the monopod for the waist/hip is not nearly long enough. It rests right on my middle abdomen which means my breathing moves the camera. It should, I think, rest right on my hip bone area. Also the screw that mounts the camera to the brace should have “sprockets” on it instead of being just a round knurled knob — too hard to get a good grip on it right now and it is a tight space.

[Chris Babbitt]

Here’s another version. Seems almost too good to be true.

https://cgi.ebay.com/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230320484542

[Andrew Stone]

Actually that rig does work. Philip Bloom on his blog refers to it as “the elcheapo” shoulder rig.

Of the midrange stuff I have found the “Media Rig” to be very good but it harness/rig makes you HIGHLY visible in a crowd. Cinevate makes an interesting shoulder rig that utilizes the Proteus Rails device that is gaining popularity. If you can hold your nose and drop lots of money the Zacuto Newsman package rig works really well with a EX1/EX3 and you can sport a Letus with it and simply adjust the over the shoulder counter balance and you’re in business. Any shoulder rig that takes your hand off the camera handle will require a remote zoom on the handle of the shoulder rig so factor that in when you are making your decision.