I have found a perfect shoulder brace for my Z7...at least for me. I bought this shoulder brace at ebay, please delete if not appropriate to post this:

Camcorder Shoulder support/stand/stabilizer/FX1,GL1,GL2 - eBay (item 350140526125 end time Dec-21-08 06:17:19 PST) (http://cgi.ebay.com/Camcorder-Shoulder-support-stand-stabilizer-FX1-GL1-GL2_W0QQitemZ350140526125QQcmdZViewItemQQptZTripods_Monopods?hash=item350140526125&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318)

And with combination of this:

Hood-Pro Professional Hoods and Loupes (http://www.hood-pro.com/)

And I got a perfect shoulder brace.

You have to mount the camera using the flat mounting only in reverse to make the camera closer to your shoulder.

Jun

I just received the Hood pro today and it's a perfect combination. Easy to focus manually now. I can shoot all day with this combination without getting tired or back ache.

Jun

if it works for you congrats!

I'm still not impressed w/ a lot of the shoulder mounts & their prices that I've seen. the one you got is cheap, but I'm not a fan of the "body brace"

the Z7 is heavier than a lot of the baby cameras out there, so I'd like to know how well it holds up after some good use

It works for me. I know the Z7 is very heavy, but not anymore with this set-up. All the weight is on my shoulder now. I know this shoulder brace is very cheap but works perfectly for me. You only need to attached the camera as close as possible to your body.

Jun

Mostly I'd be concerned w/ is if the Z7 is to heavy for the shoulder attachment.

I wouldn't trust putting my Z7 on a tripod head I bought from Walmart, the camera is too expensive for me to take that chance.

It looks like the one on ebay is targeted towards cameras in the same class as the Z7, so you should be good. But if it was built for camcorders that only weight 1-2lbs you might have a problem.

Like any new support system test it out to make sure it won't fail & always keep an eye on it & you should be fine.

But it looks like you found a great price for something you'll use often. I'm amazed at the shoulder mounts that cost more than a cheap DSLR.

If you attach the Z7 with this shoulder brace normally, the Z7 is too heavy. Like I said, you have to attach the camcorder in backward position and twist it back so the camcorder will get closer to your shoulder and matched perfectly with the Hood pro. Works for me but I am a small and skinny guy.

Jun

http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/tmtcman/article?mid=3184&prev=3188&next=3138&l=f&fid=5

I use the same brace with my EX1, sometimes with 2 radio mic receivers on.
The brace is plenty strong enough, there's no way that brace would break under normal use, you'd have to purposely try to break that brace.

I've put a manfrotto tripod adaptor on the brace so i can quickly swap my camera between the brace and tripod.

I use the brace at every wedding i do, wouldn't leave home without it.

Paul.

Which brace Paul, the one Chiaya is showing or the one Jun is showing? I like the one Chiaya shows with the handle. Who makes it? Where can it be ordered?

Tom, I have one with the handle before but I don't like it. It's a little bit bulky and heavy.

Jun