New HomeBuilt Sun Shade

[Kevin Nardelle]

Check out the home built sunshade for my VX-2000. I just could not stand spending 300-600 bucks on a good box and shade. This one will also be able to accept filters, I am working on that right now. It has changable french flags, they are just not hinged yet. I was plagued with problems when using my wide angle outside and with my lights, this ends most of the flare I was getting.

I still cant get away from it all but this halps a great deal. The shade that comes with the VX is nice but it wont work on the wide angle lens.


Here is the pictures
http://www.realnola.com/dvprojects/

[Jason D. Moore]

wow..

Nice work Kevin! You should post some plans/instructions for the rest of us to follow, hah.

-Moore

[Kevin Nardelle]

I plan on doing just that.. I need to get everything together..
I am still working on it though, have some finishing touches to make.

Thanks!

[Alex Knappenberger]

Nice work, thats one pimped out VX2000. I should go out to my uncles (he has all the tools for steel fabrication) and make something like that, but that would be laughable on my 1CCD consumer camera, heh. I do want to make a jib arm though.

[Kevin Nardelle]

Heh that is a pimped out rig huh.. looks insane BUT it works really good. I just obtained some small aluminum hinges so i am going to use those with the flags, make it all that much better.

Somehow I have a feeling this is just the beginning hehe.
I need to head out to the scrap yard and get some aluminum and steel for my jib, that is what I really need bad. If everyone dont already know - NEVER EVER buy metal of any kind at home depot or lowes, hit up your scrap or salvage yards, you can buy it not by the piece but by the weight. I pay like .60 - .80 per pound for any piece of aluminum. Home depot has 1 inch steel thin wall box tubing for like 8-10 bucks for a tiny piece, I buy NEW 12 foot pieces for 6 bucks at the steel yard. There is much to be had at your local scrap buyer/seller's yard, you just need to look around. Bring cash.

This is the lesson of the day for those wouldbe builders, save your hard earned money - at least most of it. Hey dont get me wrong, home depot has a lot of goodies but when it comes to raw materials like the metal we need - get it elsewhere.

[Stylianos Moschapidakis]

Looks great, Kevin! Your VX2000 may not qualify to be called "portable" anymore, but hey, if the sunshade works and you saved money, portability comes second.

How long did it take you to build it, and how much did it cost you?

Great job!

[Kevin Nardelle]

Ithonestly cost me nothing because all this aluminum was laying around from either salvage scrap or pulled from equipment going out to the trash. I usually look for flatbar and plate since I have a lot going on over here - it's good to have around.

I salvaged the hinges from a overhead reader thingy that has a foldable plate to hold documents.

I had some alimunum sheet from when I worked out at the airport here. Really I have time invested in it, the time is the killer for most people - just happens that I have more then enough these days. I have now about three nights, the third counting the flags and hinges fabrication/fitting time.

heh as for portable I am trying to figure out what I am going to do with the old hard case I used to lug it around in.. The neat thing is, I only have one bolt and it is off the camera in one piece. I can also just remove the matte box itself and leave the plate. I think I need to focus more time on a jib before things pick up and I dont have this free time.

[Charles King]

Nice work Kevin. I often like to keep cost down depending on what the product is, that I am buying. Here is mine that I built:

http://homebuiltstabilizers.com/charlesmattebox.html

[Lou Bruno]

Outstanding!!!!!