New Sony Shoulder Mount (VCTSP2BP) Available at B&H

Marty Welk · February 18th, 2010, 01:57 AM

i use a chest stick (rarely), and the support point has to land on the bone right above the diaphram centered, or back down on the waist. anywhere else on the chest just wont cut it.
i dont have a problem with breathing effecting it then, but then again i dont breathe when i shoot :-)

the thing i want to know most about the sony shoulder support is whan it is folded up and tossed on a tripod, with IT still attached, does it exisiting there (between them) cause even the smallest of movement between the tripod head and camera, when panning or tilting.
That is the first thing that came to mind when i saw that design.
If there is even a micro bump when changing from panning left to panning right with a hard drag setting on the tripod, because of the thing between the head and the camera, it would be irritating when following, like say your trying to follow a Ice Skater in circles, and at each return a tiny bump hits.

Ronn Kilby · February 19th, 2010, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

Excellent point, Mark.
Any chest support will move when you breath -- pluse it prevents proper panning and tilting. I think that's a crazy method of "supporting" a camera.

The better method of balancing the camera is to add counter-weights to the rear, so the camera practically floats on your shoulder. The problem with the EX1/EX1R isn't that it is too heavy to carry, the problem is purely one of ergonomics.

Also it doesn't look to me like the Sony shoulder-mount does anything to move the camera over so it is situated in front of your face. I don't know about other people, but I want the viewfinder in front of my head, not in front of my shoulder. The camera body needs to be shifted left a few inches from the shoulder brace.
http://www.vortexmedia.com/images/VSB1_photo5L.jpg

I can shoot all day with my 25 pound F800 on my shoulder, but I'm dying after about 15 minutes of hand-holding a naked EX1.
Here's another option to consider. It's not perfect for everyone, but it works a lot better than the Sony brace.

Vortex Media: VIDEO & PHOTO Tools and Training

Hey Doug -

I really like the design of your brace - but I'm wondering how it breaks down to put the camera in a bag or case ( I use a Kata CCC-10-A). Is there a quick release or would I have to unscrew it from the camera's tripod mount every time?

Doug Jensen · February 19th, 2010, 05:41 PM

Hi Ronn,

It doesn't break down, so you'll usually have to dismount the camera to pack up.
However, it does allow you to mount a tripod quick-release plate on the shoulder mount so yo can go back and forth from tripod to hand-held.

February 18th, 2010, 01:57 AM	#16
Marty Welk Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: East Bay Cali Posts: 563	i use a chest stick (rarely), and the support point has to land on the bone right above the diaphram centered, or back down on the waist. anywhere else on the chest just wont cut it. i dont have a problem with breathing effecting it then, but then again i dont breathe when i shoot :-) the thing i want to know most about the sony shoulder support is whan it is folded up and tossed on a tripod, with IT still attached, does it exisiting there (between them) cause even the smallest of movement between the tripod head and camera, when panning or tilting. That is the first thing that came to mind when i saw that design. If there is even a micro bump when changing from panning left to panning right with a hard drag setting on the tripod, because of the thing between the head and the camera, it would be irritating when following, like say your trying to follow a Ice Skater in circles, and at each return a tiny bump hits. __________________ ----------------sig----------------- Re-learning everything all over again, one more time.

February 19th, 2010, 05:41 PM	#18
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,461	Hi Ronn, It doesn't break down, so you'll usually have to dismount the camera to pack up. However, it does allow you to mount a tripod quick-release plate on the shoulder mount so yo can go back and forth from tripod to hand-held. __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools