Be gentle with your EX1. at DVinfo.net

Bob Hart · May 22nd, 2014, 06:29 AM

No damage done but one needs to be a little more caring than I was.

Whilst filming for a small corporate today, one of the shots was POV of a porch deck plank being picked up off a stack by carpenters, placed on a drop saw bench, marked out, then sawn across. To avoid shake or vibration but also avoid shift, the camera was placed onto a firm foam pad and strapped down to the board with woven nylon buckle straps.

When pulling the straps down to ideal firmness I observed spontaneous commands and menu displays which suggest the casework was being distorted enough for case-mounted buttons in their rest positions to move switches on their PCB. The shot was got quite nicely. I won't be doing that again but devising some other method.

Dave Sperling · May 22nd, 2014, 08:12 AM

Next time try an ActionCam - so much lighter and easier to rig, plus you can of course watch the shot on your smartphone via wi-fi.

Darren Levine · May 22nd, 2014, 08:47 AM

That's a big camera to use for such a shot!

did the straps run over the top handle, or over the main body? Either one isn't exactly meant to take a crushing force.

a couple of things you could try if there's a next time: Use a rail block with rails sticking out front and back and strap over the rails on either end. Or bolt the camera directly to the board with 1/4" or bold a quick release base to the board. Did you test to see how well/poorly the optical stabilizer handled the vibrations?

sounds like a good shot, can you post it?

Bob Hart · May 22nd, 2014, 08:04 PM

"Big camera for the shot." - Big camera for a big plank. The product is a synthetic wood marketed out here as "dura deck"

Action cam? One makes do with what one has at the time.

Smartphone? Wi-Fi? - Those are for the rich folks. I am a bit of a notorious luddite. I am still on a Nokia 5110. It has better performance and battery endurance and had take several had falls, one off a car at night. I actually found it during my 15km search when by con-incidence somebody phoned me and it lit up on the roadside. I found three others the same night. Sadly all were flattened.

The straps were on the body and across the front of the lens - not an ideal mechanical loading for sure.

Given more time I would have cut a custom conforming chair and saddle arrangement in firm foam. It was an innovation created in indecent haste.

The optical stabiliser was not used because the plank itself was being moved around.. The motion was fine as the plank was quite heavy and the camera was well attached. The saw vibrations caused no movement.

The client was well pleased with the shot. Will post when I can.

May 22nd, 2014, 06:29 AM	#1
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	Be gentle with your EX1. No damage done but one needs to be a little more caring than I was. Whilst filming for a small corporate today, one of the shots was POV of a porch deck plank being picked up off a stack by carpenters, placed on a drop saw bench, marked out, then sawn across. To avoid shake or vibration but also avoid shift, the camera was placed onto a firm foam pad and strapped down to the board with woven nylon buckle straps. When pulling the straps down to ideal firmness I observed spontaneous commands and menu displays which suggest the casework was being distorted enough for case-mounted buttons in their rest positions to move switches on their PCB. The shot was got quite nicely. I won't be doing that again but devising some other method. Last edited by Bob Hart; May 22nd, 2014 at 06:30 AM. Reason: error

May 22nd, 2014, 08:12 AM	#2
Dave Sperling Major Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tinton Falls, NJ Posts: 780	Re: Be gentle with your EX1. Next time try an ActionCam - so much lighter and easier to rig, plus you can of course watch the shot on your smartphone via wi-fi.

May 22nd, 2014, 08:47 AM	#3
Darren Levine Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: NJ/NYC Posts: 563	Re: Be gentle with your EX1. That's a big camera to use for such a shot! did the straps run over the top handle, or over the main body? Either one isn't exactly meant to take a crushing force. a couple of things you could try if there's a next time: Use a rail block with rails sticking out front and back and strap over the rails on either end. Or bolt the camera directly to the board with 1/4" or bold a quick release base to the board. Did you test to see how well/poorly the optical stabilizer handled the vibrations? sounds like a good shot, can you post it? __________________ C100 - GH4 - NYC Shooter www.DarrenLevine.com

May 22nd, 2014, 08:04 PM	#4
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	Re: Be gentle with your EX1. "Big camera for the shot." - Big camera for a big plank. The product is a synthetic wood marketed out here as "dura deck" Action cam? One makes do with what one has at the time. Smartphone? Wi-Fi? - Those are for the rich folks. I am a bit of a notorious luddite. I am still on a Nokia 5110. It has better performance and battery endurance and had take several had falls, one off a car at night. I actually found it during my 15km search when by con-incidence somebody phoned me and it lit up on the roadside. I found three others the same night. Sadly all were flattened. The straps were on the body and across the front of the lens - not an ideal mechanical loading for sure. Given more time I would have cut a custom conforming chair and saddle arrangement in firm foam. It was an innovation created in indecent haste. The optical stabiliser was not used because the plank itself was being moved around.. The motion was fine as the plank was quite heavy and the camera was well attached. The saw vibrations caused no movement. The client was well pleased with the shot. Will post when I can.