A left-hander camcorder?
 

Here's something I'd never thought of before.

An old friend of mine suffered a stroke last year which he is almost fully recovered from except that he has no feeling/movement in his right arm from the elbow to the hand.

This has meant that he can no longer use his camcorder without a great deal of hassle or carting a tripod everywhere he goes. "How I wished they'd made a left-handed camcorder" he told me the other week.

I guess that's because most left-handed people can still use the basic functions required with their right hand, but it did occur to me that if the manufacturers had followed the same design characteristics as the old Super 8 cine cameras, they would have an dual-handed camera.

Perhaps it's time some enterprising manufacturer produced a pistol grip add-on for camcorders and camera manufacturers put a screw thread for a shutter release cable in their start-stop buttons.

Sometimes you just can't improve on the old methods!!!

Moved from HD, UHD (2K / 4K) Digital Cinema to Open DV.

Camcorders are like rifles; they're all right-handed.

Meanwhile, see attached pics: VariZoom sells a bracket called the VZ-PGB that converted their PG-L controller to a camcorder pistol grip. It works with any camcorder that has a Control-L (LANC) jack.

While few and far betwen left handed rifles do exist. Besides conversions, some of the major manufacturers also offer them

Remington Left-Hand Firearms

I think Savage, Ruger, and Beretta also have left handed models.

being a natural left hander it never really occurered to me that some people might need a 'left handed' camera. I always joke about left handed pliers and screwdrivers etc. AAMOF I'm so used to doing things right handed on the camera or driving a stick shift car or operating a mouse that I don't think I could operate a camera any other way. Heck, I even played the drums right handed. When I tried playing the guitar though it had to be left handed. Go figure. I know I can't drive a right hand drive stick shift car, I tried an old MG-TD some years ago and almost crashed the car. Here's the weird thing. When I was in the service during time at the range (rifle range) I found I had real trouble hitting the target until my good ol' 1st sargent had me do the dominate eye test. I'm right eye dominate (which I didn't know then) switched sides and BAM! Great shooting scores. When I got into still photography back in 1971 again everything was set up for right handers and when I got into video in 83 it was very natural to work the camera right handed.
The bracket from VZ is very interesting especially since I have a VG-L Pro LANC controller and for 25 bucks it might be worth it to try it. Aw, there I go again, spending money. ;-O

Chris: sorry for getting the wrong section.

I have never seen anything like that in the UK, I guess the LANC unit is going to make it costly by comparison to a more simpler grip with shutter release cable but the VZ-PGV obviously has more going for it.

My friend tells me has has managed to use his Sony Handycam with reasonable success by employing a camcorder support that goes around his neck with a support that comes up from the chest that the camcorder attaches to. He has modified it with a further strap that comes from the camera end of this support around his neck, thus allowing him to reach over with his left hand to operate the on/off button and his son has made a 'device' that fits on the top of the camera that effectively puts zoom control on the left...... all very Heath Robinson, but he doesn't mind, just lives in hope of getting his right hand working again!

I really dislike the "grip around the camcorder" approach they have forced upon us. I used to use a pistol grip with my still camera and decided to make one for my video camera. I made it quite simple. I cut off a wooden dowel, drilled a hole in the center and screwed in a thread insert like this Thread Inserts for Hard Wood by E-Z LOK . It takes a 1/4-20 bolt (the standard thread on camcorders and cameras). I screwed in a bolt, cut it off long enough to add a piece of glued cork around the bolt with enough thread left to go in camera. I have a Zoe LANC controller that controls zoom, push to focus if I want and record.

The one shown in the pictures is actually a 5/16 bolt that fits the larger inserts on big still lenses and in this case the plate that slides into my Gitzo fluid head also will take a 5/16 bolt. I use the plate on the camera and then attach the pistol grip to the plate because I carry quite a bit of weight on the camera. It is easier for me to hold at an angle so I cut one end of the dowel at an angle and put the insert there.

Cheers,

Duane

my old Panasonic has a remote ... perhaps you can velcro the remote to the video on the left side ?

The FN P90:
FN P90 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and the FN FIVE-SEVEN:
FN FIVE-SEVEN

are both ambidextrous,

but they aren't rifles.