Shoulder Mount for Ex1
 

I have been thinking a lot about building a shoulder mount for my EX1. Being a DIY guy I've spent hours researching and designing but as of yet not built anything. I did found an excellent site that shows many of the available mounts together.

CAMCORDER STEADYMOUNT

I am working on a shoulder mount system for the EX1 and I also make the "stronger tripod plate" for the EX1.

Check this discussion link:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/converge...-shipping.html

You can order the basic system here:
EX1 Stronger Plates

Or by contacting me:
olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Bob - I can certainly vouch for Olof's Stronger Base Plate and Wing and bracket system for mounting the Nanoflash and his work on a light weight shoulder mount looks very promising. Depending on how elaborate you want to go with a shoulder mount and how important being almost hands free (to make adjustments on the camera) - I have been very happy with this system: Shape WLB - SPIDER II camera support - SP2200
That being said, I may still end up getting Olof's system as something I can throw in the camera bag and have it ready in a momen't notice.

I too have been thinking and even testing a number of designs for a better shoulder mount for my EX3. Of course the first thing I made was a mounting plate to provide a solid mount for the camera.

One of the major issues I see with most shoulder mount designs is that you need to keep a hand on the lens for adjusting focus, aperture, and sometimes zoom. This requirement takes away a valuable balance point used by most of the designs in your link. I want to have something simple, light weight, and easy to move from shoulder to tripod. My current prototype is very similar to the baseplate with shoulder bracket that is sold by a couple people. But it still doesn't sit properly on the shoulder and there is still some left/right tilt that creates stress when holding the camera for a long time. I haven't given up yet...

I second Barry on that - for the EX1 with NanoFlash, Olof's design is very promising!

The stuff on the website you linked to has been around for quite long, but none of the offerings summarized there really works well with a camera like the EX1, not to mention with some additions like a matte box, or the nanoFlash!

I'd definitely wait for Olof's shoulder brace.

Kevin - using the Shape that I put the link to in my post there is no apparant left/right tilt when using the extension arm - the weight is balanced between your shoulder and hip (or whever you put the end of the extension arm). My left hand is totally free to make adjustments as well as the right ( i have a Manfrotto remote mounted on the right handle so for a good steady shot I can keep my hands on the handles without having to go back and forth to start/stop recording or to review last shot). I also use the Hoodman Wristshot for hand held shots and have one of their baseplates mounted on the shoulder mount as well as my tripod mount - it is simply a click to move the camera from shoulder mount to hand mount to tripod mount.