Beanbags
 

Does anyone have any feedback on using beanbags for camera support?

Should I just pick up a normal one from WalMart or should I buy one made for camera use?

I saw this one on Ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...Name=WDVW&rd=1
But it looks a little small for video.

Thoughts/suggestions?

This is the best available design for video cameras as far as I can tell.

http://www.tvcameramen.com/equipment/equipment07.htm

Dylan,

Fun question for me cuz it brings back fond old memories of my best friend in Rochester, N.Y. She was a reporter at a local news station and would often recount stories involving an infamous cameraman there who was around 600 years old with a bad back and who REFUSED to carry a tripod. But he DID carry a bean bag. And would shoot everything; interviews, crime scenes, parades, whatever, on that damn bean bag. He'd just find something stable, plop that bag down, set the camera on it, eyeball the level and shoot. And nobody dared to complain because he always came back with such awesome video.

Don't know what type of bag he was using but I'm guessing it wasn't anything fancy from a video store because this was way back in the days...

Go for the Wal-Mart bargain and see what you think about shooting on a bag before buying the more expensive version?

Thanks for all your fine wrangling.

Stephanie

Thanks Stephanie, good story.

Steven, that's a hell of a bag, but it comes with a hell of a pricetag!

I think I'm going to go get one from WalMart and trim it to my needs. Then I'm going to get a soft cover for it so I can use it as a pillow when sleeping on planes.

Not to derail this thread, but Stephanie, what kind of stuff are you shooting lately? I'm a local and a fellow Panasonic owner. (I would have said my hellos in email but you have that option turned off)

bill_porter@hotmail.com

Hey Bill,

So nice of you to ask. I'll e-mail you directly tommorow when I'm more conscious.

Nighty night,

Stephanie

Dylan,

I have the Cinesaddle, and although it seems expensive, it certainly isn't compared to a good tripod. It also comes complete with straps n hooks to secure bag/camera to a car or similar. So not bad.

I find it invaluable for oddball shots, and like the story, there has to be good reason for dragging a tripod around when you are shooting alone. Great for dropping on the ground, railings, walls, anything. And smooth pans after a little practice.

The Cinesaddle is well made, very rugged, and looks very good - dare I say pro! :)

Good luck with your Walmart beanbag. It will get you into 'beanbag' shooting anyway.

a good beanbag is hard to find! i've been looking for awhile online and among the major discounters without much luck, so dylan, if you find one, could you post where you found it?

the cinesaddle looks excellent, but it is priced well beyond what i'm willing to pay for some cloth and beans. i understand the argument that it is cheaper than a tripod, but i imagine it is also substantially cheaper to manufacture than a decent tripod. the inventor could probably make this a standard piece of equipment if he actually priced it to sell and make substantially more money in volume sales than by targeting such a narrow audience. FWIW.

okay, i think i've figured this out. two good sources.

http://www.beans72.com/0-00-beans72-Pillows.htm

see the baby/wrist size pillow

http://catalog.com/organic/buckwheat...ngpillows.html

(i personally bought the many moons travel size pillow and am very pleased with it....)

these are husk pillows. zippered items, so you can replace the husks with beans or rice, if you prefer.

one hint, the pillows come overstuffed, so one recommendation is to remove husks until you get the right support for your camera, but save the husks, because over the course of a year, the pillow will lose 5% volume.

naptime, anyone?