hard lesson
 

Good evening,

Perhaps I can save someone else from disaster.

I was out filming golden eagles at their eyrie. I did not want to disturb so I was hanging back with the lens at 400mm. I moved up beside some other cover to get a better advantage to film. I got some footage of the female incubating. I picked up the tripod with the camera attached, held up against my left shoulder. I stepped into the snow and my feet went flying out from under me. I tried to save the camera but I bashed down pretty hard and I broke the viewfinder on my xl2, it is in two distinct pieces. I then also realized I broke the fluid head off the tripod as well. Uggggg!!

Lesson: carry camera in case to and from set up. If you are gonna move disassemble and reassemble. A rule I will live by from now on!!!!!

Ouch! I feel your pain.

Dale, I'm so sorry to hear! This is the bad thing about being a wildlifephotographer. And this can happen to everyone!

At least good to hear that you didn't hurt yourself.

How badly hurt is the viewfinder anyway. If you manage to get any picture, you can glue the pieces together?
It's maybe worse to repair the tripod head!

To carry the camera in a case is the best for certain, but sometimes the action will be gone long before you have unpacked the camcorder. Well I sometimes take the change and sometimes not.

I near puked when I read your post Dale ...we've all done the same thing so many times but with luck we got away with it....seems your luck ran out.

Per your so right "to case or not to case" I've come across that perfect shot so darn many times with the camera in the case that I get a tad to brave and do as you did Dale....then a close call sets me straight again.

Dale to try and find some posative in things...with that 400mm up front your darn lucky you didn't twist the camera body or snap off the lens adapter.

Bummer..........

Sorry to hear the bad news. I can really relate. It is just a terrible thing. I'd rather get hurt than have my gear hurt, but that all depends on how much hurt I have to suffer.


I've done similair things with a cam bag strap sliding off my shoulder down some stairs. From that point on, I where my bag straps over and around my head so it is impossible to slide off.

I will keep your lesson in my mind, since I run around with a cam and a tripod all the time.

Dale

Once in my early years of photography I upset a tripod with a new Minolta SRT 101 and 400mm lens attached backwards into a stream. The camera was a total loss, so I know the feeling.

One of course takes more precautions after an accident and we all want to be careful, but the bottom line is that one either has to concentrate on protecting the camera or on getting the shot and tearing the rig down all of the time gets old.

I'll probably pay dearly at some point in time for my attitude, but no matter how careful I am with equipment when it is new, I soon find myself using it as a tool and taking only normal precautions with it.

I have insured most of my more expensive equipment on a personal articles policy (non-professional use) and it is supposedly covered against accidental breakage, but then one still has the problem of being without the equipment while it is repaired or replaced.

I recall walking back to the vehicle after an early morning excursion last summer with an XL1-s and, a Canon 10-D and three L lenses strapped to me and it really came home to me, just how much it was possible to damage if one was to and fall.

At any rate I hope you can get the XL-2 back in action soon and I'm truly sorry to hear of your misfortune.

Good evening,


Thanks for the sympathy and interesting comments!! A friend mentioned insurance.
I went down and apparently they will cover tripod replacement and repair of the view finder, less the deductable of course.

I was out this evening with my trusty gl2, great camera. But, I am already getting spoiled with the 100x400 on my xl2!!!