Neck strap?
 

Quick question:

Is it possible to attach a neck strap to the HV20? I'm used to shooting by keeping the camcorder against my chest, suspended by the neck strap -- this gives me considerable stability, and also a better POV than shooting from eye-level.

Is it possible to attach a neck strap to the HV20?

And if not, how in the world do you carry it around all day?

I'd second that question.

I use a Manfrotto 560b monopod w/ mine (an excellent investment, I must say, for anyone thinking about getting one) and would love a strap that could attach to the camera and/or pod to facilitate carting it all around while still being able to get at it quickly. This is especially true when you have a still camera w/ you as well - as we soccer dads tend to (or at least us geeky ones :-) )

On that front, anyone have recommendations on bags. Maybe w/ straps to hold the 560 when I'm not using it?

Thanks!

BTW - love this forum... followed it for some time before getting my HV20 - excellent information.

Well, I just took off the shoulder strap from my GL1 and put it on the HV20. Works fine for me.

Isn't there a little metal loop on the handstrap for that purpose? Seems cheezy, but when the cam is so small...

Canon sell a WS20 wrist strap for the HV20.

I appreciate the responses, but I don't think they really answer my question. I want a neck strap, and I want to use it so that it will balance the camera against my chest, i.e. a connection at the front near the lens and a connection at the back near the battery.

Is there such a thing on the HV20?

This is a very important feature for me, as I do most of my shooting with the camera against my chest, supported by the neck strap. This provides much steadier shooting than hand-holding at eye-level. I also, literally, carry the camera around all day. I have no intention of having to hold it in, or by, my hand when I'm not shooting.

Can the camera take a lens hood? If so, maybe I can kludge something by putting a hook on the hood and attaching a strap to it, with the other side to the back of the hand strap.

How do I transport my camera? I carry my camera either leaning agianst my shoulder mounted on a tripod, or in a camera bag with a strap over my shoulder and chest.

I found a strap with two clasps on either end - thin, leather, looked like it might be off a purse - works great for when I need a 'safety'. I also have a strap on my HV20 that came off my old Canon ZR20 - got lucky on that one as it's already branded 'Canon' on it.

Really, you could go to a thrift store and find something off another old device, hi8 camera, purse, bag. It shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Paul,

The simple basic answer to your question is no! All of the attachment points for the hand strap are on the right side and would not work for what you want. Between the hot shoe, flip-out screen, tape transport door, battery and the lens, just about all of the places you could attach strap are unavailable.

When I am out with mine and I'm not shooting, it is in my pocket or if I'm not going to be shooting for quite a while I run my belt through the hand strap and it hangs from there.

A simple cross piece mounted to the tripod mount, with a strap attachment at each end would work great for attaching a strap. The camera would hang nicely from your neck and would be easy to use that way.

If you would like, I can make one for you. It would be very simple.

Good Luck-----Mike

Thanks everybody (and thanks, Mike, for the kind offer). I'll try to kludge something together once I see the camera (I just ordered one last night from B&H, so I guess the lack of a strap -- or rather a strap attachment point -- wasn't a deal breaker). B&H had the camera for $849, no tax, free shipping. They were out of the WA lens, so I got that from Adorama for $169 shipped. Now I just need a couple of batteries, a quick charger and a rain cape.

Yesterday morning, we just confirmed plans to go to Cambodia and see Angkor Wat over Thanksgiving, and I couldn't bear the thought of shooting such a magical and mysterious place in standard definition.

Pictures, pictures, pictures please! Looking forward to your trip report, Paul. If you devise a neck strap solution, please let us know. Congrats on your HV20 purchase,

Thanks, Chris. I'll definitely post something once I get back. Can't wait to get my hands on that camera. ;)

It sounds like the closest accessory to what you're looking for are Canon's SS-600 and SS-650 Shoulder Straps. Unfortunately, these probably won't help you with what you're looking to do.
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-SS600-Sh.../dp/B00009V4HF
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-SS650-Sh...3640794&sr=1-1
(The reason I went ahead and posted the links is that in the future, people may search the forum for HV20-compatible straps and those links may help them out.)

Anyway, it'd be great to see some footage from your trip!

Edit: found the other strap on Amazon so added the link.

Paul, for your trip you might consider getting a mono pod for the HV20...

You'll thank yourself for it...

I use the Manfrotto 3245

It works great with that Camera... another advantage with using this type of mono pod is you can use it to reach into the shots... use it as a camera
boom... flip it upside down and you can get some great shots of walking in the jungle or street level shots....

I like the 3245 because its an automatic extend mono pod... you just squeeze the handle and the mono pod extends to the height you want...
so it makes the adjustments very very easy and it fits into a suit case just
perfect for travel.

I have an Adorama monopod that I use for this purpose. However, I also do a lot of tripod-based work, as well. For that I use a Manfrotto 3444d carbon fiber tripod with (currently) a Bogen 3160 video head. I'll probably replace the Bogen head with a 700RC2, which is smaller and light and should work fine with the HV20.

Thanks for the links. I'm not sure, though, how they will work with the HV20, which lacks the buckles to attach them to.

There are actually two metal buckles on the back side of the belt for attaching a shoulder strap. I believe this is in the manual somewhere. For your specific purpose, though, a monopod sounds like a good bet.

I saw an HV20 last night -- it has buckles on the handstrap, which will facilitate attachment of a neckstrap. The placement of the buckles, however, will not facilitate shooting against my chest.

A monopod is, most definitely, not an answer for what I need. I do travel video, which means I'm out with the camera all day and, frequently, all night. The buckle position handles the first issue, not having to carry the camera around by hand, but it doesn't quite address the second (and neither does the monopod).

A person's center of gravity is somewhere above the hips. This means that there will be more movement above this point than at it. Hand-holding a camcorder at eye-level provides a single point of support, i.e. the arm, and places the camcorder well above the center of gravity. Instead, I hold the camcorder at chest-level, or even below, letting the back rest against my body the front suspended by the neck strap and my hands supporting either side. This results in 4-point suspension at the center of gravity. The result is much, much steadier video than you will get shooting at eye level. In my experience, the difference is dramatic. I'm not as steady as a tripod, but I'm much, much more steady than with handheld eye-level shots.

Also, as an added bonus, I get a more interesting perspective -- if you watch commercial films carefully, you'll note that the camera is rarely at eye level, and frequently below.

If you want to see some examples of shooting with this technique, take a look at the Harbin and Buenos Aires videos here (the other clips were shot with a tripod): www.travelersvideo.com (The videos have other issues, but contain a number of chest-level, 4-point brace shots.)

A monopod provides a single point of support (unless you wedge it against something). The center of gravity is at the top of monopod which, by definition, is inherently unstable. My approach provides steadier video, at least with my VX2000. A monopod is also not suitable for travel video, as it must continually be deployed whenever I'd want to shoot. I have a monopod, but use it primarily for "human crane" shots, getting reverse perspective shots on boats and trains (risky -- keep a long strap on the camera and hold on to it as a backup), and as a handle when I use a rain cape on the camera. I'll only use it for support if I'm shooting in the tele position and have a wall or tree that I can wedge the monopod again. You can, with practice, use a monopod as a poor-man's steady-cam. It requires practice, but if you attach a weight to the bottom (hooking on a camera bag works), and hold the monopod lossely slightly below the camera by your thumb and forefinger, so that the monopod can swing freely in all directions, the combination of gravity acting on the bottom weight (actually a counterweight) lowers the center of gravity to the gimbal created by your fingers, and results in a fulcrum to keep the camera vertically oriented while your arm moves around. This reproduces the effect of a steadycam (or, at least, a Steadycam Jr., which uses a similar counterweight system, unlike a true Steadycam, which is gyro-based design).

Another factor to consider is that my current camera, a VX2000, weighs 5 or 6 times as much as the HV20. Weight increases stability because a heavier camera will require more "shake energy" to overcome its inertia. On the plus side, the Canon's OIS appears to be more effective than that on my VX2000.

I'll have to play with the camera when it arrives (today! yay!). I think that, perhaps, by wearing the camcorder bandoleer-style across my left side, instead of my right as I usually do, the front buckle for the neckstrap may be sufficiently forward that my usual chest-brace position will work. I can see, though, that the much lighter weight will take some getting used to, though it will be kind of nice not having to lug a big, 6-pound camera around all day (particularly one equipped with a heavy WA lens and a heavy extra-length battery).

Paul
I have the HV10 and have the same problem, as I like to film at waist level.
I have been considering this.

Take a piece of plastic about 3x4x3/8. Drill a hole in the bottom for a mounting screw 1/4 thread. Drill a hole at each end with rings to fasten a neck strap. This will let your camera hang level and give the stability you want.

By the way your videos are great.

Bob Trimmer

That's a good idea -- I think I'll try something like that when I have some time.

Thanks!

Paul, thank you for that idea, it´s brilliant.

I just tested this with my Pana GS 400 and all of a sudden I can get steady handheld shots.

I always cary a monpod but always get pretty tired of carrying it around.

Tomorrow I will start "training"

Thanks a lot

Cheers

Hans

Bracket
 

Paul,

Threw this together for you this afternoon, to show what could be done. Probably weighs an ounce maybe two. I used a strap off an old bag.

Another approach would be to make a small adapter/bracket that would attach to the hot shoe on top. Then offset it to the right and forward to balance it out.

Sorry for the crummy pictures, especially the mirror shot, but I did not see it as necessary to put a lot of time in on pictures.

Mike

Wow, Mike! Pretty nice!

I've found an interim kludge that should work for me. I simply attached one end of the strap to the rear buckle and the other end to the loop formed by the hand strap as it passes through the front attach point. I hold the camera against my chest, one hand on the LCD and the other hand towards the front of the camera. The neck strap provides cantilever support and my hands keep the camera from twisting. The only problem is that the start/stop switch is buried against my chest. I can use the one on the LCD screen, but I'm afraid of premature wear -- too bad the camera doesn't support lanc.

By the way, my HV20 looks really goofy on my Manfrotto 3444D carbon sticks with a Bogen 3160 head. I'll probably look to getting a 700RC2 head (unfortunately, I sold one on eBay a few years ago -- I wish now that I kept it). It's still going to look goofy, though.