shoulder mounts and footplates
 

Hi,

I'm on a budget for an upcoming project, I'm handy with tools so I've built a protype of my own shoulder mount. I'm struggling with the camera mount ie camera mounting plate.

Has anyone built their own? What did you use?

If it is possible can anyone post some pictures of how other shoulder mounts attach cameras? I'm not looking to steal other people's designs but get ideas of how I can make it work.
Thank you.
regards
A.

here's mine
 

I went with the Bogen 577 quick release adapter ($53 at B&H) because I use a 501 tripod and this allowed me to switch quickly. There is only one bolt running through the PVC pipe, but there is a second threaded hole on the adapter. So far, the one bolt has remained solidly fixed. The grips are $6 foam handlebar grips from a bike store and the shoulder pad is a gel-filled wrist pad for keyboards zip-tied to the pvc. Counter-weights in the back came from an unused dumb-bell set. The cable is part of a varizoom Lanc controller, which makes shooting so much easier than having to reach up and fiddle with the camera.

This was my second build, the first was over-built like a tank, using 3/4" PVC pipe. This one seems every bit as stable and much easier to move around in crowded rooms. I think I paid $12 for the PVC pipe and joints.

Hope that helped

WOW, thanks for that. It looks much better than mine. lol.

Really good job, I'll look into that plate. Thanks.

glad you like it
 

If you don't need to match it to a Bogen 501 or 503 head, there are cheaper QR plate assemblies on the market, but I don't know if the others have threaded holes for bolting the unit to your rig. My first one looked pretty primitive. I also recently built an emergency shoulder rig out of scrap wood when I found out I had to follow a celebrity around at the last minute and all of my gear was still in transit. As dodgey as it looked, it allowed me to hold the camera at extreme angles, like over-the-shoulder shots of a person signing autographs and stuff. I may have to revisit that project with some more durable wood and/or metal. If you do a search of the archives using the letters: DIY you'll see quite a few rigs that put mine to shame.

I'm researching materials for my own build. Found a great metal store that has all the shapes and sizes of aluminum you could ever need and they custom cut. The entire materials cost looks to be in the $60-$70 range. That cost includes dirtbike grips and rubberized foam for the shoulder pad (sourced elsewhere)
Then there's the quick release (I too need to use the 577 plate/adapter) for about $50. And I am also going to put a small ball head with quick release for my SmallHD DP1. About $50 for that.

$170 all-in and aluminum for durability...that's 1/2 to 1/3 (or less) the cost of what's commercially available. I plan on pulling the trigger after the holidays. After that I will be building my own jib arm! Just have to figure out the bearings as there will be no cheap plastic washers in mine!

My shoulder mount only cost $25, apart from the QR plate, which I alraydy owned.
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/shoulder...z5-fx1000.html