Mono pod or shoulder brace.
 

Gonna shoot the biggest event in my life. My baby's birthday. I know I need some kind of support to steady the shots and also to free my hand(s). In the delivery room that is. I know its gonna be hard task to shoot and coach the wifey in the birthing process. Which would you use the monopod or a shoulder brace. I could use the HC3 on this one cause of its size but then I won't have the PQ as from the fx1.

Thanks

My Advice!
 

I'd stick the camera on a tripod on the other side of the room, where it's not in the way, but you can check it from time to time.

Keep your priorities sorted, if you know what I mean!

Cheers Vaughan

Exactly! If I had been running around with a video camera while my wife delivered, the next big event I could have taped would have been our divorce. So I second Vaughan's suggestion to put the camera where it doesn't require much attention.

Good luck for the baby!

- Martin

Fred,

Take it from a guy who was in that room just over a year ago. DON'T experience the biggest event in your life through a viewfinder. You'll regret it, and your wife will resent it. There's no way I could have concentrated on a camera with all that was happening, nor would I have wanted to. And your wife is going to be in pain and exhausted. Shoving a camera at her is not going to help.

Put the camera on a tripod if you must have it, and forget about it. You've got more important things to worry about.

Best of luck on the upcoming event,
Vito

I've been shooting a lot of family events through the view finder. My wife is very understanding. I will disscuss more with her on what she wants on her labor day. But I would really like to capture the baby when it comes out and whent they hand baby to her...to catch that moment of baby and mommy for the first time.

Well, only you know what's best for yourself and your family.

Hope it all goes well, and enjoy being a dad. It's the greatest!

Cheers,
Vito

Fred -
It's a bit heavy with the Z1 but there's the old optex shoulder brace/mount that has a wrap around strap - I got one so I could shoot "parrot cam" with smaller cameras - it pretty much points where you do... There's an Indian Knock-off of the Optex on Ebay too...

Duh, for that matter I have an Optex one I'm selling if you're interested... PM me if you are. I have a slightly more articulated version of the same thing and don't need the Optex anymore, but it's a pretty nice shoulder mount if you're in good enough shape - I can shoot 15-20 minutes before my lower back starts to remind me how out of shape I've let myself become...!

I captured my daughter's birthday!!! with the fx1. Free hand, thank god for 30 minutes of pushing and the fx1 handle. Got tons of footages, gonna make like a discovery channel style video...who knows my options are sky high.

That's an important moment, and there will only be one of those with that baby. You can always take infant pictures/video a day or two later.

Wished I had a video, or a still, even from across the room. The Dr. would not allow a camera in the birthing suite.

Congrats on the new addition to the family. I'm glad it went well for you.

All the best...

I asked my hospital about camera equipment. They are ok with anything as long as there is no tripod. The delivery of my first son will be in early October. I am planning only a handful of pictures during the moment the doctor passes the baby to Mom. Then, I will only take pictures hours later of my wife in the hospital room, of the newborn in the baby "cell" room, and then pictures of the newborn over the next week at home. I've seen Kodak photogallery pictures of the baby in all sorts of contortions, complete with swollen testicles, tons of "Where's the baby in the picture" photos, many of the back of the baby's head with no identifiable subject in the composition. These pictures shouldn't exist and only perturb the delivery process.