I used to live in Yellowstone and not only did I film hours upon hours but ran into many others doing the same...no problems at all, nothing that anyone even pays any attention to. Well, ok, one time a ranger told me I was getting too close to the elk, but that had nothing to do with filming...I'd been told that at times when I had no camera. When she told me that I asked how close I could get and she took me to the limit and then stood there beside me as I filmed just oohing and ahhing at the beauty.

Ronan, I have to second Meryems' comments. Be aware where you put your stick down. A good alternative might be the dvrig pro that has been reviewed and used by others on this site. Give you great stability with no stick in the ground at all.

One thing I"ve found is if you are video taping buildings and people you might be asked to stop for security reasons. Almost got arrested down in homestead FL because we didn't have a permit.

Ronan, I just thought of something that might work out for you.
If you are going to state or national parks, there are several programs for volunteers and/or wage earners. Someone with video and editing skills would be very useful, in exchange for a free camp site (sometimes with power and water and sewer, more ofton just power or nothing at all). In some cases you can make minimum wage if there is a budget. The park services are always looking for someone to help them promote their parks, but with very very little budget, hence trading space for work. Some even feed you.
In exchange you might even get a personal tour to the best areas by the park rangers themselves.

A good web site to find more info is...
www.trailerlife.com click on the forums and then scroll down to the
section on work camping. (campinglife.com and rv.net all link to this same set of forums too). Lots of experienced people to guide you in the right direction, who to contact, what paperwork to download.....

There is even a link to a beet harvest that pays relativley well if you are willing to work hard. Some people made over $4K US in a month. But your work you #ss off for it.

Mostly retired people do this, but there are many younger folks who just want to see the country. You may not be able to accept a regular wage unless you have a green card, but you can usually get around that with bartering. Ask if there is some sort of foreign work exchange program available when inquiring. I was in Ocean City Maryland last week, there were more Ukranians(working) than American tourists around at the time:) So there has to be something available somewhere.

Ronan,

If interested try the volunteer clearinghouse website at http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/volunt...blistings.html

The Corps of Engineers is the second largest recreational provider in the U.S.
There is a constant need for folks with good photo and video skills especially with the funding shortfall for recreation in the 2006 and 2007 federal budget.


Regards,

Mark

Thank you Joe and Mark,
This is an interisting idea. I'm going to study it.

Actually, somebody still sells the duopod and uniloc tripods and monopods, because I ran across their site this week while researching the subject of monopods vs. tripods and monopd support systems. Unfortunately, they are expensive.

Also, most of the Bogen tripods offer big, flat rubber feet as on option and I would doubt very much that these would cause any more damage than, say, shoes under a 300 lb. person...

This is as complete a listing as I can find of Uniloc products:

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/inde...DS/uniloc.html

There is no sign of the Duopod. Uniloc's own site is currently not accessible.

I do not think that the ban on tripods which led to the development of the Duopod was due to damage to city streets. It was due to the alleged obstruction they caused.

You will need a tripod permit if you shot in Wash DC. Set up a tripod in front of the Lincoln and see what you attract.

Voice of experience?

FYI, in the US, I know that Pro4 imaging (pro4.com) sells uni-loc products.

Note that the duopod is basically a monopod with a sturdy foldable "foot pedal" on the bottom. The major/minor series Uni-Loc tripods come apart to form short/long monopods, table tripods, etc.

I looked at them and, without some in-depth user reviews or evaluations, found them fairly expensive. It would be nice to know how rigid the tripods are in the wild for video filming.

I've just ended up ordering a Bogen 679B monopod with a Bogen pod pouch and a "suction/spike" foot accessory, so I'm not currently in the market for a dual monopod/tripod product any more.

I was thinking about the DV Rig Jr. for stabilization, but it seems like most user's feedback is that it NOT the greatest for "stabilization" but great for camera weight off-loading. For that task, then, I can stick the monopod in the pod pouch on my hip.

Still trying to decide what tripod to buy for when I do actually visit my local National Parks (It's nice living close to Crater Lake). Since I'm off-topic, I had to throw that in!

I have owned a Duopod Pro since they first appeared in the UK seven or eight years ago. It is very heavy and rigid - a 2-section tube with the bottom section diameter almost 2 inches.

The standard Duopod was simply an extending arm with a footplate on the end which could be clamped onto any monopod of suitably large diameter.

I have looked at the pro4 site, and the duopods they display ar not those which the original Uniloc made. They are clearly much lighter in construction.

Uniloc was formed by a group of former Benbo employees at one of that companies going into receivership. Their tripods are essentially copies of the Benbo (Bent bolt) tripods. How they avoid trouble with patents I do not know. I can only assume that Benbo allowed the patents to lapse.

I also have an ancient Benbo Mk1 tripod, which is equally massive and rigid. Because of its design, which allows great flexibility in positioning, it is too much hassle to use for video.

machine guns, oh my!
 

Yes, even before (well before) 9/11. Tripods can hold machines guns I was told. Not so much a pro v amateur thing like in NYC were the City requires daily shooting permits to shoot commercially but more a security thing.

The park rangers that approached me went out of there way to make a big scene out of me and my tripod’ed camera (weird I hate tripods but wanted some long exposures- i use bean bags now). Always check with the city's L&P or call some local pros.

btw- I lost my light. And nothing can bring that back. LOL