shoulder brace for monopod

Hard to establish how practical this is - Gadget or Gimmick (?)

Alnitak said:

I worry that adding any kind of stock or extension, with a large lens sitting on top, only exasperates the balance and handling issues of a monopod, adding considerable weight and torque with the extensions. That approach is probably more feasible for a stationary tripod than a more mobile, compact, lighter monopod. Good luck with your choices. Hope you find a solution that works for you.

Click to expand...

Using the 200-500 attached to the D7500 wasn't at all a weight or balance issue. It's a heavy lens anyway and the balance shifts forward considerably as it's zoomed out and the front extends. But on the monogimbel, extended, once you've set the balance point, the whole is stable enough that one can simply hold the monopod and rest between shots. I found it remarkably easy. SO much so that, as I've said before, other photographers were actually photographing my setup - some of whom also had monopods or even tripods ,,, on the moving deck of our exploration ship.

fcotterill said:

Hard to establish how practical this is - Gadget or Gimmick (?)

StockCam: Unqie Stablizer for Wildlife Photography

Perfect for Birdwatching/ Wildlife Photography / Compatible with all camera brands and models | Check out 'StockCam: Unqie Stablizer for Wildlife Photography' on Indiegogo.

www.indiegogo.com

Click to expand...

you'd get shot by local police I'd imagine, f you're not lucky enough to have been thrown in jail!

Interesting Patrick. It would have made a good Christmas present for my mother-in-law if she was still living. I would have thrown in camera gear and a plane ticket to Tel Aviv.
As it is I might get one if they give free postage and complimentary black balaclava, and it costs less than A$30.
Hopefully my 'spy camera' arrives tomorrow [ the shoulder brace thing ].

The shoulder brace arrived today. This is how I set it up:




The brace fits to the monopod then I put the hinged quick release on top of the brace. I have the brace fully extended for using the Canon R7 with Sigma 150-600 C and 2X extender. The balance of the rig is reasonable. If I had longer arms there might be a problem. The shoulder brace [ IMO ] does what Steve does by pressing his face [ forehead ] against the camera body as I mentioned above.

I took a photo of the power pole out front to test things:



R7 1200mm f13 ISO 1600 distance approx. 41.5 m

Very slight crop when converting to JPEG. No other PP.

I am slowly getting used to keeping both eyes open when taking photos and use my right eye to look through the camera. It's a bit like learning to ride a two wheeled bike. Hopefully once I can take photos this way I will be ok. Least I can't fall off.

Hope this has been of some use.

This was taken at about 15m and cropped 70%. Just seeing what is possible. No need to tell all the things that are wrong with it.