Best way to keep a camera attached and be streamlined

[Manatee Diver]

What are the best methods for keeping a camera attached to your BCD when you aren't actively using it. I am upgrading from my GoPro on a floatly handle to a proper tray with lights, nothing huge but not something that I can just shove in my pocket like before.

Preference would be something streamlined so I can use it when I feel I am ready to take my camera on tech dives.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I'd love to know, too. Diving with a tray, camera, and lights is like swimming with a little wall in front of you.

 

[tep]

There's an earlier thread that may help you get started...

To tether or not to tether

 

[-Moe]

I tether to my left shoulder strap and when not shooting clip a bolt snap to a D ring on the right hand side of my waist belt buckle. This eliminates any dangling and is very secure.

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[aviator8]

I use a coil lanyard clip like the one shown above. I clip it off to my right chest D ring. When shooting, the center clip is released and i have enough slack to film/shoot up to my arms max extension. If I drop it or have and emergency it stays with me, though my rig is almost perfectly neutral so it wont go far fast. When I am not shooting I clip the center clip and use my right arm to keep it in a slung position at my side behind my arm.

 

[undrwtr1]

I made a setup similar to this for shore diving Bonaire and keep it attached during the dive if not shooting.

Shore Diving with a dSLR

 

[Manatee Diver]

I made a setup similar to this for shore diving Bonaire and keep it attached during the dive if not shooting.

Shore Diving with a dSLR

I was thinking about something similar but just using a normal bolt snap on the side opposite of the lanyard.

 

[Jack Hammer]

For my GoPro on a tray i put 2 rigid arms with a ball connect on each side with a light. This allows me to fold it across itself to make it more compact when stowing it. I clip it off to the butt D ring (BM). Works great, doesnt catch anything, low profile.

(Hope that made sense)

 

[outofofficebrb]

What are the best methods for keeping a camera attached to your BCD when you aren't actively using it. I am upgrading from my GoPro on a floatly handle to a proper tray with lights, nothing huge but not something that I can just shove in my pocket like before.

Preference would be something streamlined so I can use it when I feel I am ready to take my camera on tech dives.

Get this:

Cetacea Housing Coiled Lanyard with Brass Snap

It's Cetacea CRL-11 if you want to find it from another retailer. It is quite beefy and can handle a rig with arms/strobes and lights as well but it will be good for your purposes. It can easily handle something like a TG series camera with a light. What kind of camera are you upgrading to? (I used that as an example as many folks go that route when upgrading from a GoPro.) You can clip the bolt snap to a d-ring and when not using it, you can snap the male/female clip to keep it closer to you. Another option is to get tech shorts or a thigh pocket and stick the camera in there and put a small light on the shoe of the housing then clip it to a hip d-ring but have it away in the tech shorts/cargo pocket. When you want to use it, you can pull it out but it stays out of the way and still tethered when you take it out to use it.

 

[Landau]

Whatever solution you choose keeps the priorities in that order:

Top Priority: Attached
Secondary Priority: Streamlined

I've seen lots of lost cameras and two were safety issues as they happened at or near the surface at the end of the dive and the low on air owners started to head back down to 80+ feet to try retrieve them. Fortunately both were stopped by their buddy in one case and the DM and the diver's wife in the second case.

Just make sure it can be detached in case of entanglement etc.

And compared to a sea lion or a competitive swimmer, scuba divers aren't all that streamlined anyway so a medium sized camera rig doesn't make that much difference.