Camera Position
- Thread starter CNTdiver
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Spectre
Contributor
If you have a slightly bouyant camera, crotch strap would work as it could float up in the slip stream where a scooter would hang out.
Chickdiver's camera [light and motion tetra housing] sits nicely on the left waist d-ring.
My Canon A40 fits nicely in my DS pocket; and I'll clip it to my left D-Ring also if I've been using it.
I -really- don't like my chest D-rings, because the camera floats up a little and quickly gets in the way of my hoses.
I haven't taken steps to make the housing neutral, but I use a heavy bolt snap that keeps the whole thing neutral. Ideally I'd go with Jason's idea of a screw in weight plate to keep the housing itself neutral.
Chickdiver's camera [light and motion tetra housing] sits nicely on the left waist d-ring.
My Canon A40 fits nicely in my DS pocket; and I'll clip it to my left D-Ring also if I've been using it.
I -really- don't like my chest D-rings, because the camera floats up a little and quickly gets in the way of my hoses.
I haven't taken steps to make the housing neutral, but I use a heavy bolt snap that keeps the whole thing neutral. Ideally I'd go with Jason's idea of a screw in weight plate to keep the housing itself neutral.
This has been talked about on another DIR forum. Synopsis:
Joe Talavara feels that you should clip it off to your left shoulder D-ring and not your scooter ring. Thought being that you will drag it along the bottom and also affect your trim. Another person effectively came up with the same idea as Jim Balwin, but took it one step further. He has a cord that is tied off to the housing with a single bolt snap that stays clipped to the left shoulder D-ring. This cord is the length of his arms. This is so if he inadvertantly drops the housing it doesn't disappear into the depths. My Aquatica is a few pounds negative and I would be loosing about $5,000 if I were to let it go.
This same person also has another bolt snap snugged up on the camera housing. This is so if he needs to clip the camera off to swim etc... it is located close to his body. He also clips this off on his left shoulder D-ring.
Joe was very adamant against clipping off the camera on the right shoulder D-ring as he is concerned with long hose deployment.
Personally I have clipped off my camera to my left waist D-ring and it worked fine with the exception that it made me butt heavy (again my camera and housing is a few pounds negative - yours may be different). It would not be good if you were carring a stage/deco bottle though. So I guess I'll try the left shoulder D-ring.
Joe Talavara feels that you should clip it off to your left shoulder D-ring and not your scooter ring. Thought being that you will drag it along the bottom and also affect your trim. Another person effectively came up with the same idea as Jim Balwin, but took it one step further. He has a cord that is tied off to the housing with a single bolt snap that stays clipped to the left shoulder D-ring. This cord is the length of his arms. This is so if he inadvertantly drops the housing it doesn't disappear into the depths. My Aquatica is a few pounds negative and I would be loosing about $5,000 if I were to let it go.
This same person also has another bolt snap snugged up on the camera housing. This is so if he needs to clip the camera off to swim etc... it is located close to his body. He also clips this off on his left shoulder D-ring.
Joe was very adamant against clipping off the camera on the right shoulder D-ring as he is concerned with long hose deployment.
Personally I have clipped off my camera to my left waist D-ring and it worked fine with the exception that it made me butt heavy (again my camera and housing is a few pounds negative - yours may be different). It would not be good if you were carring a stage/deco bottle though. So I guess I'll try the left shoulder D-ring.
reubencahn
Contributor
OE2X:
I have read this thread but I really don't see how clipping to the right shoulder D-ring would interfere with deployment. Actually, it seems to me that having it on the left D-ring, the camera would be more likely to catch your long hose. Personally, I have mine in my hands when I'm actively diving unless I'm tired of shooting or have run out of space on my card (rare). When that happens, I clip to my right D-ring. With the strobe arms folded up, I can tuck the camera up under my arm, out of the slipstream. Ascending, I will generally clip it to my scooter ring because I can keep my right hand in front of me and still have the camera out of the way. All of this works pretty well for me except that if I drop the camera while it's in use, it's gone. I'm only losing $2500 or so, not $7000, but still. On the other hand, I'm very wary of having a lanyard or cord attaching the camera to my body.
opisthobranch
Contributor
Despite the fact that my camera (a VX2000 in a Bluefin Housing) is quite large I only very rarely clip it off anywhere. Doing so is an invitation to a scratched dome port or other damage as you lose control of the camera. Clipped off cameras tend to bounce around and bang into things. I keep the camera in my right hand most of the time, switching very occasionally to the left if for some reason I need my right hand. Diving with a camera will force you to be good at doing skills with only one hand.
If I'm doing a long decompression I clip the camera off to the right shoulder d-ring. I find this does not interfere with long hose deployment. The initial deployment comes from the hose crossing your chest and behind your head. Then, just as when you clear the hose from underneath your light canister you use the right hand to clear the hose around the camera.
Clipping on the right shoulder keeps the camera handy where I can protect it from damage. Except during gas switches and bottle rotations I'll still keep my right hand on the housing to ensure nothing is banging or rubbing (which is also insurance against a cave line failure leaving you wiht just a bolt snap). Note that lens caps have a bad habit of getting dislodged if you aren't paying attention.
The left shoulder gets too busy what with stages and the inflator and I think you would actually be more likely to tangle the long hose there. I would not want to clip a camera off to a scooter ring as it would hang down below you and be more vulnerable to damage or loss.
Some cameras, particularly smaller setups lacking strobe or light arms will fit nicely on the butt D-ring.
Lanyards are more trouble than they're worth and will interfer with long hose deployment (and also re-stowing). I've had this proven to me empircally. ;-)
Clinton Bauder
If I'm doing a long decompression I clip the camera off to the right shoulder d-ring. I find this does not interfere with long hose deployment. The initial deployment comes from the hose crossing your chest and behind your head. Then, just as when you clear the hose from underneath your light canister you use the right hand to clear the hose around the camera.
Clipping on the right shoulder keeps the camera handy where I can protect it from damage. Except during gas switches and bottle rotations I'll still keep my right hand on the housing to ensure nothing is banging or rubbing (which is also insurance against a cave line failure leaving you wiht just a bolt snap). Note that lens caps have a bad habit of getting dislodged if you aren't paying attention.
The left shoulder gets too busy what with stages and the inflator and I think you would actually be more likely to tangle the long hose there. I would not want to clip a camera off to a scooter ring as it would hang down below you and be more vulnerable to damage or loss.
Some cameras, particularly smaller setups lacking strobe or light arms will fit nicely on the butt D-ring.
Lanyards are more trouble than they're worth and will interfer with long hose deployment (and also re-stowing). I've had this proven to me empircally. ;-)
Clinton Bauder
So to those who clip off to your right shoulder D-ring: Do you carry a can light? If so, does it get abused by your clipped off camera?
I shoot with an Aquatica housing for my Nikon F-5 with a large dome port and Ikelite SB 200 on two 18" arms. In otherwords it's pretty bulky.
I shoot with an Aquatica housing for my Nikon F-5 with a large dome port and Ikelite SB 200 on two 18" arms. In otherwords it's pretty bulky.
I carry a can light, but I haven't carried both at the same time..
globaldiver
Contributor
I have a Sony PD-150 with a Gates housing. I tend to hold it in my hands as much as possible, and have followed Brando's suggestion to breifly hand over the housing to a teammate if needed. I use a Halcyon 13.5 canister and have no problem if I clip it off to the right chest D-ring. If I clip it , staying horizontal helps to prevent interference between the canister and the camera housing. At the surface I always hold the camera in my hands but keep it clipped.
I should mention that I have balanced the housing to an almost neutral weight which makes it much easier to hold it while diving. I can actually easily hold this fairly big housing (including top mounted monitor and two light cannons) with only two fingers if needed.
Anders
I should mention that I have balanced the housing to an almost neutral weight which makes it much easier to hold it while diving. I can actually easily hold this fairly big housing (including top mounted monitor and two light cannons) with only two fingers if needed.
Anders
opisthobranch
Contributor
OE2X:
I do carry both. The light will probably hit against the housing but I'd be a lot more worried about the dome port than the light head. (which would be a concern regardless of where you clipped the camera).
Clinton Bauder
lamont
Contributor
the grand total of one dive that i have with my c-5050 + pt-015 i clipped it off to the right chest d-ring. it tends to hang there right under the armpit. doesn't seem to get in the way of me or the long hose, and it's a long way from the can light. don't know if its a rule #5 violation, but it doesn't feel bad.
i'm mostly worried about losing the camera -- i'm not happy with the knot that i've got on there right now -- cave line, melted with a lighter and then a drop of superglue, but its not giving me confidence it'll stay there.
i'm mostly worried about losing the camera -- i'm not happy with the knot that i've got on there right now -- cave line, melted with a lighter and then a drop of superglue, but its not giving me confidence it'll stay there.
Similar threads
