Where to attach lanyard?

[gr8jab]

Hi all,

I just got a new camera. Sealife MicroHD with mini-tray and SeaDragon 1200. I'm going to Cozumel at the end of February, and can't wait to use it!

In the past, I only had a point-n-shoot (no tray or external light). Attaching a lanyard was easy, using the pre-drilled hole in the housing. I used a snappy-coil to keep it close, but allow me to take pictures a full arm length. Worked fine.

The MicroHD has a lanyard hole too, but it is in an awkward spot (see the red dot in the picture). In this case, should I still use the lanyard hole? An alternative would be to loop the lanyard around the tray, but that could come off if the light is detached.

Any thoughts?

 

[Hawkwood]

Is there enough room between the camera and the grip to attach something like this? The lanyard gets attached to the D-ring. Tough to tell from the photo if there is a bit of a lip on the tray.

 

[tursiops]

Can you attach the camera to the tray with a security line (to back-up the tripod screw), like a cable-tie or a piece of nylon cave line, and then just use your lanyard wherever you want on the tray?

 

[Ran Mozaik]

I think I would still connect it to the camera lanyard hole. Seems like a good spot and close to the hand grip. Maybe use a longer lanyard if you can't fit your hand there.
If not, you can attach a cable tie to the tray, between the grip and the camera and attach the lanyard to that.
Btw, I just tested out that camera in Cozumel recently - Sealife Micro HD Review and Samples
Great little camera! Enjoy

 

[danvolker]

I would NEVER want to use a lanyard...I don't believe it is a good practice for a photographer or videographer.

I can see a value in temporarily being able to clip off a camera to your chest D ring, either while you are stationary in a deco or safety stop...or, if during the dive something happens that requires you to have both hands free, and you don't want to put the camera down and chance losing it.... But straps to do a temp clipping to D rings are nothing like a wrist lanyard, and the frequent abuse of the camera that typically goes hand in hand with the use of the lanyards. Many cameras get lost by use of lanyards, and many cameras get broken by the flailing around of the camera that the lanyards allow.

 

[gr8jab]

Great ideas and input from everyone. Thanks.

Ran -

nice review. I'm preparing a blog for my Cozumel trip, and will include some impressions from my novice point of view. BTW, I'm and EE too!
​

Dan -

yes, I do get your point. Maybe I'll consider modifying my behaviors. However, I do partially align with your advice. My method is to attach the camera to the clip/coil type lanyard using a chest D-ring (like this clippy coil). I do not put the lanyard on my wrist. During most of the dive, the camera is in my hand with the coil providing excellent range of motion. Occasionally, to have both hands free, I clip the camera tight to the D-ring if needed. I do have a fear of loosing the camera, so having it connected to me 100% of the time makes me feel better. I usually hug the camera to my body during entry, and hand it out before exiting the water. Is this OK? I don't have a history of camera damage using these methods, but will consider improving my practices. Do you have any additional ideas or feedback?
​

Dan and Ran -

I had to adjust the buoyancy of my old camera using weights. Slightly negative seems the best. Is this a common practice, and is it the right thing to do? Advice?

Ran, how was the MicroHD buoyancy? Did it require weights?

I also want to attach some type of ID to the camera. I was thinking of getting a small engraved dog tag from the pet store with my email address on it, and attaching it via tie-wrap. What do you think?
​

Thanks guys - love this forum.

 

[danvolker]

Great ideas and input from everyone. Thanks.

Ran -

nice review. I'm preparing a blog for my Cozumel trip, and will include some impressions from my novice point of view. BTW, I'm and EE too!
​

Dan -

yes, I do get your point. Maybe I'll consider modifying my behaviors. However, I do partially align with your advice. My method is to attach the camera to the clip/coil type lanyard using a chest D-ring (like this clippy coil). I do not put the lanyard on my wrist. During most of the dive, the camera is in my hand with the coil providing excellent range of motion. Occasionally, to have both hands free, I clip the camera tight to the D-ring if needed. I do have a fear of loosing the camera, so having it connected to me 100% of the time makes me feel better. I usually hug the camera to my body during entry, and hand it out before exiting the water. Is this OK? I don't have a history of camera damage using these methods, but will consider improving my practices. Do you have any additional ideas or feedback?
​

Dan and Ran -

I had to adjust the buoyancy of my old camera using weights. Slightly negative seems the best. Is this a common practice, and is it the right thing to do? Advice?

Ran, how was the MicroHD buoyancy? Did it require weights?

I also want to attach some type of ID to the camera. I was thinking of getting a small engraved dog tag from the pet store with my email address on it, and attaching it via tie-wrap. What do you think?
​

Thanks guys - love this forum.

I jump in, even with hot drops, with the camera pulled to my chest ( Canon 5D mark 2 in Aquatica housing) , by stepping out, doing a twist in mid air, to a back flop on contact with water....Camera gets protected, and instantly I am swimming down, camera in both hands.
If I am trying to swim fast to beat current, or get into position for a shot with limited time to get there, I carry the camera with one hand, at my side where it is in the slipstream behind tank and wing......When it is in front in shooting position, there is considerably more drag....Normally, I have both hands on the camera, unless I am dumping BC with one hand, or equalizing ear pressure..or checking pressure gauge. For each of those things, I still always have one hand on the camera.

We tow torpedo floats for drift diving, so there is no need to send up an SMB....which arguably would take two hands. Someone in our buddy team or group, has to tow the torpedo float the boat follows. Normally it is someone NOT taking video or pictures. If the current is ripping, it might end up being me, as currents tend to be mostly irrelevant to me with my Big DiveR freedive fins, but if I do have to tow the float, I like having a hook on my end, so I can hook off whenever I want to do a shot....Again, this is still not going to require more than one hand.

I like a camera to be either dead neutral, or maybe a quarter pound negative....You don't want it messing up your buoyancy and trim. Sandra had to get the big volume carbon fiber floats Reef Photo was selling..Though for 2 years I had her using home made PVC floats, that did the same thing--but were kind of heavy when carrying down the beach on the BHB Marine Park dives

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I agree that a lanyards are a bad idea - it can break and it's a single point of contact with no redundancy.

A lanyard also creates a very effective little reef wrecking ball, which is hard on both the reef and your equipment.

My preference is to put a bolt snap on each end of the camera/tray/light and then clip it between one of my chest D-rings and a waist D-ring.

This is how I carry my Go Pro and light. The Bolt snap is on a chest D-ring and the butterfly snap is on the waist D-ring, just because it's quicker and easier to snap when I need to stow it in a hurry.

When crunched up on itself like this, it lays very flat against my torso where it's low snag and won't damage itself or anything else. I stow it this way when not using it, including cave dives in some fairly tight side mount passages. In real tight quarters, I take it off and poke it through ahead of me. It only takes a few seconds to stow or to unclip and get back into use.

You'll note the butterfly clip is mounted on a piece of bungee which allows a few inches of stretch to ensure it is help taut between the D-rings.

 

[tursiops]

I think you lanyard critics need to lighten up! There is no need to assume a lanyard means something dangling from a wrist. Yes, that's a bad idea. No, that not what he is doing.

 

[gr8jab]

Hmm.... I like the snap on both ends. When my snappy/coil is clipped shut, its probably 2" longer than your snap. I'll have a look at my BC, and see if adding an additional snap is reasonable/possible. Thanks again!