SAK with cute camera

[Vidar]

These are the camera I currently use for work. It is a Basler with a Fujinon lens. Normally it wouldn't have a tripod under, but for test and development use that is handy. This little camera is remote only, and can work fine with just that single Ethernet cable connected. Getting power over Ethernet causes a bit more heating though, so normally there is a seperate power line too. (Colder sensors get better pictures and as that is easy to do I take it). The camera house is just a bit bigger than its sensor (roughly equal to APS-C), but unlike consumer cameras it has a global shutter. No rolling artifacts on this one.

And most importantly, I think it is cute.

[Vidar]

Then there is this Frankenstein which has emerged from the remains of various project gone by over the years - and with some added glue components. It is by far the most flexible camera system I've ever had, but a daily snap shooter it is not. And it is utterly useless for discrete photography too.  On the picture it is setup for manual shooting with a zoom. It is normally used remotely with a smaller lens though. Then the monitor/ recorder, power supply and camera controls will be far away instead of mounted directly on as here.

I'm thinking of investing is some kind of harness for that as I can only do a few minutes at a time while keeping that weight steady. Weight training built in! (I'm thinking eagles, stouts, otters, elk and other photogenic animals that shows up here).

[Farmer X]

That is indeed a neat little camera!

[Vidar]

I have this idea of combining the concepts of those two: The small top camera with everything needed for manual use as a normal camera. Achieved by building it up from individual components to get all the flexiblity of the big bottom camera. Just much much smaller, cuter and handier

You can pick your lens, sensor, computer and programming, screen, power and handling components separately - just like the big camera. There are already lots of standardized different sensors and lenses available from multiple manufacturers and price ranges, as well as plenty of quite small computers, screens and power sources. So it would take programming and mechanical glue components. Not a small task, but that would lead to a true and handy system camera. The programming could even be open source. That would be sooo flexible and finely adaptable to your wishes. And upgradable piece by piece as needs and technology marches on - just like the big one.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Very cool cameras indeed!

I hear you on the weight issue- this is one of the reasons I was looking at the Photosniper years ago.

Def

[Vidar]

That is a fun one! 

The weight is a real issue. The big one can be easily enough disassembled, packed and carried in a backpack to a site. However using it like that is heavy, especially as it has to be a bit of distance out from the body. As it stands it weighs about 6-7 kg or so. (The camera house itself was originally bought for remote underwater use, so all these weights just pale in comparison to the underwater house and cabling for that).

I've been thinking about 4 different solutions:

• A chest or shoulder pad similar to the photosniper. I suspect that will just take a little bit of weight but mostly help to keep it steady.
• One of these belt or shoulder harnesses made for such purposes with a rod that takes the weight. Does seem to make it less handy to pickup and put down to do other things though. And expensive.
• A tripod with a gimbal. Excellent but stationary, and gimbal and manual focus might not be the best mix. And might get expensive real quick.
• A redesign of the rig parts so the camera ends up over the shoulder, and the monitor below and front of my face. (I still want to see where I walk). Will be a bit of try and error to get the balancing right for each lens, but just dry testing that seems like the best option. It shouldn't need too many more components so maybe I'll spend some on that - would make it much more usable.

[Chako]

I went with a Bushhawk camera mount that made the 50-500mm Bigma with Canon DSLR a little easier for wildlife photography on the go.

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=82623.0

[Vidar]

That looks like a great stabilizer, but you still have to take most of the weight? Ironically, due to the weight the setup above is very stable - until the arms start shaking at least! 

[Chako]

That strap is a must.