hide clamps

[geordie graham]

Has anyone here ever used a hideclamp.I have a tripod which I hastely bought and it is not a very good one.I have a mobility problem and need to use a walking stick which means one less hand for carrying equipment and as most of my photography will be taken inside nature reserve hides I thought a clamp would be a good Idea but have seen no comments by anyone who has used one.Maybe a monopod would be a good idea?.Has anyone any thoughts?.

Graham

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by geordie graham

Has anyone here ever used a hideclamp.I have a tripod which I hastely bought and it is not a very good one.I have a mobility problem and need to use a walking stick which means one less hand for carrying equipment and as most of my photography will be taken inside nature reserve hides I thought a clamp would be a good Idea but have seen no comments by anyone who has used one.Maybe a monopod would be a good idea?.Has anyone any thoughts?.

Graham

Hi Graham, another Graham here also with mobility problems! I use a monopod, it doubles as a walking stick. I find it perfectly adaptable for most occasions, including in hides. I hardly ever use a tripod, I simply can't manage it.

[Ollie]

Originally Posted by geordie graham

Has anyone here ever used a hideclamp.I have a tripod which I hastely bought and it is not a very good one.I have a mobility problem and need to use a walking stick which means one less hand for carrying equipment and as most of my photography will be taken inside nature reserve hides I thought a clamp would be a good Idea but have seen no comments by anyone who has used one.Maybe a monopod would be a good idea?.Has anyone any thoughts?.

Graham

Hello Graham. I have an Opticron hide clamp, but to be honest I seldom use it. I find it easier to balance the camera on the edge of the hide shelf and still get sharp photos. what I do use quite a bit is a car window clamp, I find this an excellent bit of kit. It's surprising how close wildlife will approach a car if you sit quietly.
Roger

[Jon]

Don't forget the bean bag, in my view there is nothing steadier,
Jon

[wildone]

Hi Geordie Graham, I use a hide clamp occassionally for a spotting scope. Have found it depends on how steady the support to which the clamp is fixed as to how useful it is. I certainly would not use one for photography prefering a bean-bag if I need more than my elbows resting on the hide ledge.
wildone

[geordie graham]

I had thought about a bean bag but because my problem is spinal I have to keep as upright as possible and also aren`t they a bit cumbersome to carry.The monopod/walkingstick sounds a good idea.I have seen them for around £40.Do they need a head like a tripod?.I am still very new to photography.

Graham

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by geordie graham

I had thought about a bean bag but because my problem is spinal I have to keep as upright as possible and also aren`t they a bit cumbersome to carry.The monopod/walkingstick sounds a good idea.I have seen them for around £40.Do they need a head like a tripod?.I am still very new to photography.

Graham

Yes they do. I use a quick release head, so it's easy and quick to mount the camera when I change from walking aid to camera support.
Provided your camera and lens isn't too heavy, you don't have to spend a lot, Jessops do a range with a quick release head that would support most average cameras.

[geordie graham]

thanks very much for the information Graham.I have a Pentax K10d with a 70-300mm lens which isn`t to heavy.I bought the pentax because it fitted well in my hands and also because it has the anti shake facility which I thought would help because of my unsteadiness.I seem to be more unsteady than I thought looking at my hand held photos.Here`s hoping the monopod will help.The great thing about WAB is that if you come up against problems whilst learning there is always plenty of great advice to be had.Thank you all for the information.

Graham

[eeyore]

I have seen those with wheelchairs use a hide clamp to attach their tripod cental column to the arm of the chair making for a very solid shooting platform - talk about making a virtue out of necessity

there is some good info on this sort of this available from the disabled photographers association - i respect that you may not consider yourself to be disabled but they cater for anyone who experiences mobility problems as well as a range of other issues

[Kev Lewis]

Manfrotto make a hide clamp that slides over the centre column of their tripods. Very robust and simple to use.