ksmattfish
Now 100% DC - not as cool as I once was, but still
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2003
- Messages
- 7,019
- Reaction score
- 36
- Location
- Lawrence, KS
- Website
- www.henrypeach.com
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos NOT OK to edit
In another thread, Mitica100 said "The more I think the more I believe in all being hand made..."
Absolutely! I am constantly trying to cut down on equipment costs by building it myself. What sort of good DIY tips and projects have folks used or run across? Here are a few of mine.
Flash Bracket: I built a flash bracket for my Rollei TLR using a 1" diameter oak dowel, a piece of 1"x0.25" aluminum, a cold-shoe with a tripod hole in the bottom, a long 0.25" bolt, a plastic knob with a 0.25" bolt, and some 0.25" washers.
Cut the wood dowel to the size you want your handle to be, and drill a 0.25" hole through the center. Cut the aluminum to the right size to run from the handle to the tripod hole on your camera. Drill a hole at the handle end, and drill additional holes where ever you want to mount your camera. Run the long bolt through the aluminum, through the handle, and into the cold shoe. Cut it to the appropriate size; use washers to tighten it up. Attach your camera using the plastic knob (bolt cut to right length) and a washer.
I built this myself because I just couldn't handle spending $30+ on another flash bracket (I have a nice, manufactured model, it's just too big to haul around all the time, and the Rollei doesn't have an on-camera flash shoe). I bought everything at the hardware store, except the cold shoe, which I got off the bargin table at a camera shop. Admittedly, all the stuff probably cost about $30. But I have enough left over stuff to build 2 more brackets or whatever, and it's really turned out to be a great flash bracket. It's really compact; it fits in my smaller camera bags. It's measured to fit my hand, the camera, and my shooting style exactly. And it's really study; I tried out a similar manufactured model recently, and it just seemed flimsy compared to mine. After I built it I added foam tape (for bike handlebars) to the grip and some sticky cork sheet to the aluminum bar where the camera rests.
Absolutely! I am constantly trying to cut down on equipment costs by building it myself. What sort of good DIY tips and projects have folks used or run across? Here are a few of mine.
Flash Bracket: I built a flash bracket for my Rollei TLR using a 1" diameter oak dowel, a piece of 1"x0.25" aluminum, a cold-shoe with a tripod hole in the bottom, a long 0.25" bolt, a plastic knob with a 0.25" bolt, and some 0.25" washers.
Cut the wood dowel to the size you want your handle to be, and drill a 0.25" hole through the center. Cut the aluminum to the right size to run from the handle to the tripod hole on your camera. Drill a hole at the handle end, and drill additional holes where ever you want to mount your camera. Run the long bolt through the aluminum, through the handle, and into the cold shoe. Cut it to the appropriate size; use washers to tighten it up. Attach your camera using the plastic knob (bolt cut to right length) and a washer.
I built this myself because I just couldn't handle spending $30+ on another flash bracket (I have a nice, manufactured model, it's just too big to haul around all the time, and the Rollei doesn't have an on-camera flash shoe). I bought everything at the hardware store, except the cold shoe, which I got off the bargin table at a camera shop. Admittedly, all the stuff probably cost about $30. But I have enough left over stuff to build 2 more brackets or whatever, and it's really turned out to be a great flash bracket. It's really compact; it fits in my smaller camera bags. It's measured to fit my hand, the camera, and my shooting style exactly. And it's really study; I tried out a similar manufactured model recently, and it just seemed flimsy compared to mine. After I built it I added foam tape (for bike handlebars) to the grip and some sticky cork sheet to the aluminum bar where the camera rests.