CarryStock
Above is a
picture of a thing I call a carrystock. This is the first one I made in
the early 1990's and I still use it regularly. It was my way of solving
the problem of carrying a camera with a telephoto lens attached on long
walks. I had tried and given up on:
Monopod -- tiring to carry with gear attached for long (several miles) distances.
Commercial shoulder stock -- designed for shooting not carrying and the lens easily twists at the attach point.
Various camera bags -- too long a time to remove camera and prepare to shoot -- and no way to help steady camera.
Neck straps -- pain in the neck, also awkward to carry camera with tele lens attached.
Some of the benefits of the carrystock are:
An easy way to carry a camera with telephoto lens attached -- briefcase style.
A way to steady camera when shooting -- like a shoulder stock except the carrystock rests on the chest Instead of the shoulder. I feel this is a more natural position since I don't have to crane my neck to see through the eyepiece.
The notch at the top of the carrystock is cut to fit the lens mounting foot making for a secure unit that cannot twist off parallel alignment.
When camera is turned on and settings adjusted for expected action, the photographer can just swing it up to the eye and shoot.
The rounded design of the carry stock allows for an infinite number of carry variations for comfort and balance.
The big hole in
the carrystock allows you to loop the whole thing over one arm, allowing the
use of both hands without finding a place to set down the camera.
The carrystock is a good support when shooting from the prone position (see photo.)
The carrystock is made from one piece of 3/4" pine board and is very strong and light. Wood is easier on the hands in cold weather, is a natural color, and is easy to work with.
There is enough clearance to allow changing of bodies or teleconverters without dismounting the carrystock from the lens.
Construction:
Making a carrystock for your lens is not to hard, but it can take some time depending on how nice you want it to turn out. I start with a sound piece of 3/4" pine board 8 to 10 inches wide and 12 to 16 inches long. Next I draw lines on the board in the shape I want for the finished product. A lot of planning here will result in a good outcome. You need to personalize the carrystock for your body size, lens, possible teleconverters, and camera body. Make sure there is clearance to rotate the body off the lens without dismounting it from the carrystock. You may want to allow extra room for a possible upgrade from a standard camera body to a pro size body. You can see much of the construction detail in the photos. I use a jig saw to cut out the basic shape. Then I use a router to round off all edges except at the mount location. A 1/4X20 threaded rod is cut to the appropriate length and the ends smoothed off. The next step is the hardest -- drilling the hole. It must be square and true. I use a drill press and machinists vice for this 17/64" hole. Next I mount the lens, mark for the notch and cut it out about 1/4" deep. Now I mount the lens and camera and test all expected configurations and make any necessary minor adjustments. It is now a matter of sanding and finishing to taste. Screw the threaded rod into the lens foot, slip the carrystock on and secure with a wing nut and washer. You are ready for a photo walk.
The photos on this page show two different carrystocks. The smaller one is used with the Tokina 400mm F5.6 lens. A bonus is that it also fit the Tokina 300mm F4 lens and possibly others. The larger carrystock was made for the Nikon 80-200 AFS 2.8D with or without TC-14E or TC-20E teleconverters. I use the Nikon D1 body with these combinations and have walked many miles and shot many frames with it.
If you have any questions or comments email me: mike@ewildlifephotography.com