So after browsing some of the DIY stuff here and examining other people's designs, as well as quite a few production products, I bought some materials and put together the first draft of my DSLR shoulder mount.
It's already functional, and significantly more stable than simply hand-held, but it still has a ways to go. When I started, I was largely winging it. The grip location seemed like a fairly good idea, but has proved to be ass-backwards and it takes a lot of extra work to keep the camera level, which a shoulder pad might help, but I'm thinking a centered, pistol grip style handle might be a better option.
Also desperately needed is a counter weight but I really haven't decided the best solution for that. It seems logical in my mind that the weight should be roughly the same as the camera, or heavier, since pulling down probably creates less vibration than holding it up.
A shoulder pad isn't a real high priority for me, but if I were to add it, is there anything I should really keep in mind as far as function is concerned, or should I simply aim for comfort?
It's already functional, and significantly more stable than simply hand-held, but it still has a ways to go. When I started, I was largely winging it. The grip location seemed like a fairly good idea, but has proved to be ass-backwards and it takes a lot of extra work to keep the camera level, which a shoulder pad might help, but I'm thinking a centered, pistol grip style handle might be a better option.
Also desperately needed is a counter weight but I really haven't decided the best solution for that. It seems logical in my mind that the weight should be roughly the same as the camera, or heavier, since pulling down probably creates less vibration than holding it up.
A shoulder pad isn't a real high priority for me, but if I were to add it, is there anything I should really keep in mind as far as function is concerned, or should I simply aim for comfort?