So, you bought your prosumer camera and now you want to do some handheld shots, but you don't want to pay the $700 or more online retailers sell shoulder mounts or spiderbraces for. Well, lucky for you, you came to the right place. Here are instructions on how to create a simple shoulder mount for just about any digital or prosumer camera! Before we begin, original credit goes to the guys at Quantum Petshop for the original design. Mine is just a modified version based off that. But, lets dive in! Everything I used was purchased at Home Depot and a local Bicycle store for less than $20.
Heres what you're going to need:
1. 6 ft. PVC Pipe 2. PVC Plug or Cap 3. PVC Glue 4. 90° Electric PVC Elbow 5. 90° Plumbing PVC Elbow 6. 45° Plumbing PVC Elbow
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7. 1 ½" - 1/4" Bolt 8. 1/4" Washer 9. 1/4" Wing Nut 10. 1/4" Hex Nut 11. 1" - 1/4" Fender Washer 12. Spray Paint (Color of Your Choice) 13. Bicycle Handle Grips (Available at any Local Bicycle Store) |
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| STEP 1: | Cut the PVC pipe into the following increments: Two - 3" segments One - 5", 6" and 7" segments |
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| STEP 2: | Drill a 1/4" hole in the top center of the PVC "T". Put the Bolt through the hole upward with the washer on it, of course. Fasten it on with the nut and other washer on the top side, holding it in place. Now, you should have the T with a bolt through it, screw on the wing nut with the wings facing DOWNWARD in the direction of the T. |
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| STEP 3: | Assemble the pieces, so they look like the pictures I posted here. The cap/plug goes on the butt of the electric PVC shoulder piece. Once assembled, put it on your shoulder and get a feel for it. For example, I offset my shoulder segment by a few degrees because it felt slightly more natural and comfortable to hold. DO NOT PUT ON YOUR CAMERA YET! If everything feels comfortable and how you like it, go ahead and use the PVC glue to make it permanent! If it doesn't trim the PVC further to your liking. |  |
| STEP 4: | Spray Paint the shoulder mount to the color of your choice. | |
| STEP 5: | Wet the bicycle handle grips with water, so they loosen up and then slide them over the PVC pipe handles you've created. Depending on the size of PVC pipe you got, this may be stubborn but be patient, you can get them on. |  |
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