Clip-off point for camera?

[Daz]

I clip my rig off to my right chest D-Ring using this quick release lanyard ($19.95 from LP). It hangs nice and close for entries and exits then unbuckles and extends for use during the dive. Unbuckled, the lanyard is plenty long and there's no pulling. Buckled in I can walk with it clipped off and it stays tight and out of the way.

 

[djcheburashka]

Try posting in the photo section. I bet that you get a lot of suggestions.

Yeah, but I wanted to find a good way of doing it for technical on a hog rig. Lanyards.... icky icky...

 

[Daz]

What kind of "technical on a hog rig"? Are you slinging anything? Scooter? What are you using your D-rings for now?

So are you looking for a place to clip off when not in use, or for during entries/exits? You say "icky icky" to lanyards so I'm guessing it must be the former. If that's the case, then it really doesn't matter where you put it as long as it doesn't interfere with anything else (or smack the base of your tank if you butt ring it).

 

[djcheburashka]

Yes, you've correctly identified the dimensions of the problem.

I often dive with a reel (left d-ring) and sometimes with a stage (left & left chest).

The camera & flash are naturally positively bouyant. That's nice for attaching to the butt ring, because they stay out of the way of the legs when kicking. But an entanglement there would be really nasty. On the other hand, maybe the entanglement problem isn't so solveable. Also, I think there would be a lot of tank banging on entry, which was fine for the camera alone but I think has potential for damage with the flash.

The other natural option is the left hip d-ring, but again the rig is positively bouyant, so its going to want to interfere with, e.g., ease of clipping and unclipping the depth gauge.

I could add a weight to the camera to make it negative, but it would get all dangly...

What I'm leaning toward now is clipping to the left hip d-ring for entry, but moving to the butt d-ring for travel. (Exit doesn't matter much.) That still leaves the nasty entanglement problem, so I guess until I find a solution I'm leaving the camera behind if I go near any existing line.

This is really an issue of balancing risks and benefits, so I thought soliciting wisdom from the experienced would be a help.

 

[super7]

When getting back on a boat, don't clip the camera off on a d-ring high enough that the camera can smack you in the face. Yeah. I figured that one out the hard way.

Sorry to hear you figured it out the hard way.

But maybe the d-ring can be too low and the camera can smack you where you're MUCH more vulnerable *ouch*

 

[super7]

I clip my rig off to my right chest D-Ring using this quick release lanyard ($19.95 from LP). It hangs nice and close for entries and exits then unbuckles and extends for use during the dive. Unbuckled, the lanyard is plenty long and there's no pulling. Buckled in I can walk with it clipped off and it stays tight and out of the way.

I also use a quick release lanyard, and as Daz says, it's very versatile.
When you need to swim some distance before you can start shooting, having the lanyard buckled lets you swim without holding onto your camera.

 

[super7]

I could add a weight to the camera to make it negative, but it would get all dangly...

Depending on the size of your cam housing, sticking some lead onto the inside with double sided tape might help.

 

[Katamuki]

I clip the housing with twin strobes (double armed as well) onto the left chest ring of my DSS plate harness when getting back onto the boat. With the arms folded in I can clear the transom in rougher water without banging the camera against something hard. If I am in deep blue on a drift dive I usually clip the camera to the scooter ring with enough lead to let the camera drop below my fins so I can aid someone or shoot a bag etc with no obstructions.

 

[Mayor]

New to this style of diving but with my camera I keep it clipped on the right side D-ring. The lanyard makes a big difference and works very well. It also helped that I used a long bar to push the flash away from the lens. This way I fold the flash in toward the camera and it becomes some what clean. Moving the flash out has also made a huge difference in my photos.

Thanks for the tips of adding a little weight. I think a soft 1lb weight with zip ties and a piece of bike tube to clean it up might just be the ticket. Will have to test this out.

 

[sea2summit]

For stages when I'm clipping something like that off I'll clip it to the rear dog clip on my stages. If it becomes entangled you can unclip the stage and swim free/investigate. Rear D-ring works great too but it's a little harder for me to touch test if I want to ensure the camera didn't skip deco FWIW.