help with tripod design

[stillhope]

I did a quick search of old messages looking for a discussion of what people have learned about using tripods underwater. I found a few mentions of using tripods, but I didn't see details.

I've been using a small tripod on some of my dives with mixed results. When it works, it works well -- I mainly use it to steady extreme close-up shots or to do unattended filming, like waiting for something to happen or when something very slow is happening.

The problems I have are: 1) the tripod has some steel parts, such as bolts and pins, that rust. Anyone know of a tripod that uses stainless parts? Or have any experience re-fitting a tripod with stainless parts?

2) I made an aluminum mounting plate that screws to the bottom of my housing, and I put the same kind of holes in it that are in the bottom of my camera for the tripod mount -- one tapped screw hole and a hole for the pin that prevents it from swiveling. But the tripod mount part is too cheaply made to handle the mass of the camera+housing. I need to create some other type of mounting mechanism. Anyone have experience doing this?

3) of course, setting up the tripod for a shot takes a long time, and I can't complain too much about that. But I never know what good ideas people might have, so maybe someone out there has figured out how to set up a shot more efficiently than I have.

thanks,

 

[MarkH]

I use an old aluminum tripod from a thrift store. So far it's been working for a couple of years. I didn't expect it to last that long. Sometimes the moving parts get a little stiff from the salt, but it's easy to get them moving again by working them back and forth a few times. I figure when it gets too bad, I'll just spend $5 or so on another one. I use mine alot for self portraits (with a still camera) or when I want a diver in the video (I usually dive by myself).

 

[simonspear]

I've been thinking about this a lot myself lately. I've never tried to use a tripod underwater yet, but I've recently bought a couple of cheap ones from ebay and I'm going to give it a go. I like the idea of the aluminum mounting plate - any chance of posting a few photos of it?

Cheers, Simon

 

[bladephotog]

You could try a carbon fiber tripod but they are pretty expensive and t I think the small parts are steel. Maybe you could replace the nuts and bolts with stainless. Gitzo's are aluminum but I think the small parts are also steel. And the problem with Gitzos is the locking rings, which can be hard to turn at times.

 

[stillhope]

I'll keep my eyes out at thrift stores. Swank, how do you attach the tripod to your housing?

Here is a couple of shots of my mounting plate, from the bottom, and from the side. The black thing in the middle is the piece that snaps into the tripod, shown in the third photo. In the third photo, the black stud on the right is what keeps the whole thing from swiveling, or at least is supposed to. It's the weak link and doesn't do its job. I think I need to either replace it with a threaded bolt or find a camera mount that is better built. How standard is the side that fits the tripod? What are my chances of finding a replacement part that is well built and will stand the torque created by the heavy housing?

 

[Doc]

There are some junky plastic units that are perfect for u/w work. We're talking about steadying something that is weightless, right?

Aluminum is going to corrode and fail. Stainless steel is no panacea for close tolerance parts. Cheapo plastic. The kind you get "for free" when you buy "this 35mm camera" for $29.99

Here's a fancy version with really large tolerances between sliding pieces of aluminum: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005T3QP/104-0595153-1581545?v=glance&n=502394

Weight each of the legs with appropriate soft weights (cable ties)

Remeber that in the pro leagues, each mount set up is "mission specific". When we wanted to shoot something relative to a shipwreck, magnetic mounting points were always a consideration. The IMAX camera's problems can make you pretty creative.

I worked for one guy in the 70's who asked me to strip his Gitzo tripod each day after shooting. I did the soap and water routine, then dried it, then did a very light baby oil, then wiped that down again. The exterior was dosed with isopropyl before we dove to avoid contaminants as best as possible. The thinnest leg was poured full of #12 bird shot. He shot with that thing for 15 years that I know of.

 

[stillhope]

thanks for the suggestions. Actually, the camera's weight isn't so much the problem as its sail area. If the tripod legs are weighted down well, and the camera's attachment to the tripod has play in it, the camera bobbles around as the current and/or surge have their way with it.

And the camera/housing mass is an issue. If I move the tripod, the inertia of the camera tries to keep it where it is (or visa versa), as does the friction in the water. All of these things combine to put more stress on the tripod/camera mount piece than it was designed for.

So I'm still looking for a robustly built camera/tripod mount piece, whatever it's called.

 

[MarkH]

I'll keep my eyes out at thrift stores. Swank, how do you attach the tripod to your housing?

Here is a couple of shots of my mounting plate, from the bottom, and from the side. The black thing in the middle is the piece that snaps into the tripod, shown in the third photo. In the third photo, the black stud on the right is what keeps the whole thing from swiveling, or at least is supposed to. It's the weak link and doesn't do its job. I think I need to either replace it with a threaded bolt or find a camera mount that is better built. How standard is the side that fits the tripod? What are my chances of finding a replacement part that is well built and will stand the torque created by the heavy housing?

My housing is homemade. The handles (basically round stainless steel stock) have holes drilled and threads tapped in the bottom of them. I bolt the mounting plate of the tripod to one of the handles on the video housing.