Bush Hawk long Lens Support

Has anybody tried using a Bush Hawk lens support lately ?

http://www.bushhawk.com/ I purchased one of these about 3 years ago and did

not find any significant difference between using it and just plain hand-

holding the camera, thats why it's gathering dust inside my closet.

 

The problem is that the muscles on your shoulder/chest tend to jiggle around

when something hard is pressed against them. Combine that with some heavy

breathing, as when you are chasing a subject through the bush and you have a

problem.

 

I also went out of my way to perform a series of tests from my living room

couch, using the Bush Hawk lens support and again did not find any signifiant

difference between using one and plain old hand-holding.

 

Maybe I was doing something wrong, does anybody have any experience with these

products ?

I've never compared the Bush Hawk against hand-holding for steadiness, but I do like it for helping me keep my horizons level when I'm panning along with a moving subject.

 

Negatives: makes it hard to use the CFn-04 "back-button AF" setting (unless you have a lens with control-buttons), and sometimes people get (very) nervous if you're carrying anything that even faintly resembles a firearm these days (esp. around airports...)

IMHO (tho my spouse says I don't have such opinions) that thing looks like yet another solution in search of a problem. It's definitely no substitute for a tripod, nor even a monopod, and doesn't do anything you can't do with proper handheld technique.

 

Call me a cynic (I won't argue) but I'm convinced that the vast majority of new inventions, regardless of the inventor's intent, serve little purpose other than the transfer of funds from consumers into someone else's pocket.

I used to use something very similar in the 1970s but that was when you had manual focus lenses and needed to use your left hand to focus rather than support the lens, in these situations your right hand/arm becomes the support and you need the trigger cable release mechanish to activate the shutter.

 

As others indicate modern AF lenses now enable you to use your left hand to cradle and support the lens leaving your right hand free to hold the body again.

 

These days there is little advantage to using gun stock type rests, you can cope just as easily without them

I find the combination of a shoulder stock and a monpod to be much more useful than either

the shoulder stock or the monopod separately and while it's not a 100% replacement for a

tripod it's also far more portable than a tripod and doesn't get tangled in the brush anywhere

near as much as a tripod.

"I find the combination of a shoulder stock and a monopod to be much more useful than either the shoulder stock or the monopod separately and while it's not a 100% replacement for a tripod..."<P>

 

I would second that comment, except that my version of it is a home made shoulder pod/ hip pod / low bipod (for open landscape) made out of an old Gitzo center column with a small ball head at the top. It compact and gives very high flexibility depending on how fast one needs to be ready; shoulder pod almost instantaneous if gear is carried by a strap from the shoulder. Mobility is also much better than tripod/monopod. A further description can be found

<a href="http://otoien.zenfolio.com/p612897758"> here</a>

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<img src="http://otoien.zenfolio.com/img/p652857588-2.jpg">

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In use as a hip pod:<P>

<img src="http://otoien.zenfolio.com/img/p227051589-3.jpg"><P>

The low bipod only has one degree of freedom of movement and can allow emergency night exposures, here is a 4.5s exposure:<P>

<img src="http://otoien.zenfolio.com/img/p91717840-3.jpg"><P>

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And no, I have not taken the chance of bringing it as hand luggage on a flight yet...

Those are some great shots 'Oi" but how does this shoulder pod differ from the BushHawk equipment ? Are you bracing against your thigh rather than the chest/shoulder ?

Yes, when extended I usually put one end of the foot beneath my belt, and the other pointing backwards along my side preventing rotation. The column is almost vertical, and there is very little effort to hold the camera. One can move around holding the camera in ready position. (The image was perhaps not a good example, since I happen to wear a dry suit with no belt, and since it is in a boat where such a support is of limited help.)

Non-extended as a shoulder pod it is principally the same as the Bush Hawk, except for no grip. I support it with my left hand at the ball head and use my fingers to focus, right hand on the camera as normal.

As a ground pod the two ends of the foot prevents rotation, opposed to a monpod.

Having used a BushHawk on and off for about twenty years, I have found it very useful. I used to feel uncomfortable using it, thinking someone might mistake it for a rifle or shotgun, but that hasn't been a problem.

 

I have used it with shorter lenses shooting out of an airplane with great success. I also find it more useful than a monopod (alhough not complete replacement) when tracking flying birds. It is also more steady than a monopod on a windy day with long lenses.

 

With the proper technique you can take VERY sharp photos with a BushHawk. Don't discount it as a useful tool until you have tried it in various situations. With practice you will find it to be a tremendous tool.

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<p >Before I invested in a bush hawk, I did my homework. I found endorsements by professionals I trusted, professionals who said the bush hawk was great, rugged and lasted for years. So I got one. Within moments of setting my bush hawk up, it was broken. I had carefully set my bush hawk down in my living room, but my common standard of care was not enough to keep the fragile shutter-release cord from breaking irrevocably. But I gave bush hawk the benefit of the doubt. I blamed myself, and coughed up another 45 bucks to get a replacement cord, one touted to be stronger. But again, within moments of setting up my bush hawk and treating with the utmost care, some telltale bump had broken my brand new cord! Also, the plug-in for the cord had become loose, <em>so even if I bought a third cord, the bush hawk still would not take pictures</em>. All this damage to the “rugged” bush hawk, before I had even gotten it outdoors! But even if none of this had happened, I still would have returned the bush hawk. You can’t autofocus your camera by holding the trigger halfway down, meaning you have to hand focus it while following birds. Also, when the shutter release cord is plugged in the pictures won’t display on the lcd screen of the camera, meaning your settings could be all whacked out and you wouldn’t know it until the shoot is over. And despite numerous calls on numerous days at different times of the day, I still have not been able to talk to a single person at bush hawk about my problems. I have been disgusted by the quality, design and customer service of Bush Hawk, and would advise you to steer clear of their products.</p>

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