Low Budget Dual Camera Rig

I’d been thinking of a way to do a low budget dual camera rig for a while now, and thanks to the  tragically defunct Google reader (yeah, yeah, Feedly’s alright), the solution popped up on my reader radar one evening. Photographer and blogger Eric Kim posted a great article on just how cool a setup like this could be. I jumped on the opportunity to try it. Well, at least the opportunity to build the setup.

I ordered some Hot Shoe to 1/4 threaded adapters and had them in a few days. The ones I got are okay – one of them needs a little sanding to fit better into the hotshoe, but I ordered three (anticipating this) and two of them seem to work alright. This is the kind of thing where I thought I needed the metal ones and that’s what I ordered, but in truth ones made of delrin or some other durable plastic would probably be fine for this.
 

I’m not in love with how high the Go Pro sits with this setup, and in playing around the house with it, it’s a little unwieldy and certainly top heavy. Less so with the little Sony on the right. The added bonus of the Sony is that it’s focal length (24mm in 35mm eqiv.) more closely matches that of the Ricoh (28mm eqiv.) when compared to the 12mm equivalent of the Go Pro. On the flip side, the Go Pro’s extreme wide angle is pretty cool and in Eric’s video it’s interesting to see all the composition options he had and then see the one he selected on the Ricoh’s viewscreen. It’s a cool contrast. I think the Go Pro would probably benefit in this scenario from using just the “Frame” mount accessory – at least it wouldn’t be as top heavy.

 

Kudos to Eric in his video for pointing out his hesitation at 2:14, and kudos to him for overcoming it. Even after being a river and tour guide for years – meeting new people every week, I find it difficult to approach strangers. It’s the biggest obstacle in my Cameras Of Canyonlands project. I’m always hesitant to approach folks – even in country where I feel at home and comfortable. I’m hoping I can incorporate this setup into some shooting in the next couple weeks – when I finally do, I’ll post the results.

Thanks for looking. _____________________________________________________________________

I’ve written and illustrated two children’s books that are now available in print and digital versions; Coyote Life, and The Cat’s Glasses. If you’ve got kids, check them out. If you enjoy them, please leave a review, tell your friends, etc. Thanks.

 

Don’t forget to check out some of the fine art prints for sale in my Etsy shop.

My wife Leah also makes and sells some pretty cool leather stuff like minimalist wallets and camera straps. Check out her Etsy store for some cool gear. 

Photography T Shirts and Stickers at Redbubble: