carrying tripod with lens and camera one etc

I just sling the tripod over my shoulder. Never had a problem and have never felt the need for any padding. My tripod has a heavy head and often I have a D4 and 70-200 on but it has never felt "uncomfortable."
 
I have a gimbal head and 500mm lens.
I line the lens up with 2 of the legs, if that makes sense and then just sling it over my shoulder.
If I am stalking then I walk with one section of the legs open and splayed then it is an easy matter just to place it down for a shot.
 
I have a 300 2.8 and gripped body on a gimbal. I just set two legs on my shoulder lens pointing down behind me, which sounds the same as what Steve does. Never found it uncomfortable with no padding on the legs and that must be about 7-8Kg all in.

It might be though that I have a Gitzo with nice big legs where you have a redsnapper with smaller ones that would dig in more?
 
I carry my 150-500mm on the Gimbal head as described above- my tripod has padding on 2 of the 3 legs and I don't feel the need for extra pads etc

Les :thumbs:
 
anyone got some tips/equipment to help carrying a setup tripod + head (probably a gimbal) and big tele lens, and camera?

theres pads made in america http://www.naturescapes.net/store/p...lder_protection-when-carrying-heavy-gear.html

anyone seen something like that in the uk or eu?

gear i got is
a77
redsnapper 284
benro gimbal head
pentacon 300 f4 (2kg :s)

This is assuming you put your camera with your heavy telephoto lens on the tripod and then you carry the whole lot resting on your shoulder and you walk all over the places, as if you're playing soldier and you think your tripod and attached camera is a rifle. If you want to move a little over there to get a better viewpoint, then that's fine if you do that, but if you're going to hike hundreds of yards somewhere else between each few shots, then it makes senses to take the camera off the tripod and carry them in each hand. Photographers at football matches who have monopods to support heavy fast telephoto lens would carry it like a rifle just to make a small jog down the sidelines to get a better viewpoint but I don't think they would do that all the way back to the car after a match.

It makes sense to just take the camera off the tripod and carry both, and if you find it annoying to unscrew the camera off the tripod then have to screw it back on, then you could buy tripods that have quick release system that you can screw a plate on to the camera, then just click it to the tripod head. (You could order spare parts and attach to different cameras or heavy telephoto lenses, so it is quicker to change them than to unscrew one and then screw on another.) Release the camera from tripod, go somewhere else, attach it. It offers the option of just drop the tripod and handheld your camera. Beside, chances are you would have to carry your camera bag anyway, so makes senses to use that sort of quick release system so you can just take camera off tripod and carry them by hand and carry bag over shoulder than to carry bag over one shoulder and the tripod with attached camera over the other shoulder.

But well, if you would still prefer the item you found on the Internet, you could check their website, look for details to see if you can buy it and get it shipped to the UK, sometimes you can order something online if it happens to be overseas, as long as those are allowed items.
 
anyone got some tips/equipment to help carrying a setup tripod + head (probably a gimbal) and big tele lens, and camera?

Anyway, what is wrong with carrying a small hand towel, fold it and place it on your shoulder, then rest the camera/lens/tripod over it? That would save you money as you don't need to order online for that thing, plus the towel would also double as useful kit, to clean camera, or for you to use.
 
Last edited:
This is assuming you put your camera with your heavy telephoto lens on the tripod and then you carry the whole lot resting on your shoulder and you walk all over the places, as if you're playing soldier and you think your tripod and attached camera is a rifle. If you want to move a little over there to get a better viewpoint, then that's fine if you do that, but if you're going to hike hundreds of yards somewhere else between each few shots, then it makes senses to take the camera off the tripod and carry them in each hand. Photographers at football matches who have monopods to support heavy fast telephoto lens would carry it like a rifle just to make a small jog down the sidelines to get a better viewpoint but I don't think they would do that all the way back to the car after a match.

It makes sense to just take the camera off the tripod and carry both, and if you find it annoying to unscrew the camera off the tripod then have to screw it back on, then you could buy tripods that have quick release system that you can screw a plate on to the camera, then just click it to the tripod head. (You could order spare parts and attach to different cameras or heavy telephoto lenses, so it is quicker to change them than to unscrew one and then screw on another.) Release the camera from tripod, go somewhere else, attach it. It offers the option of just drop the tripod and handheld your camera. Beside, chances are you would have to carry your camera bag anyway, so makes senses to use that sort of quick release system so you can just take camera off tripod and carry them by hand and carry bag over shoulder than to carry bag over one shoulder and the tripod with attached camera over the other shoulder.

But well, if you would still prefer the item you found on the Internet, you could check their website, look for details to see if you can buy it and get it shipped to the UK, sometimes you can order something online if it happens to be overseas, as long as those are allowed items.

The Benro has a built in quick release.

The reality is dismantling the lens from the head, then putting it back together is a massive faff and means I now have 2 things to carry not 1 (plus a bag if you have that with you). The reality is unless we're talking a decent distance I'd rather carry it built up rather than take it all apart.
 
The Benro has a built in quick release.

The reality is dismantling the lens from the head, then putting it back together is a massive faff and means I now have 2 things to carry not 1 (plus a bag if you have that with you). The reality is unless we're talking a decent distance I'd rather carry it built up rather than take it all apart.


But of course, like I said, leaving them together for short distances, like moving over to here or there to get better viewpoint, better viewing angle, is fine as you have to carry the total weight of camera, lens, and tripod together for a short time, but otherwise to walk hundreds and hundreds of yards, well it's up to everyone but I would prefer to use quick release and take camera off tripod, to balance out the weight. Beside, everyone have different walking speeds, so for some, it can be a minute more to cover the same distance as someone else who took a minute less, so the longer you carry the total weight of the camera and tripod on your shoulder, the more it hurts, even if distance seems shorter.

For me, I would keep camera on tripod if it'll take me a matter of seconds to walk over to somewhere else, but take it off if I'm sure I'm going to be carrying it around for a couple of minutes. Unless I use a towel to act as a padding for my shoulder.

Two things to carry means each item is bit lighter than if they were together. Surely leaving the camera and lens attached to the tripod means it is much heavier to carry than if you take the camera/lens off the tripod.

Bit like putting your shopping in two bags to make each lighter to carry for each hand than putting them all in the same one shopping bag making it much heavier to carry.
 
ill have a play with positioning the lens, but with the ball head, what felt right balance wise had the tripod on my shoulder above the leg padding, so it can be pretty uncomforatable :\. unfortunately my fatness is more around the belly than the shoulder too, so not much natural padding there for me :(
 
Back
Top