I know this is really a gear question but since it's so closely related to wildlife & birding photography, I thought I'd post it here:
I just ordered an EF400 5.6 and I was going to purchase a BUSHHAWK but I started thinking about making one out of some fine wood (Maple?). Although I'm capable of doing the actual wood-work, I wanted to get some technical guidance from someone who may have actually made one already. So any advise would be appreciated from any carpenter friendly photogs who have done this work.
I just got my BushHawk...It isn't that expensive and IMO you would have a difficult time making an equivalent system. It is light weight, well made, adjustable and has a remote focus/shutter button.
SHVv wrote:
I just got my BushHawk...It isn't that expensive and IMO you would have a difficult time making an equivalent system. It is light weight, well made, adjustable and has a remote focus/shutter button.
Steve
Sure Steve...I know that is the 'best' choice for efficiency but my question is more from a DIY/art-project perspective. Sometimes the most efficient way is not the most fun or satisfying. Kind of like buying a rifle with a synthetic all-weather shoulder stock versus buying a hancrafted fine-wood stock with beautiful grain & finish. I may end-up buying a 'real' Bushhawk anyway but I'd like to 'tinker' with the idea of making a fine-wood piece if I could find someone to provide a little guidance.
1.) I found a piece of 3/8 plywood and mapped out a template for how I wanted to it to look.
2.)I cut that to length and cut the radius on the part where it will rest on the shoulder.
3.) I then held it up to find the most comfortable places for the left hand grip and the right hand/trigger grip and adjusted the lines on the plywood accordingly.
4.) I rough cut the shape on my band saw (a jigsaw will do do the same thing) and then smoothed out the lines with a sander to get the final shape.
5.) Time to recheck the ergonomics and make any adjustments.
6.) Once I had it dialed in, I transfered the shape by tracing the outline of the template onto the piece of maple. Rough cut it and smoothed out the shape with a sander. I also took my router and put a 1/8" roundover on all the edges to make it smooth.
7.) I use a canon cable remote as a trigger, so I routed out part of the trigger grip so that I could put in the remote and hold it with a rubber band - my fingers wrap around the grip and my index finger hits the button just right.
8.) To mount the lens, I cut a long rectangle out of the top of the stock and fit a 1/8" metal plate that was drilled at both ends for mounting screws to attach it to the wood, and then I cut a groove into the metal plate so that I could attach an arca style clamp and be able to move it forwards and backwards depending on which lens I was using (either a 100-400 or 300 2.8 + TC.
I will try to take pictures of it if you're interested so that you can see how it looks. I made one for Dan (FM name is "mdbassman") if you want to ask for a second opinion on it. I am now going to modify it to fit my 500 using a longer clamp.
I have a GeroBushEagle! It is superb! A fine piece of craftsmanship. I will respond to your PM later this afternoon. I fully recommend Gero's gun stock to anyone looking for a fine piece of work and at a very reasonable cost. The BH is wonderful BUT it looks "industrial" versus the handcrafted GBE.
Dan
omarlyn wrote:
Sure Steve...I know that is the 'best' choice for efficiency but my question is more from a DIY/art-project perspective. Sometimes the most efficient way is not the most fun or satisfying. Kind of like buying a rifle with a synthetic all-weather shoulder stock versus buying a hancrafted fine-wood stock with beautiful grain & finish. I may end-up buying a 'real' Bushhawk anyway but I'd like to 'tinker' with the idea of making a fine-wood piece if I could find someone to provide a little guidance.
Omar
Good point..I thought about a DIY for my D300 and "poor man's" 500mm but I was too impatient to go out and take pictures. I am not good at delayed gratification.*g*
The maple really isn't much heavier than the walnut or mahogany in a piece this size, and those other woods are too soft to really be durable if you're beating around outdoors, IMHO.
The metal plate to hold the clamp was made before I procured some additional metalworking tools, so it looks a little rough, but it has done the job well and its just a prototype, so there
Anywho, here are some detail shots I took this evening:
THANKYOU very much Gero & Dan for your images & comments. I think I have a pretty good idea now of what I'm gonna do. Once I have a completed project, I'll do a new post!
I may end-up buying a 'real' Bushhawk anyway but I'd like to 'tinker' with the idea of making a fine-wood piece if I could find someone to provide a little guidance.
