safari vehicle support for long lenses

[Ron Goodlin]

On my way to Africa for Safari
Mostly in Land Rovers
Looking for recommendatins for supports for wimberly gimble head and 600mm f:4
c clamps? Kirk Window mount? Beanbags?
Thanks
Ron

[stever]

in Kenya and Tanzania, nearly all vehicles are enclosed with a pop-up top providing room for 3 or 4 photographers to stand - a beanbag on one of roof rails is about the best you can do.  in some situations you may want to shoot out the window using the beanbag.  may be possible to use a small tripod on the rear roof

in Botswana, and private camps in South Africa and Namiba you'll find open vehicle where (if the number of people per vehicle are limited) you can set up a tripod.  beanbag also can work

some camps have hides or platforms where you can set up a tripod, and i've been to open areas in the northern Serengti where the guide let me set up a tripod next to the vehicle

Really Right Stuff is working on a really expensive clamp and support system for safari vehicles but i don't know if it's for sale yet

[Ken Bennett]

RRS is working on a Safari Rig, not sure it's out of the prototype stage yet.

http://reallyrightstuff.com/WebsiteInfo.aspx?fc=123

[stever]

just looked at the RRS video.  system is only designed for open top vehicles.  the clamp might work on the roof rail of an enclosed vehicle, but probably not without modification

i'd be more inclined to use their clamp on a folded tripod to avoid packing a monopod

a costly solution, but better than the alternatives

[Lightbox]

Use an extra large rubberband and loop it through the interior roof hand hold, then stick ya lens through it, for extra precision pay 3 times more for an Arca-Swiss rubberband.

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

"I also took a couple of Manfrotto Super Clamps joined together with a spigot with me to SabiSabi. These comprised my "NG Safari Pole Clamp"."

From Nikongear.com (with photos):

http://nikongear.com/live/index.php?/topic/34020-to-monopod-or-not/

A nice method of securing a monopd to a rail in the safari vehicle for very little money

[stever]

sounds like a good idea, but i don't have ppermission to view the image - how did they figure out i'm a Canon guy?

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

Let's see if these two images come through - and a bit more info:

"One jaw clamps to a rail (shown here on my farm gate!) and the other to an extendible monopod. The two clamps can be angled and locked against each other and the monopod can have any suitable head screwed on top."

"The one change I have made as a result of last year's Safari is to change my Manfrotto tilt head on the monopod (which was certainly adequate but quite strenuous to use with a heavy lens) for my wonderful new Wimberley head and a series of Arca-Swiss style lens and camera plates."

From:

http://nikongear.com/live/index.php?/topic/32915-camera-support-equipment-for-safaris/

[abiggs]

hey guys, I am just back from 3 weeks of safari time in Botswana, and I will be editing some video that I took that will answer this very question of how to stabilize your camera gear in an open safari vehicle in southern Africa. I did take the new RRS safari clamp kit with me, along with some other options. The RRS kit works very very well, and I was glad I was able to get the 1st one off the line before I boarded my plane for Africa. There are other options, for sure, and I hope to have my video finished by the end of the week.

[Mark F]

You might also take a look at the "Todd Pod", here:  http://www.gustafsonphotosafari.net/?page_id=43
It's about half way down the page. It's only designed for certain vehicles but with those I've been told that it works very well.

[peterluckhille]

I've just bought into the FOBA system. Its what I call a flat pack system and importantly very light weight.
There are tubes of diffrent lengths which screw together, 2 different clamps for both toyota land cruiser and land rover frames (one is thicker than the other) and also camera supports and its a really neat system. I'm using it with Phase One and the test rig I set up is really stiff. FOBA is swiss made.

[peterluckhille]

PS Just to be exact about the weight aspect to my FOBA system, the total is 2.8kgs!
It comprises 3 * 400mm tubes, 1 * 200mm tube, a clamp (up to 60mm tube), a 3/8th mount and a right angle knuckle for the tubes.
You end up with a verticle monopod which attaches to a horizontal tube via the right angle knuckle which in turn screws into the clamp.
There is also a small clamp that has an adjustable screw that enable tubes to be positioned at different angles.
All you need after that is an Arca monoball with the tension screw and your off.
The most important thing about this system is the speed with which the camera can be mounted using an arca flip lock.
I've done 20 safaris in Botswana and this system is so lightweight, it can be packed into my hand luggage.

[abiggs]

Peter, that sounds quite interesting. Do you have a photo to illustrate?

[peterluckhille]

Not at the moment, I'm in London on the way to Botswana again but I can take a picture with it in situ and post it on my return on the 9 September. If however you would like a picture of it assembled in my living room I can set it up for you, but in situ on a vehicle would obviously be better. Alternatively Profot in Switzerland sell the system and you can check out the FOBA website.

[abiggs]

Something informal will work just fine, and thanks for offering. I have seen everything under the sun that could work, and this is one system that has eluded me. I can't quite understand how the system works after looking at their web site, so a quick photo would be awesome. Thanks!

[peterluckhille]

OK, I will put it together for you, but won't be able to take an image until tomorrow.
I'll also send you the code numbers of the FOBA stuff to your email address.

[peterluckhille]

pps. this is crude but effective. if you have a tripod or monopod that you want to fix to a frame, use an old fashioned ratchet clamp. it works well too