Anyone stabilize their A7r with weight?

[eleskin]

The A7r is a great camera BUT it is too light for my Noctilux and seems to need a little extra weight for stability to guard against vibration blur below 1/100 sec. I have ordered the battery grip for improved handling and may add a small weight under the grip to give it a more weighted solid feel. I am sure this will help dampen the shutter a bit and give me the feel in terms of weight similar to my Leica M8. Anyone here using any add on weights for their A7r? Are there some that are a thin rectangle that could screw on the bottom of the battery grip?

 

[whited3]

I have not... but if I were you I'd just put a monopod on it if hand shake is that critical. Even if the monopod is fully compacted and dangling in the air it will cut down on shake.

Mass near the camera won't stabilize as effectively as mass farther from the camera (i.e. a monopod). If you'd still rather screw a weight to the bottom plate, go to Home Depot and look for anything heavy that can be attached to the A7 tripod mount with a 1/4 20 machine screw and some washers.

But is the shake really that bad? Genuine question - have you maximized your shooting technique / hand stability?

 

[eleskin]

As an M6/M8/X Pro-1 owner

As an M6/M8/X Pro-1 owner

Coming from an M6, and M8, and the X Pro-1 I can see more care is needed at 1/100 sec and lower. I cannot tell until I get my battery grip which is on back order from Adorama (ughhh). I can say the X Pro has more heft and is better with the Really Right Stuff grip on it which I never take off. I basically feel I need to customize my A7r a bit for my own hands in terms of weight and feel. I am a street shooter mostly and feel a monopod would get in the way alot. I have an excellent Manfroto mono and I should try that out, but maybe a Home Depot solution may be better.

 

[whited3]

Yeah I only mentioned because I noticed the "floating monopod" helped a lot shooting handheld @ 400mm. The A7 being light and tiny is a catch-22 in this scenario...

My other trick is to shoot hasselblad style - A7 chest level, hanging around my neck & using the flip out screen. Limits your perspective for street shooting but it's really stable due to the strap tension, and stealthy.

 

[eleskin]

28mm, 35mm, and 50mm

28mm, 35mm, and 50mm

Almost all the time I use a 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm as a street shoot kit or for that matter for everything else. For the A7r I am now using the 35mm Nokton, 50mm Noctilux f1.0 and 50mm Summicron. I really love the Zeiss 55 1.8 and am waiting to see if Sony will come up with a 35 f1.4. So you can see why I want a bottom mounted plate. I want mobility but a very solid feel. If I had my wish I would put the A7r sensor in an X Pro body with the Fuji shutter and an enlarged hybrid viewfinder getting the best of Fuji and Sony. Well, we take what we have though.

 

[kxl]

I do have a grip, and when I need to, use a GorillaPod and a remote.

But I have used this technique on another camera in the past -- you might want to have a look.

http://petapixel.com/2011/01/26/stabilize-your-camera-for-1-with-a-washer-bolt-and-string/

 

[Samouraï]

I have the vertical grip for my A7R. It improves handling considerably (when an arca plate is attached to the base, especially). RRS makes a baseplate for the A7 cameras that adds some height to the camera (and thus, extra grip, weight, and arca cutouts).

That grip makes the camera into one of the most aesthetically pleasing cameras I've ever owned or seen. A very modern and clean square. I wish it had been designed with the grip built-in (and by a photographer instead of an electronics designer). I have a love-hate relationship with the camera. But going back to my 5D and fast lenses is a complete shock to me--that I ever travelled with that behemoth around my neck and tucked it under dining tables in restaurants.

 

[whited3]

Any photos of the A7 with the grip? I want more perspectives than just the manufacturer photos. I almost ordered it until I reminded myself the whole point of the A7 (for me) was to reduce size & weight. I bet it does help shooting with less hand shake though.

 

[giellaleafapmu]

What about the classical string below the feet and above the camera? Otherwise if it is only weight what you need any piece of metal should do. These days knife making has become so popular that you should be able to find people selling very small amount of metal in many stock sizes. If you don't you can try sites such as Admiral Steel or similar who sells on-line. Something like a 1/4" to 1/2"stainless steel bar should be just fine. Just to give you an idea 303SS in 1/4" X 3/4" X 36" costs less than 26 US$, you can cut and pile as many plates as necessary.

GLF

 

[Sparrow]

Yeah I only mentioned because I noticed the "floating monopod" helped a lot shooting handheld @ 400mm. The A7 being light and tiny is a catch-22 in this scenario...

edit

Yep, moment of inertia .. like a pendulum, angular acceleration is it