PVC shoulder rig for less than $10

    If you've ever tried to shoot handheld video, you know camera shake is a thing, even if you've got the steadiest of hands.

    There are a few tricks to get around it. Knoptop suggests using your camera strap, pulling the camera away from you until the strap is taut, providing some stability to the camera. While Scott Eggleston, aka the Frugal Filmmaker, has advocated for cage-like rigs, such as one made out of my favorite material, PVC, and another that is group of flash brackets mounted together.

    But many people have found that shoulder rigs provide great stability for a few reasons. First, you are using your shoulder and body mass to provide stability, and with the right handles, it gives three points of contact. A shoulder rig also puts the camera right about eye level.

    There are plenty of plans for DIY shoulder rigs out there, but the one I liked the best — for the most part — was the one the crew at The Slanted Lens came up with. Dubbed the "Lars Cam," it consists of a 10-12" length of 1-inch PVC pipe, a 1-inch T-joint and three 1-inch 90-degree PVC electrical conduits, along with a 1/4x20 bolt to hold the camera on to it. The tools consist of a power drill (I recommend using a 9/32 bit, as it makes it easier to insert the bolt in the hole), and a way to cut PVC pipe. My personal choice is a pair of ratcheting PVC pipe cutters.

    I spent $6.72 at Home Depot on the conduit, T-joint and bolt (actually, the bolts came in a three-pack with nuts). I was able to get a short length of PVC pipe from a friendly plumber for free from his scrap collection. 

    From my test run with it, the rig is quite stable and handles smoothly. You can still reach up to adjust focal length or focus, resting one of the handles either in the crook of your arm or on your forearm.

    At this point, I am debating whether to use tape to cover the PVC, as the Lars Cam's inventor did, or spray paint. I am also planning to borrow another trick from Knoptop and putting a craft-foam pad around the bolt to better hold the camera.

Low-cost ways to set focus for your videos

    If you're working by yourself, getting your camera focused to where you are going to be in front of it can be a challenge.

    There are some tricks, such as using a remote to trigger the autofocus on the camera while you're standing in position, and then quickly locking it in by going to manual focus. But not everyone has a remote trigger.

    Another way is to put something where you will be,  focus on it, and then step into position.

    Dave Knop, AKA Knoptop, has a couple suggestions in a Youtube video.

    One is using a polystyrene mannequin display head, which you can pick up at a local wig shop or on Amazon. But if you either don't want to spend the money or have Jeff Bezos' algorithms making wild assumptions about you, Knoptop offers a cheaper solution that you most likely have laying around your house: A plastic, one-gallon jug.

    Knoptop said they can easily be used as a head to either hold hats and wigs, or as a focus stand-in. He recommends using a milk jug (not those big. square-ish ones you get at Costco), after rinsing it out, of course. For me, I have distilled water jugs sitting around that don't need as much cleaning.

 

    Knoptop said you can paint it, cover it with comic book art or whatever you want. I would recommend something that creates an easy focus pattern, maybe something like this modge-podged to the outside. To make it really utilitarian, you could also paint it a neutral gray tone so you can set color balance as well.

    I think the best part of it is you can fit it on a light stand, especially if you are using a PVC lightstand.

Knoptop and my wife's crafting save my monopod

    Thanks to a tip from Knoptop, and my wife's interest in craft projects, I didn't have to get a new monopod.

    On a trip to Seattle last year, the top came off the quick-release plate of my monopod. I have yet to figure out how it happened, but the top padding was gone from the plate, the tripod screw was falling out and the camera wasn't sitting as secure as before.

    I jerry-rigged it using tape, but it wasn't a perfect situation. At that point, I thought I had two options: Try to find a new quick-release plate (next to impossible) or buy a new monopod.

    But while watching Knoptop's video on his PVC shoulder rig I found a solution. He recommended using craft foam to better seat the camera in the mount.

    I asked my wife if she had any foam in her craft materials, and she did. So, with a pair of scissors, an Xacto knife and a hot-glue gun, I was able to make a new pad that has worked just as well as the original.

    And if there's another mishap, the repair will be quick and cost a fraction of a new monopod.