As regular readers of this blog know I’m disabled and am effectively able to only use my right side. This makes it all but impossible to use a hand held camera especially the latest compact digital cameras. The new cameras are so small I don’t see how anyone effectively uses them. I wanted a camera I could use one handed with fingers that are numb but no one actually makes such a system so I was forced to come up with my own jury-rigged design.

Here is the system I came up with. As you can see from the photos it is essentially a “point and shoot” camera system. It has a handle so I can hold and point the camera and a “trigger” so I can take the picture. If you would like to build such a system here are the instructions along with a parts list on how to build one. The system cost me about $200. in total of which the major expense was for the camera.

After describing how I built the system I’ll add some pros and cons about the system which still has a few bugs that I have to work out. If anyone has a similar system or perhaps some suggestions on how to Improve the system please add a comment.

I’ll start by giving you a parts list then move on to my experience in assembling and using the camera.

• 1

  The core of my system is a product called a cable release bracket for compact cameras manufactured by SRB-Griturn. This is a class outfit. I live in the USA and they are located in the UK. I had no trouble with payment or shipping (which was quite prompt). I also ordered a 10 inch cable release along with the bracket which was defective. I emailed the company asking for advice and their reply was to immediately send me a new cable at no charge and no questions asked. Based on my experience I certainly recommend them.

   

  UPDATE: SRB-Griturn has just updated their web site to include additional brackets for various cameras. You can see the variety of brackets here including a bracket for compact cameras with an angled shutter release button.

• 2

  Unfortunately a 10 inch cable release turned out to be too short for my project. After some searching I found an acceptable cable release on AMAZON.com called a Stroboframe 300-409 Cable Release. The release bracket has two threaded holes for the cable release which conforms to different standards. I used the threaded hole closest to the post with this cable release.

   

  UPDATE: After about a year of use the threads on this cable became stripped so I can no longer recommend using it. Temporarily I am using the original 10 inch canle from SRB-Griturn which of much higher quality. I plan on purchasing a longer cable from them in the future but if you are building this system from scratch I recommend that you purchase the longer cable from them when you purchase the bracket.

   

   

• 3

  I needed a handle I could grip while using the camera. Most of the handles I investigated were too small; many as small as 3 inches in length. I considered building my own using a large dowel but eventually found a suitable handle that was also light. It was called a ”handheld tripod” and is marketed for the outdoor market but uses camera standard threads. I purchased this from Amazon.com as well.

   

   

   

   

• 4

  The release cable tends to get in the way so I needed some way to hold the cable in place. After a few false starts I settled on using cable ties purchased from a local store. They are also available from Amazon.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• 5

  I needed some way to fasten the release cable to the grip handle. I wanted to attach the cable so the it would act like a trigger so I just needed to point and squeeze with my forefinger like on a gun in order to take a picture. I tried several methods but the curved surface of the tripod handle plus the material from which the handle was made rendered all my efforts ineffective. In the end I found that plain old electrical tape purchased from a local hardware store worked the best.

  December 2010 update: After some experience using regular electrical tape as a fastener I’ve discovered that it doesn’t hold very well over the long haul. Fortunately I found a substitute at my local hardware store that holds better, is thinner so is easier to use, and has the added benefit that it contains no lead. I’m putting a link to amazon.com to the tape but I found it on sale locally at about half the amazon price so you might want to search your local hardware store first.

• 6

  The final item (and the most expensive item) was a camera. I bought a Nikon coolpix s3000 on sale at a local store. Virtually any camera that fits the bracket will work. Choosing the right camera is tricky even for a system as simple as this. While the camera I choose is okay for many purposes I discovered a range of problems that appear to be endemic to all the light weight digital cameras. More on this subject when I detail my experiences with the system.

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Tags: camera systems, Multiple Sclerosis

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 6:46 pm and is filed under Interesting, Multiple Sclerosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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