bruckshaw1
Senior Member
I have received my chest pod from 7dayshop.com (2 days) and here is my initial reaction.
The basic principle seems OK and I think it will improve my stability although I have not yet used it "in anger".
The quck release mechanism is very stiff probably due to the newness of the item. A drop of WD40 or equivalent will probably fix that issue.
The screw on the QR plate needs a coin or screwdriver when fixing to the camera. I do have a spare screw with a "handle" so that a coin is not needed but fitting that in place of the supplied screw does not allow the two halves of the mechanism to fit together. Back to the drawing board!
My tripod and monopod are both Velbon which takes a different quick release sytem. To avoid having to change the plate on the camera too often I tried to piggy-back the Velbon QR plate on the top of the one supplied but the supplied item has a spring-loaded locator pin which prevents me doing that. The FZ200 does not have recess for the pin so it is redundant and I will remove it.
The edges of the strap could be a littleharsh if resting on the skin and the chest support section has no padding but those are matters of personal comfort.
Finally, during my initial dry run trial I found that it was not easy to turn the camera round to inspect the lens for dust etc. Adjustment of the strap length may improve this.
Having paid only 11GBP I shall not be returning the chest pod but it remains to be seen how long it will take me to become used to it as a permanent accessory versus the improved stability.
I hope this quick review may be of help to someone.
Eric
The basic principle seems OK and I think it will improve my stability although I have not yet used it "in anger".
The quck release mechanism is very stiff probably due to the newness of the item. A drop of WD40 or equivalent will probably fix that issue.
The screw on the QR plate needs a coin or screwdriver when fixing to the camera. I do have a spare screw with a "handle" so that a coin is not needed but fitting that in place of the supplied screw does not allow the two halves of the mechanism to fit together. Back to the drawing board!
My tripod and monopod are both Velbon which takes a different quick release sytem. To avoid having to change the plate on the camera too often I tried to piggy-back the Velbon QR plate on the top of the one supplied but the supplied item has a spring-loaded locator pin which prevents me doing that. The FZ200 does not have recess for the pin so it is redundant and I will remove it.
The edges of the strap could be a littleharsh if resting on the skin and the chest support section has no padding but those are matters of personal comfort.
Finally, during my initial dry run trial I found that it was not easy to turn the camera round to inspect the lens for dust etc. Adjustment of the strap length may improve this.
Having paid only 11GBP I shall not be returning the chest pod but it remains to be seen how long it will take me to become used to it as a permanent accessory versus the improved stability.
I hope this quick review may be of help to someone.
Eric