Tripods are great for stabilizing cameras and binoculars to reduce vibration and keep them aligned with an image. They control camera angle by limiting its rotation about a point on the tripod's pivoting head. However, what if you wanted to align with something much further away, where even a small difference in angle would affect the image? A long time ago, I played around with an old pan-tilt head tripod mounted to a powerful set of 60x binoculars and noticed that it improved the image. It had a control handle that extended about 20 cm from the pivoting head. gripping the handle at its furthest point from the pivot head moved the image more accurately, since it took a longer linear movement to produce the same angular movement. There is an easy way to demonstrate this effect. Look out a window and locate two pointed objects, one nearby and one far away. Move your head slightly, and notice how the view behind the far point changes more slowly compared to the near point. A tripod with a much longer handle, around 2-3 meters would use this effect. However, it would require trips between the camera on the pivot head and the end of the handle. Mounting the camera on the handle end would solve this, and allow precise images with powerful telephoto lenses. A matching balance handle with counterweight would counter the weight of the camera and aiming handle, like the other end of a see-saw. I imagine it might work for telescopes, binoculars, archery or rifles, directional antennas, communications lasers or mint-launchers.
-- squirrelecule, Aug 29 2010

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seesaw [squirrelecule, Aug 29 2010]

http://en.wikipedia...d_%28photography%29 [squirrelecule, Aug 29 2010]

Keyboard_20Mint_20Launcher [squirrelecule, Aug 29 2010]

// mint-launchers. //

We'll vote for that. [+].
-- 8th of 7, Aug 29 2010


The idea says it is for use with a telephoto lens, which would probably narrow the field of view enough to keep the tripod out of the picture. If that was still a factor, the camera could be attached to the arm at a little bit of an up angle, and it would still work out just fine--and is what I assumed was meant.

If a camera were mounted three meters away from the eye, you couldn't sight through the viewfinder. A shutter release cord wouldn't help that.

Thanks for the link, I have been looking for a release cord.
-- baconbrain, Aug 29 2010


// remote tripod lock //

Fluidic damping ?
-- 8th of 7, Aug 29 2010


Mine's a biter, too! How can I make her stop?

I am thinking that the counterweight will help a lot in stablizing the camera, as will the fact that the camera can't tilt down a little without rising up a lot, first.

But a remote tripod lock would be good. I hadn't thought of that.
-- baconbrain, Aug 29 2010


// I hadn't thought of that //

That's why they don't pay you the big bucks.
-- 8th of 7, Aug 29 2010



random, halfbakery