WeiChong.net BLOG: Cheap Way to Steady a Tripod

To Dennis Mook, Wandering Lensman,

Thank you for your tip for steadying a camera without a tripod. For $1.30 I was able to add to my “kit.” I always wondered how I would attach the eye bolt so that it wouldn’t go through camera body.

I mention “kit” above, because prior to reading your article, I used my parachute cord with my Nite-Ize Figure 9 to steady my tripod. Since you already have a kit similar to mind, you might want to see what other things you can do with it.

When it’s windy and storm, my tripod cannot hold my camera steady. So I use the Nite-Ize, connect it to the tripod and camera bag, and use the Nite-Ize like a Boy Scout taut-line hitch (which is not as strong in shifting winds as the Nite-Ize).

Here’s my “kit,” which is almost the same as yours:

I first set up my tripod and attach an ample amount of cord so my Nite-Ize hangs about 18’-24” down from the bottom of the tripod head. That’s so when you pull the tripod and camera bag taut, the Nite-Ize has some room to not bind with the tripod:

Now wrap the cord around the bottom of the tripod’s head. Make sure the cord does not interfere with the tripod head horizontal movement.

You are really supposed to loop the cord around the center of the tripod head with a ⅜” eye bolt screwed into the bottom of the tripod head shaft—so the force is correctly centered. I tried it, but I didn’t want to carry still another piece of equipment. I’ve found that the method above works well for me.

Attach the cord through the camera bag handle (or rock, or log, or…). Make it taut (but, not overly tight). The setup is much more solid that a tripod by itself. I only use this in very windy or stormy situations. Or when near something that vibrates a lot (like waterfalls).