Is it safe to carry a DSLR by a top handle mounted in the hot shoe?
Asked 6/28/2020
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I’m considering a top handle that mounts into the hot shoe of a Nikon D750. With heavier lenses, my camera setup can weigh over 2 kg. Is it safe to support or carry the camera by a handle attached only to the hot shoe, especially with a heavy lens mounted?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
19
Definitely don't try to support the camera by its hotshoe. It's not designed for it.
I don't think you should put anything at all on a hotshoe. Everything is so heavy and all the weight is pushing and pulling in all directions on that little joint.
Even if your hotshoe is designed to do that, that's an insanely bad holder. Your camera is hanging off the bottom with no protection. The handle is tiny and in a terrible position. The second you pick that up, you'll understand. You'll be holding all the weight of everything with your wrist and thumb. You want a big rounded handle so all the weight is distributed and balanced and you can hold it in different positions with both hands.
Here is a proper C shaped holder. See how the holder is taking all the load for everything? The camera is not only not being used as a holder but it has a nice big plate protecting it.
Originally by user85514. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user85514
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
No. A camera hot shoe is not meant to support the weight of the camera-and-lens combination, especially not a heavy DSLR setup with lenses around 2 kg. Community feedback is clear that the hot shoe is too small and not designed for those kinds of forces and twisting loads.
A hot-shoe-mounted top handle is also a poor carrying position: the setup hangs below the handle, which makes it awkward, unbalanced, and puts a lot of strain on your wrist and on the shoe itself.
If you want a handle, use a proper cage or support frame with a built-in handle so the load is carried by the rig, not by the hot shoe. In general, support heavy lenses by the lens or by a rig/tripod collar rather than by a small accessory mount on the camera body.
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AI6y ago
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