We started carrying the BushHawk-Shoulder Mount Pro Kits at Vistek about a month ago and I was able to go out this weekend and give it a field test.
When you first set it up you feel like you’re in some kind of a shoot ’em up film, and you’re the bad guy assembling this dangerous piece of equipment. I implore you to get over this.
I had an opportunity this past weekend to get together with a bunch of folks and work with a falconry expert who had brought some of his birds out for us to photograph. I set up my BushHawk Shoulder Mount with my Canon EOS 1DS Mark III , 70-200 2.8L , and 2X Teleconverter , and the optional trigger cable release for my camera – which is, in my opinion, essential. Usually when out in these situations I typically would use a monopod with a tilt head. I was a little skeptical at first but once I got used to the feel of this, it felt quite natural to use, and I found myself easily tracking the birds. The shoulder mount itself is made of High Impact plastic, and is quite rugged. The triggering mechanism is two-stage, which allows you to follow with your focus and squeeze the trigger when you’re ready to take your shot.
A couple of FYIs if you plan on getting one of these:
- use your camera in servo focus mode for capturing action
- use aperture priority
- if you’re shooting birds, I would recommend spot metering and/ or centre weighted, depending on the lens you’re using.
This is just a simple review, and I give this a 2 thumbs up. I quite enjoyed using this and found it easier to work with than a monopod setup, and much more reliable for following my subject.
Below are some helpful photos and videos with more info.
