I find the Bush Hawk a valuable tool, after getting used to it, which does not take long. It draws a lot of stares and questions, I suppose because they are rarely seen. The trigger activates the "half way down" to measure the light, focus what ever you wish. And then of course is used to fire the shots.
For you Canon users, they come in two colors, black and white. I didn,t know that until after I owned it. The white goes great with your long "L" lenses and does makes large lenses easier to work with. The Bush Hawk breaks down into smaller parts for easy transportablity. On the other side you would need to put it together the next time you use it. It is no big deal, however. When on a trip I leave it assembled.
Just a side note, I do not know the site name, but saw a similar stock that does not come apart at about $25.00. I know nothing else about it.
I don't know your stature, but I am short and the normal configuration was way too large for my size. The length of the frame to where the camera is stationed to the shoulder pad is too long for me to be able to see through the viewfinder. My husband was able to jury-rig it to be useable and it does give stability, especially in panning for bird shots. When ordering ask if they have a model that fits someone with a smaller frame.
I am physically unable to carry around the tripod for any distance, so this has been a reasonably good solution.
Posted by Hali Sowle on September 7, 2009 at 9:46 PM
I have a Bush Hawk and found it a bit difficult to use because I'm fairly short. Like Patricia I had trouble seeing through the viewfinder but was able to compensate with a lot of tweaking It's great for bird shots and sure beats trying to panning on a tripod. When I talked with them last (a few years back) they were developing a model for shorter stature people so if you need that you may be in luck.
I have used one for a couple of years and now find it difficult to do without it with a long lens. I had some challenges getting it to fit my arm length but after some persistence it works well for me. I added another piece of foam to the shoulder rest and centre on my breastbone instead of my shoulder.
I don't use the shutter trigger but help support the rig with my right hand on the camera shutter.
I always had trouble with BIF using a tripod and this has solved that problem. As I have some mobility problems I often sit to do my photography and rest the whole rig on the ground inbetween shots.
Discussion
7 repliesBecause of a woman's anatomy, some find it difficult to use.
I would find someone near by and try it first or buy it from the factory with the condition that it could be returned should it not work out for you.
For you Canon users, they come in two colors, black and white. I didn,t know that until after I owned it. The white goes great with your long "L" lenses and does makes large lenses easier to work with. The Bush Hawk breaks down into smaller parts for easy transportablity. On the other side you would need to put it together the next time you use it. It is no big deal, however. When on a trip I leave it assembled.
Just a side note, I do not know the site name, but saw a similar stock that does not come apart at about $25.00. I know nothing else about it.
I am physically unable to carry around the tripod for any distance, so this has been a reasonably good solution.
I don't use the shutter trigger but help support the rig with my right hand on the camera shutter.
I always had trouble with BIF using a tripod and this has solved that problem. As I have some mobility problems I often sit to do my photography and rest the whole rig on the ground inbetween shots.