Sony NEX-VG10 tripod mount rather flimsy?

Most camcorders include a tripod mount, but one thing that can distinguish professional from consumer equipment is the thought and expense that goes into the construction of that piece of the camera. A good tripod mount is more than just a hole in the bottom of the camera; ideally the bottom of the camera where the camera comes into contact with the tripod should be flat and solid so that the camera can be tightly mated to the tripod shoe. Unfortunately, many consumer cameras simply mold the whole area out of plastic, and the bottom surface isn't always flat. Light plastic isn't going to stand up to much wear and tear; but then again, how many people put a handicam on a tripod anyway?

Over at the Sony NEX-VG10 User group, some users are complaining about the NEX-VG10's tripod mount, and how poorly it mates to a tripod (making it difficult to adjust zoom or focus without the camera moving.)

Over on the DPReview forum, a reader damaged the base of his camera when the Glidcam unit it was on fell over. The reader tries to minimize what happened by saying it was "bumped over" and "tipped over 1.5 ft"; but clearly it fell over, and if that's the only damage to the camera he should probably consider himself lucky! Actually, any damage to a camera that fell a foot and a half probably can't be blamed on a design deficiency.
source: DPReview.com thread [Broke the VG10]

Still, for those looking for a way to improve the connection between camera and tripod, Olof Eckberg at WestsideAV Studios, North Conway NH, makes tripod plates for several cameras, and he says that he could make a plate for the NEX-VG10, and if someone is willing to stop by with their NEX-VG10, he'll measure it and make a plate (and give that person a copy too.)

NEXVG10.info: Tripod connection with VG10 flexes
NEXVG10.info: Stronger Tripod plates for VG10 [also] westsideavstore.com
DPReview.com: Broke the VG10
B & H Photo: NEX-VG10

Comments

Unknown said…
happen to mine.

$35+tax s&h @ Sony

it flexes and then allows the metal tripod part under the plastic housing to break. If you're not careful the metal part will break right through the plastic plate.

Be sure to not over tighten the tripod screw. You might want to rig some extra plate to the camera in addition to the tripod screw.


Yeah Bad Design. Still really Like the camera though.
Apr 4, 2011, 6:49:00 PM
OddAmeoba said…
Happened to mine too. over tightened the mount on my first use and the mount bulged on the bottom. I was able to remove the bulge but on my second use it was so weak inside that the threaded mount snapped free and now it just spins with my mounting plate. I had to open up the body to temporarily fix this but I,m not so sure I'll ever use this one on a tripod ever again!
Sep 10, 2011, 11:36:00 AM
Bill said…
Here is my fix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-eGsx54jAw
Oct 9, 2011, 8:26:00 AM
Satya said…
This happened to my camera too.
Nov 16, 2011, 11:57:00 PM
Michael Murie said…
Looking t the bottom on the NEX-VG20, the case around the tripod mount does seem pretty flimsy. I think the problem is that if you put a heavy lens on the front of the camera, it's likely to stress that part. Also, is the camera gets knock while on the tripod, that will put additional stress on that region.
Nov 18, 2011, 9:26:00 PM
Unknown said…
This will fix any of of the VG series cameras.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-eGsx54jAw
May 12, 2015, 1:51:00 PM
Waterdown Clinic of Natuopathic Medicine said…
Same problem. The video is "not available" and I can't seem to find it from a youtube search. Can anyone help with the fix options?
Thanks
Mike in Burlington, ON
Jan 11, 2016, 8:24:00 PM
zzdust said…
yup. it happened to me too on my nex vg10. I was extremely careful. Just a very flimsy camera mount. Very not happy.
Dec 10, 2017, 7:50:00 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sony GV-D200 review

Image
Sony GV-D200 I've been using a Sony GV-D200 deck to transfer old Video8 and Hi8 tapes. Some of these tapes are over twenty years old, and no longer having a Hi8 camcorder that worked I was concerned that if I didn't do something about transferring them to a more modern format soon, I might never be able to. While Sony no longer make camcorders that use these tapes - that I know of - Sony does still sell the GV-D200 deck (or Video Walkman, as it's sometimes labelled.) They also offer the GV-D800, which is almost identical but adds a small LCD screen for about $120 more. I didn't think I'd need a screen since I was using this to capture to the computer, but you will need an external monitor when you first set it up. Physically, the device is small. At 5 7/8" wide, 5 3/8" deep and 2" high, it's the smallest video deck I've encountered. I used to have a Video8 deck that I thought was small; and it was twice as deep and twice as high. The t
Read more

Response: Which iPhone to Get?

Image
In response to my iPhone musings, I got the following reader email which actually sums up a lot of my second and third thoughts too: You might have a point about the fancier camera, but otherwise I would buy the smaller model. Its screen is about the same size as that of my Nexus 4, and I don't feel at all like it limits me with a too-small screen. But I do sometimes stretch to get my thumb the reach to the other corner of the screen. It is plenty big for a phone. A phone is a pocket thing. (Well, in my case it lives an ancient REI soft sunglasses case that I have on my belt.) Ubiquitous, handy, convenient, almost always with me. Small is crucial for all of that. Certainly a large screen is cool, but you need a place to put it: don't break a fundamental feature of a pocket phone by getting too big. That is what your small tablet is for. I have my phone with me almost always. I have my Nexus 7 tablet with me nearly as much. The bigger screen is great, yet it fits in some
Read more

Should you buy the Sony NEX-FS100 Kit Lens?

Image
The Sony NEX-FS100 is available in two configurations: B & H : NEX-FS100U Camcorder only $4,999 B & H : NEX-FS100U (with 18-200mm lens) $5,599 But what does that extra $600 get you? It get's you this: Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens for NEX Camera This lens is also available separately for $799.99, so at $200 off you'd think everyone would be jumping on it. But not so fast... In his article about switching from the Canon 5D Mark II to the Sony NEX-FS100 , Paul Antico  at Need Creative says of the kit lens: 7) Its 18-200 F3.6-6.3 kit lens absolutely sucks and should be avoided (thankfully, you can order it without one) [ 1 ] But is it that bad? At B & H 's site, 43 reviews give it an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars. That's not a bad rating, though many of these people are using it for stills, and the most common complaint noted is how large and heavy it is. Of course this feeling of size would be exacerbated when you put it on a tiny camera
Read more