sam17•4h ago

My new camera mount decided to take a nap right under the Orion Nebula

I was all set up in my backyard last Friday night, the sky was crystal clear for once. I had just bought a fancy new geared head for my tripod, the kind with the little silver knobs you turn. I got M42 framed up perfectly, took a test shot, and went inside to grab a coffee. I came back out maybe ten minutes later to find my whole camera setup pointing straight down at the grass. The main locking knob on the brand new mount had slowly, silently, given up. The whole thing just sagged. My heart sank. I spent the next half hour trying to re-tighten everything with a wrench from my garage, but the threads felt stripped. I ended up having to just hold the camera tube by hand for a few 30-second shots, which was as steady as you'd guess. Has anyone else had a piece of gear fail in such a quiet, disappointing way right at the worst moment? What did you do to fix it, or did you just have to replace the whole thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_lucas3h ago

Did your tripod decide to become a sunflower?

masonbell2h ago

Tried to get a fancy shot of the sunset and the whole thing just folded over in the wind. Legs went everywhere. Looked less like a sunflower and more like a drunk metal spider. Had to chase my camera bag down a hill. Total disaster.