How I Attach My Camera To My Wheelchair
When I take long exposure shots, I attach my camera to my wheelchair instead of having to use a tripod. This works surprisingly well as long as I have the brakes on and stay pretty still. I can take exposures up to thirty seconds this way with no issues.
After a bit of looking around online I found something that works for me.
The UTEBIT Magic Arm and Super Clamp at £22.99 on Amazon.
Here’s where I clamp it to my chair. The width of the clamp is enough to fix onto most wheelchairs, railings, pretty much anything.
While testing this at home, I wanted to see what the limits were. The listing claims a weight limit of 3kg and I’d say that’s pretty accurate as long as the arm is positioned so the centre of gravity sits as close to the clamp as possible.
I attached a hefty Canon 70d paired with a 24-70 f2.8, tentatively let go of the camera, and it held surprisingly well.
Of course, I wouldn’t trust a heavy set up like that mounted this way out in the field, but it did give me confidence of it holding smaller rigs, like my Canon RP and a Nifty Fifty.
Since buying the UTEBIT Magic Arm and Clamp, I’ve seen that SMALLRIG also sell one, that looks identical except for a black instead of red tightening lever, and different branding.
I’m pretty sure these are identical products, but I would say SMALLRIG have a stronger reputation, and with that comes a slight price increase.
Another way I can attach a camera to my wheelchair is with a Peak Design Capture Clip, securely taped to the front of the chair. I use a really strong fibre tape that I trust 100% to not move or break away.
People usually attach these Capture Clips to their backpack straps or even a belt, and I’ve seen people walking comfortably with a body and a 70-200 L lens; that’s not something I would like to attach to mine, but again, for smaller set ups you really can feel safe in the knowledge it won’t fall off.
I don’t tend to use this as much as I hoped, but it’s there if I need somewhere to quickly store the camera while I move position and search for the perfect composition.
