[HistoryMilkshake]

I use a wheelchair and I want to rig my camera to the chair to carry it. It worked very well with my last camera but that one didn't have shake reduction and I'm worried that the small bumps & vibrations through the chair will damage the SR. Should I keep it turned off to stop the sensor from moving when traveling about? I have a K-3 by the way.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to give. I might be able to find another option if the rigging option could potentially lead to issues.

[Wheatfield]

I use a wheelchair and I want to rig my camera to the chair to carry it. It worked very well with my last camera but that one didn't have shake reduction and I'm worried that the small bumps & vibrations through the chair will damage the SR. Should I keep it turned off to stop the sensor from moving when traveling about? I have a K-3 by the way.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to give. I might be able to find another option if the rigging option could potentially lead to issues.

This shouldn't be an issue.
As an aside though, when the camera is turned off the sensor positioning hardware isn't energized and this is when the sensor can move freely.
The only way to keep the sensor from moving around on its own is to have the camera powered up and the light meter activated. Under these conditions the sensor positioner is active.

As another aside, until Pentax started using ultrasonic sensor cleaning, the cleaning routine literally hammered the sensor assembly against the stops, so I don't think anything you can do to the camera from your chair is going to harm.it.

My late friend Brian spent the last couple of decades of his life in a chair due to a combination of polio when he was a kid, and, frankly, laziness as he got older allowing his upper body strength to fail him. He was an excellent photographer and was not especially nice to his equipment. He never managed to break anything.

[jgnfld]

I use a wheelchair and I want to rig my camera to the chair to carry it. It worked very well with my last camera but that one didn't have shake reduction and I'm worried that the small bumps & vibrations through the chair will damage the SR. Should I keep it turned off to stop the sensor from moving when traveling about? I have a K-3 by the way.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to give. I might be able to find another option if the rigging option could potentially lead to issues.

I assume you are talking about a fixed mount on your chair of some sort if you're worried about vibrations. I wouldn't worry about movements hurting the sensor between shots. That said, some shake reduction systems don't function well on a fixed platform. My KP/K70 seem fine w.r.t. this issue so I rarely worry about it in the field and while I try to remember to shut off shake reduction when mounted like the manual says somewhere, I really can't say I've ever really noticed any problem. I do, however, have a pair of 18x50 Canon image stabilized binocs that go totally wonky if stabilization is turned on when fixed on a tabletop tripod at the gun range.

[HistoryMilkshake]

Thanks both of you. That's good information. I only rig it to the chair to move around - Using a arca plate. It's just easier than carrying it around my neck while pushing. I didn't think there would be a problem but I've only been rigging my camera up in the past year and in that time I only used a camera that didn't have any shake reduction so I thought I'd check what the situation was.

[Bob 256]

The only damage that might happen is if you have the camera firmly mounted and happen to go over something which produces a sharp shock (like a deep crack in the pavement) and then the camera is just as susceptible as anything else. To lessen shock, you could employ a pad of high density polyurethane (or other spongy material like sorbathane or silicone) in the camera mount which should hold the camera well but lessen the transfer of sharp shocks, providing overall camera protection.

[Wheatfield]

The only damage that might happen is if you have the camera firmly mounted and happen to go over something which produces a sharp shock (like a deep crack in the pavement) and then the camera is just as susceptible as anything else. To lessen shock, you could employ a pad of high density polyurethane (or other spongy material like vibrathane) in the camera mount which should hold the camera well but lessen the transfer of sharp shocks, providing overall camera protection.

If he goes over something that produces a shock sharp enough to damage the camera, he's got bigger things to worry about, like whose going to pick him up off the pavement, take him to the hospital, that sort of thing.
Seriously, this is a non issue. I spent many years ferrying around a wheelchair bound photographer.

Check out his work. If you look closely, you might even see what Wheatfield really looks like.
About Brian Schneider | Flickr

[MossyRocks]

I have been known to be rather hard on equipment at times bordering on abuse and I wouldn't worry about bumps from the chair damaging things. I think the worst that happened to my K-3 was when I set it up on a tripod one night as a big storm was rolling in and had it in interval shooting. I had to step away for a few minutes and on heading back to it got to watch it get blown over on the tripod from some straight line winds and hit the concrete ground. The tripod was the Manfrotto 3058 so it wasn't exactly a small light one and it hit with some good force. Apart from a good paint removing scuff on the edge of the K-3 it was no worse for wear. So small little bumps and shakes wouldn't be a concern for me.

[35mmfilmfan]

Apropos of vibration, many years ago I recall reading in a Camera / photography magazine (anyone remember them ? Sigh ..) that the vibrations caused by transporting a camera in the boot (= trunk) of a car could cause problems by loosening internal screws. Even though I am pretty sure that the writer meant a camera just bouncing around loose, not in any kind of protective container, ever since then I have insisted, when driven by friends (I use public transport) on having whichever camera bag I am using either restrained on the rear seat, or nursed on my lap with the strap firmly within the seat belt, to prevent movement. On buses or trains, the bag sits on the seat beside me, my arm firmly through the strap again. So far, I have had no issues, but I am taking no chances. As others have said, the minimal vibrations to your rig are highly unlikely to have any deleterious effects - best of luck. Have you considered a short test in video mode as you travel, to see how much vibration the camera detects ?

[HistoryMilkshake]

This might be a good excuse to buy the front wheels with suspension I've been wanting for years. Finally a reason to justify it! Much rather protect my camera than my own body of course

[UncleVanya]

Lensrentals.com has shown that Sony IBIS can develop cracks and problems that they have never called Pentax out for. I expect that give the long timeframe that Pentax has had with IBIS the system is fairly robust. I expect shipping and similar events provide a much tougher challenge to the system.

If you are really worried you can put the camera on sensor cleaning mode which locks down the sensor. That mode also raises the mirror and takes battery power to maintain. I do not think it is necessary.

Sensor Cleaning - Pentax K-3 Operating Manual [Page 89] | ManualsLib

[mikesbike]

I very rarely have a camera swinging around my neck. I much prefer a padded holster type case having both an adjustable across-shoulder strap and belt loops, a combo that prevents swing and provides stability. It is then in a handy position so I can draw out the camera as needed. Perhaps something similar can be used either on your body or rigged on your chair. It should be good for absorbing any vibration or jolts.

[jgnfld]

I very rarely have a camera swinging around my neck. I much prefer a padded holster type case having both an adjustable across-shoulder strap and belt loops, a combo that prevents swing and provides stability. It is then in a handy position so I can draw out the camera as needed. Perhaps something similar can be used either on your body or rigged on your chair. It should be good for absorbing any vibration or jolts.

On a wheelchair a cross chest mount might be a better notion than a holster mount. I use a Cotton Grey Skout Sling while hiking as that keeps the camera inside my core rather than exposed on my hip as I hike in heavily wooded and very rocky terrain. There are many other such systems.