Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Beware the Cam Caddie Scorpion EX

I just got a Cam Caddie Scorpion and tried it with my new Canon EOS 70D. The screw was thumb tightened. It worked ok and I was having fun with it shooting some test videos.

Then when I tried to unscrew it, I found it was extremely tight. I tried harder and only managed to spin the knob whilst the screw remained in the tripod socket.

Great. Well, I needed my camera free of the Cam Caddie, so I used a hacksaw to cut it off. But I still couldn't get the screw out.


Damnit. So I went to the local hardware store and bought a a beefy locking vise grip. It was extremely hard to turn, it was seized in there good. I tried harder and the screw broke off in the tripod socket. Fuck.


I called Nippon Photo Clinic and they quoted me around $100 to replace the bottom plate. Goddammit.

Lesson: DO NOT BUY OR USE A CAM CADDIE SCORPION. It looks like, feels like, and acts like a cheap piece of shit.