How Durable is 1D

[huzzar]

Hi All, I'm thinking of mounting a Canon 1D with a 16mm-35mm above the rim on a High School Basketball net... Anyone try this before? How durable is the Camera from balls hitting the backboard over and over again for aprox 4 hours (2 games). If this might damage the camera due to vibration - I won't do it... Camera will be high enough NOT to be hit by a basketball...
thanks for your input...

[CyberDyneSystems]

I'm not 100% sure what your proposing, let me try to figure this.

Your concern is the vibration of balls hitting the back board being transmitted to the camera via the clamp set up you will attach it to,. but,. you are sure the camera won't be hit directly?

Personally I wouldn't do it for fear of the "Direct Hit"

But the 1D is one tough beast. I would not be too concerned with a few hours of vibration/jarring. These cameras are surviving months of vibration and jarring in service with embedded news photographers in Iraq.

You could help to reduce it by designing your clamping system to include some form of damping device..

The other coern is of course the clamps themselves,. make sure your set up has some redundantcy, in case the clamps themselves vibrate loose!!

In the theatre we use "safety cables" on lighting fixtures hung over performers heads on stage,. if the heavy cast C-clamp fails,. the cable will prevent the light from falling. On a 1D a safety cable of sorts could be passed through the neck strap loops and then attached/wrapped around something to prevent a fall.

[GenEOS]

I would like to see it done, but I wouldn't do it with MY gear. Especially if I owned a 1D. That sounds like an attempt I would make with my employers equipment if they assigned me to do it.

I would hate to risk my 1D for a few wide shots "above the rim".
But if you choose to do it, I would wrap your clamps with a few turns of some high speed duct tape (the black stuff), last case scenerio, the tape would hold the clamps in place, till you could rescue your gear.