Shoulder Pod For Still Camera

[RPCrowe]

As a motion picture photographer, I frequently used a shoulder pod to stabilize my shots. Instead of relying on my arms and hands to hold the camera steady, the shoulder pod would rely on my entire torso. The shoulder pod that mounted on the shoulder and pressed against the abdomen was more stable for me that a gun-stock type of pod that I held like a rifle or shotgun.

One advantage that a motion picture photographer has over a still photographer in using a pod of this type is that the motion picture camera is always held in the landscape mode and you don't have to worry about switching to a portrait position. However, with a lens that incorporates a tripod collar (I would not foresee using this type of support with anything but a long telephoto lens) it should be relatively easy to switch from landscape to portrait position and back again.

My question is: Has any reader used a shoulder pod similar to this one and if so, what are the pros and cons regarding its use? I might consider using one with a 400mm f/5.6L lens (Which I thought was lost in the San Diego Firestorm of last year but, which has been returned to me by a good Samaritan)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Camera-shoulder-support-pad-fr-fx1-pd170-dvx100A-hvx200_W0QQitemZ160196558289QQihZ006QQcategoryZ332 5QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem