Federico Sartorio , Jun 07, 2005; 08:15 a.m.
Hello everybody!
Tired of being unable to take good photos of your
friends / kids? Here's my tutorial on how to create the cheapest and
wackiest hot-shoe attachement for your camera.
First of all, buy a
PEZ sweet dispenser in any grocery store (they are sold everywhere in
Europe, I hope they are in the USA too). The more ridiculous, the
better. [fig. A.]. The base ("feet") of the dispenser should look
like this [fig. B.]
the boxed dispenser and its "feet"
Federico Sartorio , Jun 07, 2005; 08:16 a.m.
Now, using a cutter, trim the feet of the dispenser [fig. C.] leaving a 2-3 mm wide plastic strip on each side [fig. D.] Check the width of your camera's hot shoe if you are not sure. And avoid trimming your fingers.
trimming the base
Federico Sartorio , Jun 07, 2005; 08:16 a.m.
Slide the dispenser in the hot shoe of your camera, it should fit naturally! [Fig. E.] And its sweet-dispensing capabilities are retained! Yum! [Fig. F]
mounting the attachement
Federico Sartorio , Jun 07, 2005; 08:17 a.m.
Now you are ready to shoot! The best use for this attachement is to make people laugh and quickly snap a joyful portrait of them. You can then reward them with a sweet for added happiness. I've tested it on kids and friends and it works most of the time!
my nikon F-100 equipped with 105 2.5 Ais and the infamous PEZ dispenser
Federico Sartorio , Jun 07, 2005; 08:19 a.m.
If you are not satisfied with the result, try using a different dispenser. The one you chose might not have been ridiculous / funny enough.
Three items of my "collection". Timon (far right) is my personal favourite.
Max Malossini 
, Jun 07, 2005; 09:01 a.m.
Ottima idea, Federico. La provero` al piu` presto.
Curtis Newport , Jun 07, 2005; 09:20 a.m.
What's the guide number on that thing?
It sounds like a great idea for when you're shooting children. Sure to keep them interested and attentive, especially if you show them how it dispenses candy!
Thanks for sharing.
Vivek . 
, Jun 07, 2005; 09:23 a.m.
Chris Kendall , Jun 07, 2005; 09:32 a.m.
Genius! Best tip of the month!
Jennifer Valencia - Phoenix, Arizona , Jun 07, 2005; 09:53 a.m.
what a cool, funny idea! I'm going to try it! :)
Jennifer
