Standard Camera Mount for AZ3 Tripod

I wanted to create a standard camera mount for my Sky-Watcher AZ3 altazimuth tripod. The AZ3 is a decent mount for hand-tracking objects in our solar system using lightweight telescopes or cameras, and I sometimes find it convenient to use instead of setting up my tracking mount. However, the tripod was designed for telescope mounting via tube rings and is incompatible with standard 1/4”-20 camera mounts. An adapter exists (example) but is hard to find in the US and costs $20-40 plus shipping. I figured I could make something on my own for less, so I went to the hardware store to look for some parts.

The AZ3 mount has a flat region and through hole at each end with a large cavity in the center. The center walls extend above the flats to match the corresponding tube ring geometry, which adds some complexity. I figured that instead of making a custom piece that bridges the cavity, I could just add something to one of the flats. My solution would need to extend high enough to clear the center walls in order to avoid collisions with the bottom face of the camera.

I found very quickly that a 1/4”-20 thumbscrew and some large washers could be used to mount the camera but provided little constraint rotationally. To correct this, I found a pack of rubber furniture pads with center holes intended for small self-tapping screws. Each furniture pad had a washer embedded in the center to provide rigidity, which was too small for the 1/4” screw. To get around this issue, I made a few small incisions on the underside of a pad and removed the washer entirely. The rubber portion had a larger hole and did not need to be adjusted for screw clearance. As hoped, the rubber pad solved the rotation problem by gripping the bottom surface of the camera. Because the thumbscrew would fall out once the camera is removed, I used a wingnut to hold everything together between uses. Spare parts are kept on the other end of the mount.

This setup enabled me to photograph the 2024 total solar eclipse using my Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 while hand-tracking the sun.

This mount also works well for my old Meade 50AZ telescope. Being a cheap beginner telescope, it came with a nearly unusable tripod. With an altazimuth mount, I found the scope significantly easier to use for observing the sun and moon.