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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

The Fix for a Wobbly Tripod Socket

My fellow S3 enthusiasts have been concerned about the cheapo plastic tripod socket that Canon has elected to install on our cameras. I too was concerned, as I use quite a different number of tripods...from a versatile Slik collapsible, to generic foldaways, to the little flex-leg table top tripod I favor. All needed and used for different purposes. The only problem in doing this is that the constant screwing and unscrewing from tripod to tripod has weakened the tripod socket and causing it to become "loose".

The perfect solution is to use a permament wedge-base attached to the camera and slip it in from tripod to tripod. But I have different tripods with different head dimensions and it just isn't practical.

So the next best thing is to adapt the socket.

I have an assembly of doodads and whatnots from telescopes, cameras and other optical flotsam. For years, this thing has been in the way while searching for other items, and I really do not know what it is for or where it came from. I loosely attached it to the S3...and it fits!. It has an additional tripod socket on the bottom of the knob to attach my tiny table top flex leg tripod! Just too cool!... ;D

Just a little over three inches in length, it has an awkward round holder of sorts that comes apart with three screws. I assume a glass element of some kind fit inside. But it would be in the way of my adapter project. So off it went.

I took my time to cut the cut straight and true...

It came out nicely and after some deburring on the grinder and finishing with the Dremmel it was ready for another step. I throw nothing away, (ask the woman of my desire), and took out a spare brass tripod socket I have been saving for just such a need.

It's your typical socket, nothing fancy 13/32's. I thought I might incorporate another socket onto the new base I was about to attach to the S3. So off to the drill press.

I needed to drill a large enough hole to slip the socket in, but tight enough to firmly grab onto the knurled ring around the socket.

Checking as I went along, the new hole was coming out well. It was a good tight fit, but just to be sure, I slipped a 18 gauge wire into the hole before tapping it in.

It looks good and seems secure. I applied "Crazy Glue" along the rim of the socket to make a good attachment.

I mangled the rubber base a bit when I drilled thru, but it's not a big deal, since this side will be against the camera anyway.

Now, back to the original problem. Addressing the loose cheapo plastic tripod socket on the S3. I needed to attach the new base plate to the camera, but it has to attach to the ever loosening plastic socket securely and permanently. I put a drop of "Crazy Glue" unto the threads, and mixed up some J.B. Weld epoxy to pour into the socket hole.

I slowly and firmly screwed the new baseplate to the S3, pushing it rather firmly into the socket for good contact. And I let it sit for a few hours. But it looks good.

Attaching it to the Slik tripod in the workshop, I slowly threaded the tripod screw into the hole of the knurled knob on the new baseplate. It works wonderfully! Tightens down good and locks with the large nut. Now trying the additional brass socket I incorporated into the baseplate...it works wonderfully as well!... ;D The new metal sockets get along well with all my tripod screws and flash bracket screw.

The new tripod brass tripod sockets seems to solve the problem well. It does not interfere with the battery compartment and does not intrude or interfere with my photography. In all, it took about a couple of hours to accomplish, and not a big project really. I hope this solves the wobbly socket condition that was worsening each time I changed tripods...

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Tripod Socket Replacement Update

Every once in awhile, I get an email from fellow Canon Powershot S3 users world wide, regarding the upgrades and alterations I have made to the camera.

One of the changes was replacing the cheap plastic tripod socket with a brass one. In the above post in 2007, was the first attempt and I thought I could just epoxy the above assembly to the plastic socket, but within a month, it came loose and unusable. I took the leap to completely replace the plastic socket itself and pop in the brass one....ridding the attached plate.

I placed the camera on some padding on the drill press table...and slowly drilled out the plastic socket. I was nervous about this, but had to be done...and the control I had on the press, (as opposed to a hand drill), allowed me to micro-manage the procedure. It came out easy enough and the drill bit was just the right size to remove it all in one slow press. I now had a clean socket hole.

The brass socket would make a tight fit in the now vacant hole, so I placed a couple of drops of Crazy Glue in the hole and placed the new socket in. It needed some persuasion, so I placed a thin plastic shim over it and gently tapped it in with a light tack hammer. It bottomed out and was very secure with no movement.

Almost three years later and very heavy use, it is still solid and strong.