Getting a good grip on the Eclair NPR has never been an easy task. For almost 60 years, filmmakers have struggled with finding a way to hold onto the camera. If the sheer 20 pound weight were not enough, the camera was also very front heavy. Since the bulk of the mechanism is so far forward, it has a natural tendency to want to fall off your shoulder. To make matters worse, the rather silly little thumb & nuckle grip (fig. 1) that came with the camera from the factory was nothing more than a joke. It was located in an awkward position that forced your right arm to extend upwards away from your body causing you to have to stiff-arm almost the full weight for hours on end. Needless to say, filmmakers did complain. Fortunately, Eclair and other third party companies eventually came forward with various gizmos to help out the weary cameraperson. Some of the most popular of these are shown, here. If there are others I have not included, please send me an email.

Sometime around mid-1970, Eclair offered a rather elaborate contraption they called the "Horizontal Palm Rest Handle" (fig. 2). It worked by grabbing onto the two Frankenstein-style studs made for the tripod cradle and used a steel spring bungee to secure it to the bottom face of the motor. Since most filmmakers tended to support the NPR by holding onto the front of the motor just under the socket for the matte-box rod, this design seemed to make the most sense since your arm was now centered under the weight of the camera and could rest rather comfortably against your waist. The natural shape of the grip matched that of the human hand making it easier to support the camera for extended periods. Two pushbuttons were provided (fig. 3) to allow for control of the motor start/stop and some other accessory.

The Victor Duncan company, a large film equipment sales and rental film, offered their version of an Eclair NPR grip sometime around 1975 (fig. 4). It was mounted to the right-hand side of the camera using the existing screw holes for the factory NPR grip. Their rather large, contoured hand grip provided for a very secure hold on the camera. There was even a large motor start/stop button on top that was activated by your thumb. There were different models offered depending on the particular motor you were using so that you were certain of getting the proper electrical connections.

The rather well known tendency for the Eclair NPR to want to fall forward when tilted downward, due to the high center of gravity compared to other cameras, actually led to the development of the Fluid 7 tripod head by Ronford (fig. 5). The heads cantilever design kept the weight of the camera centered as it was tilted upwards or downwards. The sophisticated design of the Fluid 7 made the head quite heavy and rather expensive. Unlike their video counterparts of today, most film camera tripods in years past did not have a counterblance spring. If you tilted the camera too far forward and forgot to lock it it just kept going. Sometimes even flipping over the tripod!

Ronford also offered their Ronford Car Mount (fig. 6). The kit consisted of a ball base, leveling ball and three suction cup attachments. The picture details a typical setup using the Eclair NPR as the victim...I mean, camera.

Several companies took another approach to camera support by designing body pods and braces. The  Model 1125E Leo-Pod (fig.7) made by Leopold Enterpises Inc. was probably the most elaborate of them all. It featured a full-body harness that allowed the cameraperson to practically "wear" the camera. A custom cradle, similar in style to the NPR's own tripod mount, held the camera securely in place. There was a fully adjustable telescoping rod in the front that distributed most of the NPR's weight to the operators waist. The advantage of using a body brace like the Leo-Pod is that both of your hands remained free to focus and zoom, take light readings, etc. Besides Leopold, Cine 60 also made a body brace for the NPR. 

While all of these grips and braces are rather nice. Finding one today is another matter. Some of the firms that do repairs on the NPR claim to offer their version of a grip. I have asked each of them to provide a photo and I will include them as soon as I have them. In one of my old filmmaking books there was a photo of a cameraman holding an NPR with what was described as a custom grip (fig. 8). That got me to thinking about making my own custom hand grip for my NPR. I posted my thoughts on one of the newsgroups in the hopes that others may have had the same inclination and might be willing to share their results. I soon got a reply from a Steve Parker, at the University of Illinois, who said he had made such a grip for his NPR with parts from an old, discarded Sony video camera...the DXC-1610. Well, I knew I had owned a 1610 so I dug around until I came up with what was left of it. He was right. The plastic grip from that camera would make an excellent substitute for what was Eclair factory stock.

My final version can be seen, here (fig. 9). You will note that my grip is also attached to the camera using the very same two screw holes that are on the basic NPR. The grip's mounting arm is made from 3/16" aluminum plate. Unlike the unit shown in Fig. 8, it has been shaped to conform to the side of the NPR housing so that it does not interfer with the rotation of the lens turret. While the plate does cover the adjustment knob for the variable shutter, for the limited number of times I need to get to it, it is easy enough to remove the grip by simply undoing the two thumb nuts.

The old Sony hand grip used a heavy-duty, steel rosette with a large locking knob to secure it to the side of the camera. This allowed you to adjust the grip's angle to match that of your hands position. This feature comes in very nicely when using it with the Eclair NPR. When you have the camera on your shoulder you would adjust the handle towards the front at about 45 degrees. However, if you plan on shooting from the hip you would want to readjust the hand grip downwards and to the rear (fig.10). One note, here, on the fabrication. I have found that, if you have your metal pieces bead-blasted, first, they will take the paint much more readily. I did this with the bracket for the grip and when I needed to repaint my NPR's handle. Just a thought.

I'm sure there are others out there who have found their own way of dealing with this issue. I'd be interested in seeing photos of your designs and I'll gladly post them on this site.