$20.00 DIY offset Shoulder Rig for DSLR – CheesyRig

• • 26 Comments

I was bored, collected a few parts from Home Depot and decided to hack up a quick DIY Offset Shoulder rig. Since DSLR's don't have the flip out LCD option, placement of the ViewFinder needs to be offset. I also added some weights to the rear to help balance things out and it won't feel so heavy on the hands. With the 5D and that Lens it takes a few weights, but for a Canon 550D or T2i you'd probably need a lot less.

Too bad I didn't have time to grab some rubber bike handles. It's no RedRock and yes some say Cheesy (hence the name CheesyRig), but all metal construction, it's pretty solid for something around $20.00 dollars. Hope this gives some ideas on how to make a DIY offset DSLR shoulder rig for us low budget guys. Enjoy and leave comments.

A few bolts are too long, I need to replace them or cut them down. Shown is the Canon 5D Mark II with LCDVF and 85mm F/1.2 . I was using the Canon 7D with Tamron 18-270mm to record this video.

Hey if you're not a DIY guy, check out the cheap Shoulder Rig from eBay.
Here's the product.
You can find the shoulder support from eBay by clicking this link, or the image below.

click image

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26 thoughts on “$20.00 DIY offset Shoulder Rig for DSLR – CheesyRig”

  3. brandon

    Hey i like this idea im gonna run down to homedepot right now! haha also, what song do you have playing in the background?

  5. Emm

     Post author

    @Arthur - The problem is that standard rigs only use 15mm OD rails. Those bike mounts are too big. If you are interested in Bike Mounts, you should check out the long list of ready made mounts that could be a better fit. The more expensive ones are better, but they are all generally pretty cheap. Found here: Bike HandleBar Camera Mounts

  10. Daniel

    I am inspired to make one of these as soon as I purchase my T2i or T3i.
    Is this heavy?
    How well does this stabilize video?

    By the way, thanks a lot for the video, this will save me quite a bit of money

  11. eric b.

    Can someone post specific materials, measurements, and directions? It's like everyone seems to know what they're doing but it's not as easy as they think

  13. terry mickie

    Great rig.....LOVE your website. The best out there! I had to watch this like 3 times..."Pink Cookies" kept distracting me! LOL Keep up the good work!

    Terry

  14.

    Hey!

    Just thought I'd share my WIP Rig... inspired from both your DIY shoulder rigs. Still some work to do, including cutting the end off, painting, adding counter weights, and adding a detachable second handle. Was trying to go for something like the Redrock eyespy, and I'm pretty happy the way it turned out. Will keep you posed on evolutions if your interested.

    https://tuperhero.com/tuper-blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/rig01.jpg
    https://tuperhero.com/tuper-blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/rig03.jpg
    https://tuperhero.com/tuper-blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/rig05.jpg

  15. JDC

    Is there some instructions for making this rig on the site here? Would be really useful. Thank you!

  16. admin

     Post author

    Don't get discouraged. Just takes practice to drill anything, and I did not use a drill press. A clamp would be helpful though.

  17. James

    This is not as easy as I thought.
    You really need a drill press to make these. I need to start over because all the holes I made are uneven and all over the place. =(

    Oh yeah, the "foundation bearings" were exactly where emmagination said they were... in the same aisle with the bolts and washers. I went to Home Depot and were able to find everything in the video without a problem.

  18.

    I'll be looking out for them. Haven't found any yet, plus I live in France so I can't go around saying "foundation bearings" or "bearing plates" to people !

    I'm looking for other solutions as I go along, aswell as thinking up how I could innovate on you design base. Again thanks a lot for the idea, now I just need time to get my DIY on!

  19. hayden

    Thats odd, because they can't be ordered found on Home Depot's website. And the people at lowes looked at my like i was insane when I asked them for one.

    Anyway, I ordered some from a construction supply co. and they are on the way.

    THANK YOU for inspiring me to do this instead of selling my self to make enough money to afford one of those pricey rigs from zacuto. You are a true DSLR Hero! Im going to try to fashion some sort of shoulder pad to put on mine as well. CHEESY RIGS FOR LIFE

  20. admin

     Post author

    I purchase them from Home Depot all the time. They have a whole aisle dedicated to them. You can see i've used them in some of my other videos over 8 months ago. They have them readily available every time I've walked into a Home Depot.

  21. hayden

    Those "foundation bearings" are actually called bearing plates, and you can only find them online or a commercial construction supply co.. Home depot and lowes both DO NOT CARRY THEM.

  22. hayden

    Hey this looks freaking AMAZING for 20 bucks. I would LOVE to know more specs on the parts you bought from home depot. I want to make one later today.

  23. kristian

    yea i would really like to see some footage of this with the t2i if you had time. and maybe a little more detailed instructions. thanks for showin it

  24.

    Hey good job! I'm building a version of my own inspired by this. I'll let you know how it turns out.

    However, impossible to find those "foundation bearings" you have though. They seem to be perfect for counterweigts. You don't know if they go by another name do you?

  25. JackF

    wow tht really turned out great! how is the functionality of it? and could you provide a more details on the parts and specifications of the build?

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