dslr stabilizer

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Most DSLR Rigs use handle grips very similar to bike handle grips. In fact if you threw a bit of cash down, you can get Bike grips better than rig handles. Now how do you go about making your own custom set? Well first you need to get them down to fit the 15mm standard, so the video above by Vimeo member Jarrod is one way to accomplish this with a nice pro look. This technique requires a pair of 15mm rods and a pair of 90 degree clamps, so by no means dirt cheap, but you can end up with something worth much more than what's found in current retail. One way of saving a few bucks is to locate a single rod and cut it in half. [Thanks Jarrod]

You can find a variety of inexpensive 15mm Rig Rods and Clamps new and used at the auction site (click here).
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find-price-button 15mm Rods and 90 Degree Rig Clamps

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Fotga has released an impressive budget follow focus, and if you're the type who's against 'cross branding', now they are starting to leak out a Standard set of rails to match. The basic rail set is needed to mount the FF, and should normally come with a camera mounting plate and a tripod plate (under the rail set). It's industry standard 15mm with 60mm apart, with metal knobs (not plastic) and also come with a lens support clamp (adds Long lens support when using an FF).

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For a bit more Fotga has another set that includes a (proprietary) Quick release system. Looks like they are working towards a full shoulder rig, which doesn't seem to be available just yet. Not extremely competitive with pricing, but compared to what we were seeing just a year ago it's a welcome option.

fotga-quick-release
find-price-button Fotga Standard Rail Set Optional Quick Release

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Alzo Cage DSLR Bracket

Alzo's latest DSLR accessory cage is a pretty straight forward simple and clean design with two side handles and an 'optional' third top handle. (hmm looks familiar). Excellent brackets for moving your camera around while having all of the important accessories mounted. There's clearance cut out on the lower plate for battery access and several mounting points on the top bracket along with a couple of hot shoes. Pricing is good compared to the other cages on the market, but there's only a few more available following the link (Click Here).

Optional top bracket can be found below:
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find-price-button ALZO Top Cage Bracket Handle

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find-price-button Alzo DSLR Accessory Cage

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When you search eBay for a DSLR Rig, you'll find a ton of these 'Movie Kit Shoulder Mounts'. I received this one a while back from eBay to demo, but never got around to doing anything with it. I personally am not into these transforming rigs, but I know a few people have sent in comments and videos showing use of them. Here's a quick demo of some of the configurations they can bend into. Again, not my cup of tea, but might be something entertaining for someone out there. Prices have definitely dropped since they first appears, and you find them on the web (click here).

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find-price-button Transforming DSLR Movie Kit Shoulder Mount

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Looking to build an ultra simple target shooter type camera stabilizer? One of the hardest parts to come by is a decent looking shoulder stock. The cheapest little shooter kit might have been one from Gini or one from Wondlan's Sniper package, but that was still a bit over most budgets for such a simple thing. Well if you've got a few rig parts laying around you can now buy Wondlan's stock seperately for under $40 dollars + shipping. Would be great to piece together a small shooter for my Sony HX9.

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find-price-button Wondlan Shoulder Stock for Camera Stabilizer

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Another practice run on the Electric Skateboard. I'm determined to learn how to ride this thing, and I think I'm getting pretty comfortable. I picked up quickly for someone who never really knew how to skate. I had to warm up a 21 year old car and decided it would be fun to chase it around. Surprisingly this car still gets her 35+ MPG and passed the smog so clean, the Smog techs were in awe. Keep in mind i'm still not shooting with a Video camera Stabilizer, this is all with a short Velbon UltraStick monopod and the Sony HX9 point and shoot camera. The full 1080/60p helps with these moving shots. I'm almost pretty comfortable to take out my Steadicam Vest and Glidecam setup, so that should yield much better results.

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find-price-button Sony DSC-HX9 Digital Camera Full 1080 60p

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DSLR Rig Battery Pack

Just a few days after I decide to pick up the redesigned shoulder pad, they show off their V Mount power solution. If you're not familiar, these types of adapters are virtual power stations for your entire rig. Using high powered V Mount batteries (like Sony or Anton Bauer), you can power up all the mounted accessories from LCD Monitors, LED lights, Portable audio recorders, and even down to juicing up your camera. The V Mount battery can be quickly swapped out with another to keep you running all day instead of having to deal with multiple battery types and chargers. This setup can also act as a counterweight on rigs, so instead of having useless dead weight, you've got a functional piece of gear.

V Mount Battery Pack

This V Mount power station has a built in HDMI splitter so that you can run two monitors, (2) 12V outputs, (1) 7.2V output for your Canon Camera, (1) 5V out, and even has (1) 5V USB port out to charge your cellphone. The kit comes with (1) V Mount battery, (1) V Mount battery plate (which also acts as the charging station for the V Mount battery), and the redesigned Shoulder Pad (the one I just bought). If you've shopped for DSLR Rig V Mounts + Battery Packs, this kit is very interesting. Additional close up images and information following the jump (click here).

DSLR RIg V MountScreen shot 2011-07-09 at 8.06.14 AMScreen shot 2011-07-09 at 8.06.38 AM
find-price-button DSLR Rig Shoulder Pad V Mount Battery + Power Station Kit

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DSLR Shoulder Rig Pad Old New v2

There aren't too many sexy Video Rig shoulder pads on the market, not to mention anything affordable. Immediately after getting the Gini Rig shoulder pad, I was already looking to upgrade. The Gini silicone shouler pads (even the latest version) aren't the most comfortable. So, a recent redesign of a Shoulder Pad that peaks my interest. To the left is the OLD and to the right is the NEW. I'll admit, I've already had my eye on the old version, but i'm glad I held out. In my opinion this looks much more comfortable than the Redrock Micro microShoulderPad, and offers a better look, and more mounting points. (Not to mention cheaper too).

All standard 15mm fit, so it will work perfectly on a couple of new Gini DSLR Rigs I picked up. Yeah I know how you guys drive prices up, so I had to place my order first. I'm all in for this one, so i'll let you know how it turns out as soon as it washes up on U.S. soil. More about the new Video Rig Pro Shoulder Pad designs (click here)

DSLR Shoulder Pad v2Shouder Rig Pad
find-price-button DSLR Video Camera Rig Shoulder Pad v2

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Submitted by YouTube member detomaso4ag, here's a simple method to create your DIY Mini Video camera track dolly. For those who don't mind the skate wheels on a pipe track it's a cheap solution to getting smooth gliding camera movements. The trick is getting the wheels drilled in perfectly to the angle iron. If you're slightly off, then the dolly will wobble down the track. For those who aren't ready to tackle the DIY, these mini dollies already exist, found below.

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find-price-button Mini Video Camera Track Dolly