Tag Archives: dslr rig

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Shane Hurlbut ASC Master Cinema Series

There's no question that Shane Hurlbut ASC knows what it takes when working with DSLRs, so he's teamed up with Letus to design a new line of DSLR gear. Click the image (above) for a video trailer, and other information quoted below.

"Over the past 3 years, my team and I have shot 2 feature films, 20 shorts and over 100 commercials on the DSLR platform. This out of the box thinking was the result of collaborating with directors Scott Waugh and Mike McCoy on the feature project "Act of Valor". We used the Canon 5D to deliver an immersive, visceral, cinematic first person perspective that intercut seamlessly with film.

As a direct result of this exploration, Hien Tu Le, owner of the Letus Corporation and I have designed a groundbreaking new gear system with film production as it's benchmark. This form factor looks and feels like a motion picture capture device that morphs effortlessly between configurations."

More information about the Master Cinema Series gear should end up at https://mastercinemaseries.com.

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With more and more small HD video cameras coming out every month, more and more companies are making lightweight stabilizers. Another mini rig are these little black and orange mini shooter rigs just starting to come around. John a.k.a. YouTube member TheDurko11 gives us a look at the unboxing and shows that even the clamp knobs are metal [Thanks John]. Redrock Micro has also been lining up lightweight stabilizers with their line of Nano Rigs (found here).

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These new rigs come with one handle, adjustable camera stage with quick release plate, and adjustable shoulder / chest pad. Mostly metal and stainless steel, color scheme (not blue this time) designed after the World Series Champions - Go Giants! Found Below.

[Update] Seller has re-listed the item (below) and at first glance you'll see an incredibly high marked up price. The deal is that you can make an offer of $89 US dollars, mention this blog, and the offer will be accepted. Offers that don't mention this blog will not be accepted. One other important piece of information is that this listing is a 'Pre-Order', and the new inventory should arrive sometime this week. This auction comes from across the pond, perfect for the UK buyers.


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find-price-button DSLR Rig Shooter Chest Mount

[Update] Alternate Listing for these little Magic Rigs (Also a Pre-Order) listing

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find-price-button DSLR Magic Rig Orange / Black

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Fancier-Event

I forget who asked, but here's the size of the latest Fancier Mini Rig next to the Express35 Event Rig. You can see why a small micro four thirds or Sony NEX-5n / NEX-7 would look more at home on the smaller stabilizer. With some accessory clamps, it's possible to mount small accessories like a Zoom H1, Z96 LED light, and small Rode VideoMic Pro. Of course the minimal rods are not designed to expand into follow focus or matte box accessories. A better look at the Fancier can be found in an earlier article (here). As of now, I think the only place it's available is on Amazon (here).

Fancier (1 of 7)
find-price-button Fancier Folding FTV-50 DSLR Rig Counterweight

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A video review from Vimeo member Kenrik March about Gini's latest Follow Focus system. Gini no doubt makes some incredible equipment, but in this FF he's relying on what looks like the Huco gearbox (used in many other FF systems). These aren't the highest end gearboxes, so below is an updated video on approximately how much lash (play) there is in the gearbox.

The best deals on Gini rigs are through the auction bundles, so check back often and see what's on the menu. Something new is the same basic setup for the follow focus, but this time he's dropped the marking disc and pointer, and offers this as a way to control the zoom ring. Some rigs that use Telephoto lenses have one FF for the focus ring, and one to zoom in and out smoothly. You can find Gini Auctions on eBay (click here).

Gini DSLR Rigs
find-price-button Gini DSLR Rigs Follow Focus Kits

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Fancier is back with a portable stabilizer rig. The first time they tried to do this, I reviewed one of their rigs and it didn't go over so well. You could find that old article (click here). I guess they were listening to feedback and made some really good changes. First, they got rid of all the plastic knobs - those were just meant to crack and fall off. They've also priced this new mini rig around what's currently on the market, but it also has much better quality than the one provided with the RJ focus.

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The counterweight is a clever flat folding design which adds stability, and it makes for easy travel. There's nothing I could say about the shoulder pad, except that it completely lacks one. It's just a very thin foam lining. The only other thing you could easily point out as 'not-so-good-quality' is the handles. It's a nice contour design and easy on the hands, but it's a faux rubber plastic mold. Don't get me wrong, the handles don't feel frail like it could break. I'm sure they'll take quite a beating. I guess they could be easy enough to rewrap or cover if needed.

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The FTV-50 rig is based on 15mm rod and clamp rigs, so it's possible to expand, but as it is now, it will not support something like a follow focus. My guess is it's targeting all the new hot little video cameras coming out from Pentax, Sony, Olympus, and Panasonic. Very little parts, but completely adjustable in all manners.

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It has one hotshoe in the rear and two 1/4-20" threaded holes which you can add accessory arms to. Since the whole rig is based on common 15mm rails you could find optional clamps if you want to mount more. Why they still choose blue is beyond anyone's guess, but it doesn't look too flashy and at the same time doesn't look at all cheap. The price is floating around $130 dollars which is fair, but hopefully we'll see more cheaper rigs from Fancier in the near future. You can find the FTV-50 from Fancier on Amazon (click here).

Fancier (1 of 7)
find-price-button Fancier Folding FTV-50 DSLR Rig Counterweight

Also available here:
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find-price-button DSLR RIG FTV-50 DSLR Movie Kit Shoulder RIg

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Hands Free JuicedLink DSLR Rig

There's been a swarm of new products and videos posted on the JuicedLink blog in the last two days. Besides showing updates on current accessory brackets, there's information on the DIY slider (shown at NAB2011), unusual iPhone and iPad mounting brackets, and a handsfree type DSLR rig. You can find more information and videos about the new products following the link (click here).

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Rigs are often compared to Lego systems, since they can be assembled according to your imagination. It's hard to justify the cost of industry standard 15mm rigs if all you need it for is to stabilize your camera. You can already do this with a few broomsticks and duct tape.

It starts to make more sense once you start to involve mounting audio accessories, lighting accessories, monitors, evf solutions, follow focuses, and matte boxes. Especially since some of those items require rails to mount. Clamps and rods also make it easy to redesign and customize size and shape depending on the individual. You can grow with a starter set of rails, or you can shrink down from a large rig. Not to mention the benefits to traveling. A large set of rods and clamps can be packed up pretty nicely. Lastly, there are many who just want the pure aesthetics of it.

Here's a video from Vimeo member Just Basl Productions showing how 90 degree clamps play a part in mounting accessories to your rig, or for redesigning your rig to accommodate different shooting styles. The RedRock Micro Spud can be used with any standard 15mm Clamp, and runs for just $8 dollars (click here).

Redrock spudRedrock Micro DSLR rig
find-price-button RedRock Micro Spud Adapter

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Here's a closer look at the inline version of the 'EVENT' DSLR rig from Express35. There is so many good things about this rig, but overall you'll find the price is the best part. Express35 stabilizers are made in the USA, and it's quality rivals many of the top local DSLR Stabilizer brands, and yet pricing competes with the cheapest of over seas rigs.

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This particular EVENT rig is designed for EVF or LCD Monitor use by keeping the camera in line over the shoulder. You can also use this setup with cameras that have Flip out LCD screens. The contoured shoulder pad wraps behind the shoulder (doesn't sit on top), and the counterweight that sits low balances the rig out even more. With the dual rods on the counterweight, you can offset this if you feel you need to shift it over more to one side. I prefer to have the weight adjusted to sit lower. You can also just shoot without the counterweight, and still have plenty points of contact for stabilizing your camera.

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Normally you'll see adjustable handles with some rigs, but those could have a tendency to reposition (slip) under weight. The Express35 XL HD handle is one solid piece which really adds to the whole stability of the rig. The 13" length and 4" offset design of the front handle makes it extremely comfortable to operate with less strain in your arm. There's a few optional pieces I suggest to really get this rig going. The optional top handle makes it easier for me to lift the rig on/off my shoulder or to hold the rig in a position for low shots. The optional tripod mount obviously makes it easier for you to get into tripod mode for some fluid panning (or just docking the rig). The 90 degree accessory rod clamp with stub makes it easy to attach or detach a 1/4-20 accessory. In this case i'm using a friction arm with Zacuto EVF with the rod clamp.

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The only other item I'm looking to add is a second handle. It's not necessary to have a second handle for stabilization when shooting video on this rig, but the second handle will allow me to place the rig on the floor without falling over. If you decide to look into Express35 gear, make sure you put in a good word about this Cheesycam blog. To find out the exact pieces that come with the EVENT, and optional accessories, check out Express35.com.

DSLR Rig Event Express35
find-price-button Express35.com EVENT Video camera Shoulder Rig.