the editman.com

I really try to stay out of 5DmkII video shooting but sometimes a client have less money and can't afford a proper video camera like my AF101. This was one of these jobs and also the first one I got to use my new jib the multi-jib from Hague.

Everytime I use equipment for the first time there's something that doesn't work like I imagine it to work but this jib is sweet to use. The problems had more to do with my 5DmkII than with the actual jib. I used my Zacuto EVF to monitor and HDMI is something I really hate. It works fine on my AF101 because it have a full size HDMI connector but the flimsy mini HDMI is a joke. I had numerous occasions when the signal dropped out. When you use a jib you move the camera alot and that in combination with mini HDMI is not good at all.

I used the multi-jib in the standard length and had to put 10kg worth of weight on the back of the jib to have it in balance. When I moved the Zacuto EVF around, using a small and very versatile clamp, the weight shifted so I had to hang a 10m BNC cable over the weights to fine tune the balance. One thing I hate about a jib is to haul all the weights to and from a location. It's worth the effort when you have the jib up and running but man it's a back breaker to carry it around.

The multi-jib rests on a Manfrotto 528 tripod and Manfrotto 114 dolly. A great combination and I manage to roll the jib around even in tight spaces.

I had some issues with the jib I had before, the Hague K10, getting bouncy images if moving to fast but this jib is rock solid. It takes a bit longer to assemble but the more you do it the faster it becomes. I think I removed the jib part from the tripod four times during the day when moving the jib from floor to floor and it was fast to handle.

In most of the shots I used the pan bar on my Sachtler FSB8 head to move the camera and on a couple of shots I stood on the back. If you want the footage can look like steadycam footage and you can move the camera to locations that would be near to impossible on a steadycam. It certainly adds production value!

A jib is something you use more if you own it. A good investment in the long run indeed.

There are brands that become a defacto standard and one such brands is Sachtler. I've had the opportunity to work with them sometimes but felt they were a bit to expensive when shooting with DSLR cameras. Finally I got to get me a Sachtler head and I went for their FSB 8 because it seemed to suit me. I decided between the FSB8 or DV10 head.
 


This last year I have used a Manfrotto 504/546 and although it has worked fine despite things have gone broke on it it was time to move on. The FSB8 head is simple head to operate and the one I got has a sliding plate with a side loading quick snap function. Way faster and more convenient compared to the Manfrotto 504 head. Just pop the camera straight on and fasten that knob and when it's time to pack it up it releases just as fast. I found out the sliding plate for the 504 head worked just fine on the Sachtler FSB8 also and since I have a lot of quick release plates Manfrotto style I still can use them for different base blocks.



The drag settings 1 to 5 is also way better than the one on the 504. It's smooth to pan and tilt and thanks to the 10 step counter balance it works fine even for a bare AF101 with a small lens mounted. This head is a 75mm half ball head and I really wanted a 100mm half ball head but since the Sachtler 10 head isn't available right now I went with this one instead.

The head itself is all metal but the dials are plastic. Even the drag adjustment ring are plastics. One thing that could be improved is the drag positions. You have to be careful to set them straight to the different drag levels. If not it wont lock into position and you'll here a clicking sound when panning or tilting.



This head can take 1 to 10kg load and that was one of the things I wanted so that I can put any camera on it. I will not get a heavy camera but I can see myself with something heavier than just the AF101. Sometimes I kit the AF101 with more stuff and it's comforting to know the head will take the load. This head is also smaller than then 504 and weights less. It's actually a bit tiny in comparision.



The only thing I had to look up in the manual was how to activate the bubble light. You have to press hard at the bubble to activate it. I also find this one to be easier to see than the one on the 504.



The obvious choice would be to pair this head with a Sachtler tripod. But I wanted to give another tripod a shot before deciding and I mounted the FSB8 on a Manfrotto 542 tripod. This one is innovative with the speedy lock-less setup. At first it felt strange and actually was harder than the 546 legs. After a while I learned how to use it and it's actually a nice tripod.

Because it has no knobs or level to adjust it's a bit awkward. You have to raise it with the legs together and then spread them to lock the height. Usually when setting the 546 up I pull it to the desired height with the legs unlocked and then lock them. The 542 requires you to lift it all the way up, spread the legs and then lower it. I'm not sure it's better but frankly it is fast to set up and push together.



The spreader on my 546 have been broken and I never liked how you loosen and tighten it when adjusting the length of the spreader legs. This spreader is actually a lot better. You push a button and pull it to the desired length. Same thing when putting it together. The so called spider spreader has a hub in the middle and if you rotate it you can pull the spreader together for the times when you need to have the tripod in tight spots. I really like this spreader and it reminds me of the one on the Manfrotto 528 tripod I have to use with my crane.



The Sachtler FSB8 and the Manfrotto 542 isn't a perfect match. The tripod has a 100mm mount and the head is 75mm. But it actually works even with the 75mm FSB8 head. Without an adapter. It's not made to do this but it works. I tried the included 75 to 100mm adapter that's included with the tripod but it turned out the screw on the FSB8 is to short. I know there's a kit from Sachtler to mount 75mm heads onto 100mm a tripod but I'll try to use it without the first couple of shoots.

I found a solution that might seem odd. I removed the bottom screw on the FSB8 and took the half ball I have for the Manfrotto 528BX tripod and screwed that straight into the bottom of the FSB8 head. Doing this I can mount the head onto any 100mm half ball tripod and even my K12 crane without using an adapter. Looking at my first choice the DV10SB head I like the side loading mechanism of the FSB8 better. It's fast and gives you a great amount of slide to adjust balance.



The tripod assembly becomes a little higher but stability is not a problem. It might look high but in reality it's not. Only about 20mm higher with the FSB8 mounted on top of that half ball compared to the 75/100 adapter. When using my slider I can unscrew the 100mm half ball and use the FSB8 straight onto the sliders carriage. This another advantage of the FSB8 head, it can be used as a flat bed head in some situations without the bottom screw. When I found this out the FSB8 and Manfrotto 542 become a great purchase and a nice combo!

Just to get a feel for how the FSB8 head worked with how I set my AF101 up I tried it with everything from a light weight rig to a full blown one. When you have adjusted drag and counterbalance and the camera itself is balanced it's so smooth to move this head.

It takes about 15sec to set it up with a camera on top and 15sec to collapse it. It's that speedy.

So what do I think of this years first purchase? I think the FSB8 head is great. Small, easy, super smooth, quick mount of camera. Nothing to complain about. What about the Manfrotto 542? Great spreader but time will tell if I like the way it works without having to tighten or loosen anything.

Last week I got my new Hague Multi Jib and to support it I opted for a Manfrotto 528XB tripod. This has to be Manfrottos heaviest tripod. It's just built to last with an over dimensioned construction.

I had other options like Kesslers K-pod but the Manfrotto with it's 50kg payload will work fine for the Hague jib. If the need occur for a more heavy duty head I can stick it on these sticks.

The spreader is also more robust than what I am used to on Manfrotto tripods. You can spread it further in five steps and it feels solid and it's much easier to adjust than the one on my 546.



To make the jib moveable I also got Manfrottos 114 dolly. It folds up pretty easy and has lockable wheels with covers to avoid cables getting stuck when wheels are turning. In the middle a standard 3/8 screw to mount a head for low mode shooting. Might come in handy.



The 114 dolly is for tripod with rubber feets and the feet on the 528XB are either rubber, of if you turn them, spiked. Each wheel has it's own lock so with one wheel locked you can do some cool dolly moves round an object for example.



I will put this combo through to the test next time I use the Hague jib. With a bit of luck in a week or so.

This summer I got a Hague K10 crane because I wanted to add some productionvalue to a corporate film. I've used it to get nice footage but I wanted something better. The K10 crane is a decent crane with a long reach. It's easy to setup but I felt a couple of things about it I didn't like.

It can only take a load up to 2.5 kg. A single bar so any vibration got enhanced resulting in footage with a bouncing camera. It can't be levelled so you really have to use it on a level surface. It didn't came with a dolly so moving it around was not to fun.



My Panasonic AF101 with lens comes in under 2.5 kg but to have a crane that is maxed out by the small AF101 is limiting. Instead I wanted a crane that could be used on several cameras and beefier cameras. Entering Hague K12 crane.

I liked the basic concept of the Hague K10 and all parts are of good quality so I went up in their crane line to the K12.



This crane uses two bars on top of each other and it's much sturdier to avoid any sway or bounce. It solves all the things I didn't like about the K10.

Payload up to 14 kg, it can be levelled, you can use any tripod with a dolly so moving it around becomes practical and it can be used at different lengths, a great feature.

It's also cheaper than the EZ FX jib with extension kit I first had in mind.

Up to 4 meters lift and with my AF101 and Manfrotto 504 head at the longest length it's very steady. If I yank it you get some bounce but compared with the K10 it's night and day.

When you have the 504 head you can stay at the back of the crane and do lifts or you can grab the handle of the 504 and do crane moves at the front of the crane.

The Hague K12 is not ready to go out of the box. You have to add a tripod and head. I tried it on my Manfrotto 546 tripod and it works but the 546 has a max payload of 20 kg. Instead I have a Manfrotto 528XB heavy duty tripod on order along with a dolly spreader.

Assembly time might be little longer than with the K10 and you assembly it differently. With the K10 you started with the tripod and the K12 you start with putting all crane parts together. I counted nine screws on the K12 to assembly it. All tool-less which is great. There are ball bearings so again compared with the K10 using the K12 is much smoother.



I also like the fact that weights are put on from the top so you only have the weight pin to fasten instead as with the K10 you had to fasten the whole bar. I guess about 15 kg counter weight is needed to balance it, in it's longest state, with the AF101 and 12/1.6 SLR Magic Hyperprime mounted.

So far I've shot some test footage and it looks very good. No bounce and smooth motion.

I get alot of questions about how I've mounted my baseplate to use with the AF101. It's a Manfrotto 577 quick release mounted on top of a Shoot35 tripod connector with an additional top plate. I asked Shoot35 to send me another plate so i don't think this is an item you'll find at their website.

Sideview of the assembly. The Manfrotto 577 on top, the extra top plate below, a rod clamp/block, beneath that the bottom plate and into that I've mounted the Manfrotto 577 quick release plate.



Seen from the bottom. I've put one plate in each direction to get it better balanced. When mounted on a tripod head the fixing point is just where the lens mount is which is a good starting point to balance the AF101 with most lenses. You can slide both the camera and this assembly to fine tune balance.



A 3D view from the side showing more of how it looks. There is one 1/4 screw used to fasten the Manfrotto 577 on top and actually one hidden head-less screw acting as a guide pin to avoid having the Manfrotto to turn sideways.



View from above. I use the quick release plate from my Manfrotto 504 head to mount the camera to this assembly. The bottom quick release goes into the Manfrotto 504 head or any other compatible head. Another bonus is that you'll end up with having the lens about the right height to use with a mattebox so little or no height adjustment to make it work.

This is the most compact block I've put together that takes, size, weight, easy of use, correct height, adjustability and cost into account. You can buy a similar baseplate from Shoot35.

Some of the bags that came along for the ride when I this week did beauty shots of a BMW ActiveHybrid 7.



Part of this job is to do interviews inside the BMW so first I tested how to rig my AF101. Used my new Camtree suction cups and a Leica 45/2.8. With the Camtree holding the camera there's some flex. This together with OIS within the Leica 45 lens gives the footage the impression of being shot in a studio but in a cool way. I like it when light and the background changes.



I used my Canon 5DmkII to get some nice shots outside of the car. There's lots of joints to be tighten and check.



I found out the Camtree worked great providing grip for the 5D and it felt secure on numerous locations. Thanks to it being so reconfigurable I had plenty of options on where it could be mounted.



I came back to my Panasonic AF101 to some shots of the BMW while driving. Had my Manfrotto 504/546 tripod fasten to the car and used the excellent Tokina 11-16 for these angles.



Last I used my Hauge crane to take some arriving/departure shots and used Tokina 11-16 for these as well. I'm going through the footage now and it's where nice images indeed!

It makes my work so easy when having options how to mount or move a camera with gear I own. The trick is always to have something good enough but without increasing cost to much.

I have this upcoming job in a few weeks time and needed some sort of suction cups to mount my Canon 5DmkII and Panasonic AG-AF101 inside and outside a car. Last year I rented a mount but felt it could be improved upon.



This support kit comes in a foamed bag with all parts except a pan/tilt head so I mounted a Manfrotto 391RC head I'm using on my skate dolly. It seams to be flexible with a central hub that has many holes which will allow mounting in many directions.



Three suction cups with a nice grip feeling to them. Okay quality rubber and plastic parts that will have some flex which can reduce motor vibration. In contrary to an all metal mount which just transports vibrations to the camera and causes micro jitter.



There are six ball joints to mount and fix in almost any position and nine "rods" in different lengths. According to the manual it holds up to 3.5kg which is safe considering a 5DmkII with lens is under 2kg and between 2-3kg for the AF101 with lens.

We'll see how it performs with these cameras and how bumps and vibrations are reduced or enhanced.

I see so many shoulder rigs for cameras from different brands popping up but they all are so wrong! Often they have a shoulder pad way back on the rig and a counter weight in the 1kg class on the back and then everything else mounted in front of that shoulder pad. So let's look at the figures. You have 1kg of weight slightly behind your shoulder and camera, lens, mattebox, follow focus and God knows what way in front of the shoulder pad. It takes no genius to figure out it will be ill balanced! I don't know why manufactures continues to make these rigs because from a comfortable point of view they stink!

The only place a camera body should be mounted and it's above the shoulder. Nowhere else. Take a look at the Alexa:


Now, where are you suppose to have the camera on the shoulder? Right, the camera straight above the shoulder. So why not do this for any camera be it a GH2 or AF100? You'll still have plenty of things weighting down the camera in front so you certainly not would want any more in front like the camera body itself.

I'm also pretty tired of rigs you cannot adjust and rebuilt when your need changes or you buy a new camera or other toy that needs support. I have a bunch of Berkey Systems stuff and with these you never run out of ways to use them. Just take them apart and build something new. Just like I do when I need a shoulder rig. Forget about expensive Zacuto rods and blocks, Berkey are the ones you'd want. They will outlast most of the other things you'll buy.



If you take a close look at the parts that make this shoulder rig they are not all from Berkey. The counter weight comes from proaim, the quick release is a Manfrotto and the block that connectos from the Manfrotto to the tripod plate comes from shoot35. So in all fairness you would have a hard time finding everything from one brand. At least I did at the time. I believe Brian at Berkey have made most of these parts since.

I like things simple and this is about as simple shoulder rig as I can put together and it's adjustable to make it fit most cameras and people. I choose to shoot as light and uncomplicated as possible and that's just my style and it works for me.

In a matter of seconds you can take away the cross handle bar, counter weight and shoulder pad piece and you'll end up with a straight tripod mounted rod support. Or you can take away the cross handle bar and use this just holding the grip on the J17 lens. If you don't need a tripod bottom plate you can take it away and slide the shoulder pad even more towards the front and put heavier things in front of the camera and it's still balanced.

This might not be the sexiest rig you'll ever seen but way more comfortable and configurable than all ill balanced ones.

So after having bought many rigs and doing alot of assembling of these the most important lessen learned is to try to have the camera as close to straight above the shoulder as one can. It's the only way to do it. The camera will also move more in line with your upper frame - chest and shoulders - so you'll end up with rock solid footage as a bonus!



Parts according to the numbers.

1: Foam handle. I believe Brian does not make these anymore but you can use his rubber handles.
2: Shoulder pad.
3: Angle block. Four blocks to hold the cross handlebar and handles.
4: Rods.
5: Counter weight Proaim.
6: Manfrotto quick release.
7: shoot35 tripod block and two plates. Shoot35 has a complete assembly with quick release also.
8: Accessory block. I use this one mounted on the cross rod and attach an articulating arm that holds an EVF.

This is a moderate priced mattebox in a complete package with flags all around and swing-away feature. Asking price is about $500 including shipping and that has to be considered a decent price for a mattebox. Three years ago I got a small Proaim mattebox that has worked during the early days of DSLR shooting. Quality wasn't to great but it held my filters and provided some shade. One of the reasons I got one was to make a DSLR look more like a film camera. But you can use a rubber lens hood as a lens shade way cheaper than getting a mattebox so this must no be the sole reason. Then again the times you need filters a mattebox is just the tool to use.




The top/bottom and side flags are in metal and of thick metal with velvet on the inside. These pop in and you tighten knobs to have them securely attached. Two things that I dislike with these are firstly the way the side flags extends. The sliding mechanism isn't the greatest. Secondly, the flag knobs for fastening and It's position has a placement that makes it somewhat hard to tighten or loosen.



Most parts are in metal so it seams it will be a robust mattebox. The mattebox part is all metal but there's no matt inside, just a big round hole to the lens. Filterholders are for 4x4 filters and the one nearest the lens is stationary while the other one is rotatable. These are in plastic and just as poor as the ones you get with a PROAIM mattebox. Something better would definitely be holders that comes with shoot35 mattebox. It doesn't rotate to well and is not the smoothest to take in or out. There's no problem using this at least as wide as 14mm without the mattebox obscuring the image. This with my AF101.





A thing I like is how the swing away assembly is constructed. When in locked position the mattebox rest at both ends so there's nothing moving. You lift the red pin and swing it out to swap lens. It's not the greatest fit but okay thanks to the use of metal parts.



When mounted on rods I would recommend to have it at the end of rods. If you slide it in you will hit the rods when using the swing away feature. This is because the lower flag holder is in the way. You can take it away if you don't need a bottom flag and thus the problem can be resolved.



I have some mixed feelings about the Cinematics mattebox. It's better than a PROAIM mattebox but some things are missing like a matt inside the box. It does look cool on the camera but hey it has to work also! And it does work but maybe not as smooth as I'd like it to. I will put it to use and see how it performs before deciding.

I have collected a healthy amount of building blocks from Berkeysystem.com. These components are reconfigurable to put together pretty much any support you need. Quality is top notch and they will last almost forever. Before getting in touch with Brian I tried some other brands but was never 100% satisfied. My rigging journey has brought me from a small proaim baseplate with rods to a complete and versatile rig.



I like it small so I'm always keeping it as compact and simple as I can. The above image show cage and shoulder rig together. Not something I'd use as in the picture but still pretty compact considering other rigs. I would use either the shoulder part or the cage part to keep it compact with just what I need at the moment.

It all started with the un-anodized block on the front cross rod as this was the first block I got from Brian and thanks to input from many DSLR shooters he now has a wide array of components to built the perfect rig.
The best thing these blocks are just like Lego. Build, take it apart and re-build. Time after time after time...

This week I had a four day shoot in Båstad/Sweden during Swedish Tennis Open. I had both the AF101 and 5DmkII camera with respective lenses and crane, slider and such to get the shots I wanted. Me and the director John (to the left) hoped for sunny days but sadly it was cloudy and rained one whole day. Despite this we got some very nice footage especially during the sunset tennis match. I wanted to do a recap of how my tools worked during this week.


A framegrab from the 5DmkII and Canon 70-200/2.8 IS II lens.

I bought Zacutos EVF to get a decent monitor for my 5DmkII and it's just a great tool on DSLR cameras and something like Panasonics AF101. The only problem I had was the included LP-E6 style battery. It didn't charge in the charger so I had to use a spare LP-E6 battery instead. Back home I found out the pins does not fit to well with the charger and that was the cause. I had to put pressure sideways to get it to charge and I really dislike the fact this battery can't be charged or used with a 5D/7D. I will not use it since I got a decoded LP-E6 style battery from ebay that works with the charger for the 5D.

In total I brought 13 lenses but only used 8. Voigtländer 25 and 50 , Tokina 11-16 and Lumix 14-140 on the AF101. On my 5DmkII I used 50, 85, 100 and 70-200 lenses. The ultra wide Tokina works great on the AF when mounted to the crane and that 50mm Voigtländer is my favourite for interviews. Instead of using a pure macro lens Voigtländer 25 works almost like a macro. My kit lens for the GH1 - Lumix 14-140 might not be the most exciting lens but given it's 10x zoom lens it's so versatile. I shot alot of tennis action with this lens in 50p and it looks great. had to crank ISO up to 800 on some shots but that's not a problem on the AF camera.


A framegrab from the AF101 and Voigtländer 50mm lens.

Brian from Berkeysystem got me another handle for my light shoulder rig and I configured it to work with the Zacuto EVF and 5D camera. Even with something like the Zeiss 85mm lens looks steady. If the Voigtlände 50 is my favourite on the AF the Zeiss 85 is my favourite on the 5D for interviews. I didn't use my 5D to do any interviews this time and frankly the AF handles audio much better. I have two lenses with IS - 100 macro and 70-200. These got a fair amount of use. Neither I or the director felt the need for wide images except for the Tokina 11-16 on the crane. If you are worried about crop factor on the AF101 camera stop worrying! The Tokina 11-16 is the only ticket you need for wide images and they are pretty much undistorted. Set the lens at about 0,7m on the focus scale in you have a sharp image from near to far.


AF101 and Tokina 11-16 on the Hague crane.

Speaking of the Hague K10 crane it is a nice crane but due to how many floors flexed when people walked on them it became tricky to get shots without crane wobble. That's one of the negative sides of having a crane with a single bar. It does wobble alot if the ground isn't solid or something like the wind makes it wobble. It's also heavy to move. I guess we'll use about 7-8 shoots from the crane.

My slider had the same problem with flexing floors. Or it was a floor problem really. Nothing wrong with the slider. But I have to put a better support together for the slider. It is a heavy and smooth slider which I like but you can't have a center mounted tripod as the only support because it will start to go down when you get near the edge. To have two tripods, one on each end, works but I'm not to fond of that either... I guess I'll figure something out. This time I had two Manfrotto light stands and it worked okay. Not as steady as I would like.

To pick up audio I only used my Sennheiser EW100 G3 system with a wind shield. This is so easy to use and I hardly ever get any wind noise or pick up noise from clothing. Great and affordable audio! I had a handheld AT8010 and an AT875R mic tucked in my bag just in case but had no use of them this time. I even had a Sennheiser EW400 if I would have needed a microphone for my 5DmkII.

Did I miss something? Well I did miss to have a small camera to document the shoot. I left my GH1 at home this time and even if I'd had it with me I doubt I would have used it. I must get a small pocket camera next time.

This stone wall was built back in 1896 and has seen alot during the years. I took the opportunity to practice with my Hague K10 crane and get a grip on how to best run cables and where to best hook up a monitor. I must say that I'm very pleased with this crane. There's no problem going fast or make long movements. The only thing one have to keep in mind is how you use that motorized pan/tilt head. It's best to have a constant flow because start/stop isn't perfectly smooth. My AF101 and Tokina 11-16 was mounted on the crane and I think this is a very good combination to achieve great footage.

My dear friend Brian at www.berkeysystem.com has since last year helped me solve many things when it comes to putting a rig together. One of the best things about his Berkey system parts is you can reassemble them into something new. They never go out of style or use. Come up with a new idea and you can put it together. This is so great and during this last year I've collected a small toolbox with parts from Berkey. This time I wanted to built a new compact and uncomplicated rig for shoulder use on either my Canon 5DmkII or my Panasonic AF101.

I wanted to mount the camera with most of the weight resting on the shoulder rather than having the camera in front of me. That would just have made it front heavy and I'd have to use an additional weight on the back. Not what I wanted to do, adding more weight.



Because the way I wanted the camera to rest I couldn't use the built in EVF or the LCD screen. I've just got a Zacuto EVF flip and already have a Z-finder and when I got the EVF I had a shoulder rig in mind. These two makes it possible to put something together that's workable and to monitor what you're shooting. I also wanted to make one rig that can be used for tripod mount, with rods and the whole setup of mattebox and follow focus, or use it as a shoulder rig.



I still have to fine tune it and add a better HDMI cable solution to avoid cable clutter but as it is right now it does meet my design ideas. It's small, uncomplicated, compact and can be configured pretty much any way one could possible want. Thanks to the excellent Berkey system parts.



A small articulation arm holds the EVF and it's screwed into a Berkey rod block. When not used or when transporting, you remove the camera and EVF and fold the handlebar so it becomes flat. Everything is adjustable. I even tried to put my Manfrotto 521PFI focus controller on one of the rods and with something like the Olympus 14-35 lens or any other micro 4/3 lens you can pull focus and adjust iris on the fly without moving you hand. With manual lenses, like the Voigtländer 75/1.8 mounted in these images, you have to adjust it directly by hand but even that proved to be comfortable.

This evening I had set plans to shoot with my Hague K10 crane to get to know it. But one moment the sun shined and the next it rained so I had no choice but to stay indoors. It might seam a bit extreme using a crane that can go as high as 4 meters indoors but I did assembled it in my livingroom.



The crane consist of a tripod and three parts that you put together. A wire goes from the camera plate to the pole and it controls tilt so that the camera stays level when going up and down. I have to dig into one issue with the wire because it "sings" in certain positions.



You can use all three parts or just two. When you have two parts and the AF camera is used I guess about 2.5kg is about right to counter balance. With all parts in it's full length you need 2x5kg.



This sliding weight is used to fine tune balance. It takes about ten minutes to assemble it and it's very easy to get it balanced. One have to be a bit careful because it will get unstable if used without being gentle.



At the center I found a tapped hole where i could mount an articulating arm to hold the Marshall 7". A fairly good position but I'm not sure how it will work in bright sunlight.




With the crane comes a motorized head and a remote. It's not the greatest quality but the motion is smooth and it runs on 4 AA batteries or a power adapter.

I mounted my new Tokina 11-16 lens on the AF101 using a Kipon EF adapter. It does work but I do miss the ability to adjust aperture because it is often limiting using only the built in ND filters and ISO. Since outdoors was out of the question I did a short film with one of the orchids at home. I'll post the video as soon as it's render and done.

Okay, I didn't get a crane like the one above but rather something that can be used with either my AF101 or 5DmkII. After seeing a couple of videos on how images looks from a Hague K10 crane/jib I took the plunge and got myself one. I also have this job in July where a crane/jib would come in handy to up the production value.



I added this photo from the Hague website and it shows you what's included except camera, weights and guy. So far I have it in my office and hadn't have time to bring it home. What I liked about this crane was the pan/tilt motorized head and that it fits cameras under 2,7kg. This is just under what I'll end up with AF101+lens. A lens like my newly arrived Tokina 11-16 would suit nicely with it's wide angle.

Right after I got it, I assembled it in "short" mode. That is I didn't mount the extension bar and could fit it into my editing suite. I also took it for a test with a HVX200 and it felt easy to get smooth motion with. A single bar crane/jib is not as sturdy as a double bar one, but when you do "fly" it feels good. To have a light camera mounted will probably be best and the AF101 is light weighted! I didn't need any tools to put it together which is great.

To put it together takes about five minutes. Spread the tripod, hook up the counter balance bar, the extension bar, the camera bar. Run the auto-tilt wire and pole, attach the motorized head, mount the camera and add weights and your done! After a recommendation from a dvxuser I got 2x5kg weights that will work with the AF101. With the head comes a little remote with adjustable speed so that you can match how fast you want to go. It will take some practice before I know how to best utilise it and what motions looks the best. You even get a plate to allow the camera to tilt down another 30 degrees for high shots. It seams to be a fun addition to my gear!

More pics and videos coming when I put it to use.

My friend Brian Berkey and his www.berkeysystem.com has a new design and loads of stuff to browse through. I have a bunch of his excellent hardware and use them frequently. Love the quality and his customer service is second to none. Regardless if you shoot with a DSLR or something like an AF101/F3 camera he has so many useful things of the highest quality.

He also sells the "editman" cage I use for DSLR shooting. A very configurable cage that can fit any DSLR and can be adjusted for future cameras as well. It's the only support I use for my Canon 5DmkII.

I think there are several advantages of having a mattebox mounted. Primarily it's to shade the lens from the sun or lights. A secondary function is to hold filters. So these are the two things you get with a mattebox. Sadly a decent mattebox does cost alot. I've had my eye on the Shoot35 mattebox to come but after getting the AF101 I asked myself if I really need one? For DSLR shooting it's indispensable because you have to tame light in order to keep a shallow DOF using low F-numbers. But with the AF101 you already have built in ND filters that are way superior to using ND filters inside the mattebox.

Everything you put in front of the lens will affect the light going into the lens. Even UV-filters can introduce reflections no matter how good they are. But a ND filter in front of the sensor, like in the AF101, has no drawbacks. No reflection, no filter handling, no broken glass.

So I dug into my ever growing toolbox of camera stuff and came to the conclusion that a plain rubber hood will be much better in giving the lens some shade and it's like dirt cheap. I think I paid something like $10 for a 77mm rubber lens hood. I've used them as a gasket between the lens and mattebox in the past on my GH1 and I think these are great. You can extend or collapse them and make it work for many lenses.

This will be one goal in 2011. Leave my mattebox at home and bring rubber instead! These are screw in hoods so when you change lens you have to unscrew it and screw it back in. But despite this I think lens swaps will go faster.



This is how I aim to rig my AF101 with a follow focus and the rubber lenshood. When I don't need one or the other I will skip it since I like things being simple. On wider lenses you might find that the plain rubber lenshood comes in the way but you can get both normal hoods and wider ones.

I took some parts from a shoulder gunstyle rig and built a new one for the AF100/101 camera.

It's just as simple as can be. One handle in the front, one 10" rod, two 90 angle blocks, two shorter rods and a shoulder pad. This rig is very light and much better than holding just the camera by it's sidegrip. This week I did a shoot handheld and it was a pain to use that sidegrip so I just had to put something together that would allow me to work without getting to tired.

About nine months ago I got in contact with Brian Berkey of Berkey System. I was looking for a rod block to hold a Giottos MH1304 ball head. He had just the part and once I received it I realized Brian is one guy out of the ordinary. Ever since then we have had an ongoing mail conversation about how to best put together a DSLR rig. The end result became the "editman" cage. In it's form a basic concept but very versatile, robust and of top notch quality. This is the only support I'm using for DSLR shooting. Any camera will fit and you can adjust it in any height or width.

Thanks to other camera operators Brian has developed one versatile base block than can be put together in many ways. You can have it wide for use with a DSLR camera and the wider bodyshape, or you can use it for a videocamera were the body is longer. He has also put adjustable height rods so you can have them low or high.



In it's purest form Brian makes blocks and clamps in a variety of shapes and functions. But he has so many other rigging gadgets and I have only scratched the surface of what he is capable of creating and solve.



When others are turning to Zacuto, Red Rock, Shoot35 or any other manufacture of gear I can't imagine they get half of the service Brian gives you. I'm beginning to sound like a commercial but I can't praise him enough! I like the ability to toss ideas and get something that is custom made for my need and use.

All pieces is not ground breaking or even new but they solve issues extremely well and if there's something not right he fixes it. Man does he ever sleep... I was looking for a lens support for that big Olympus 35-100 and he came up with a small but efficient clamp/block with adjustable height and it works and solves the issue.



Don't look at the AF101, don't look at the Olympus 35-100, don't look at the mattebox. Look at the small supporting clamp for the lens!

I know there are many better tripods and videoheads out there than Manfrottos. But I do have some Manfrotto sticks and wanted to stay with Manfrotto at least for a while. I also have some finance limitations when it comes to purchase...
Over these last two years I've tried more stuff than most people would consider. This is something I do regardless of what I'm into. I want to find my own way and in the process I learn things you can't learn without doing it the hard way. By doing it again and again.

At work we have a Panasonic HVX200 and a Manfrotto 503/525 combo which has worked well with the HVX200. The other day we had a shoot and I noticed how loose that head has got during the years. Once I had an older 501 head that just broke down on me abroad. I had to spend some time in my hotel room to fix it having almost no tools. I actually have three 701HDV heads and one 501HDV. Neither is great but they work when used within their limits. My slider has one of the 701HDV heads and I really can't complain to much since every slide is a one take slide.

What steered me towards the Manfrotto 504HDV and 546B? The head was something I was interested in seeing how it would improve on the 503 head. The sticks have the capability to go low and that's something I really need. Everything came in a big long box and inside already assembled inside a black and red carrying bag the Manfrotto kit. A pretty decent package if you plan on using it with a smaller camera like DSLRs or the upcoming AF101.



The 504HDV head looks very different compared to the 701/501/503 heads. I just got it so haven't been using it as I should later on, but it feels very smooth and thanks to the big knobs one can adjust torque and balance. I'm not sure if the built quality is any better than the older/other heads I already have but the physics of the head is different.



The top is much bigger and that QR way longer than the other heads. I consider this a good thing so that you can slide the camera to achieve balance.

564B is the name of the sticks and they have a mid level spreader. I had the choice of opting for a base spreader instead but I had some shoots were a base spreader is in the way much more so than a mid level spreader would be, so that's why I went for this kit. You can go low - about 40cm from the floor to the top of the 504 head. It's about as low as my little 745BX tripod and 701HDV can go and it's great to have when I use my slider real low. Lowest is of course to have the slider directly on the floor but that's not as steady as having it tripod mounted.

I'll spill some more info when I get to use the sticks and head.

If you have followed this blog for some time you know I've tried some cages and other ways how to rig a DSLR for video work. Not until now, two years since I started, have I found something that works just like I want it to work. This is not an existing product but rather something I put together. The core is Brian Berkeys excellent blocks, clamps and rods. This guy is the best when it comes to toss ideas, try out new rigs and he makes all of these lovely fine machined pieces. Thanks to him and the parts he make this rig is such an excellent one.

The rig is not 100% ready yet. He is finalizing the base block and then it will be. What I think is so great is how versatile this one is. It took a long time figuring out and trying many cages, blocks, clamps, baseplates and such before I finaly found out how to put it together and how to make it work with all the stuff you put on. Onto the rig in the picture I have my Marshall 7" mounted, my Sony D50 mountet, my JL454 mounted, mattebox mounted, follow focus mounted. There are grips on each side of the cage and on top. I will go more into details about it when the last piece has arrived so this is just a teaser!

DSLR rigs for video shooting are popping up everywhere but I would never expect a Swedish rig to be so complete and rugged as the Swedish Chameleon!

 

This rig is for shoulder use but can also be put on a tripod or reconfigured for other situations. Almost all parts are made in Sweden so this adds to the cost which is about 19.000 SEK or roughly translated into US$2600 inc VAT. It’s a bit steep for a shoulder rig but actually this one is much more than just a shoulder rig.

 

It has some unique features and if you consider what you get I think the price is just right. It has a follow focus, waist support, start/stop recording on the handle and it uses only top quality parts. If I compare the parts with stuff from other manufactures, all the parts on the Swedish Chameleon is above most. Just look at all the knobs. The quality and how they really tighten around rods is just amazing. This is what quality is all about!

 

A shoulder rig can become heavy and cumbersome to use. This one has an excellent approach on how to deal with weight. On the back of the shoulder pad there’s a rod going straight down to a waist belt. When you put the rig on your shoulder you can fasten the waist strap without assistance. Hold at one end of the belt and the rig stays until you have fasten the belt. It can slip off your shoulder, but just taking it slow and it works really good.

 

When mounted you don’t even have to hold it. It’s supported by your shoulder but mostly by your hips. Yes, it’s a waist belt but when you get it on your hips it feels so comfortable and effortless to wear.

Now there is also a problem doing this. You really don’t want to shoot anything else than what’s level with the camera. Any tilting just feels awkward. The rod connected to your hips makes it almost impossible, without doing some acrobatic moves, to shoot anything high or low. Okay, so I would forget about these kinda shots and I guess you can’t have it both ways. Either a  comfortable shoulder rig or a more flexible one.

The belt is comfortable to use and adjustable. If not tighten the vertical rod will stick out so be sure to make it tight. It’s a bit disappointing that you can’t adjust tilt angle when mounted and this will be a problem if you plan any tilting to adjust the camera to fit your height while using the waist belt. You can always loosen the belt if you want it to tilt down but that’s the only way.

The handles are a bit funny looking and I wasn’t sure why they are bent like they are. But when you start to use it one thing is clear. Having them bent means you can rest your hands when shooting. Not the other way around as is with shoulder rigs in general. This rig I feel like I can shoot all day and not feel to much fatigue.

 

One special thing is the follow focus unit. It uses belts to turn the focus ring and works fine with Canon lenses (or Nikon if that’s your brand) as long as the rings are rubber ones. On metal rings like those on Zeiss glass you just put a rubber on and then the belt get a good grip. Despite sounding like a quick fix it works. No lens gears are needed.

The belt does slip when you turn the wheel past the lens focus ring ends and the follow focus don't have a marker for an AC to pull focus. But this rig isn't intended to be used by anyone else than the DP.

The follow focus is a one-rod one and as you tighten belt to follow focus, the camera will turn towards the follow focus side. This is the opposite to when you have a geared follow focus and you push the unit to the lens. The Velbon quick release plate has two small flip-up stops that are intended to stop the camera from turning, but when you start to tighten it will turn sooner than I would want. The problem lies in the fact that DSLR cameras don’t have an azimuth pinhole and all camera will turn when pushed. There is a lens support, rod mounted, that will help to avoid the lens from turning. But that makes it another thing to adjust when swapping lenses.

 

A traditional follow focus unit is faster to use since you don’t have to take into account the belt. But on the other hand this follow focus suits this rig better since it has that angle. It's also positioned so that you can hold the handle and still turn the wheel.

This would be difficult with a straight mounted focus unit. When shoulder mounted you don’t even have to hold the left hand by the handle since all weight is on the shoulder but mostly your hip.

The right handle is a little special. It has a built in record button. It also has a goose neck IR emitter that you turn against the IR receiver on a 7D/5D or 1D. Setting the camera for timer/remote gives you the ability to start recording with a press on the handles red button. An excellent feature, but if I may wish a x10 zoom button would make focusing much easier and it could be placed just beside the recording button for convenient use. You have to check focus by zooming in to be sure, so this would be a very nice feature.

I can see three ways to use this rig. The first one is as it’s intended to be used. Shoulder mounted with the waist belt on. If you take away the shoulder pad part it mounts on a tripod so this is another way to use it. The third being if you hand hold it without the pad part. I feel this works very good for shorter periods of time giving me steady footage.

The Swedish Chameleon has standard 15mm rod and 60mm rod spacing. So to hook up a mattebox or other rod mounted things is not a problem.

So is this the answer to all our dreams? Well, nothing is really but it comes close.

A DSLR isn’t a video camera and misses many things a pro video camera can do. You have to add some sort of audio hardware and when other people have to monitor what you are doing HDMI splitters or converters has to be deployed. Maybe this rig best use is for what it is – a very good shoulder rig.

Just to try it out with other hardware I mounted my own DSLR cage rig with just the shoulder pad part from Swedish Chameleon and it made my rig almost as easy to carry. I did miss the record button, the handles and the angled follow focus unit but on the other hand my rig is built to accommodate more hardware and protection for my camera.

Having tried many different parts and rigs it’s clear the Swedish Chameleon is above all others when it comes to quality. When I talked to the designer/inventor Guffe Funck this guy has done some serious thinking and he has more things coming.

I have the rig staring at me telling me I need one. It just looks so darn sexy and the feeling of using it is a joy despite the small shortcomings!

You can read more about it on http://swedishchameleon.se/

This is one odd little support for smaller cameras. It's a monopod on top of a tiny tripod. That's right! Now a tripod can stand on it's own and sure the 561BHDV can stand all by itself but I wouldn't trust it to do so without calculating it will eventually tip over.

Somehow it's a beauty to behold in it's simple form. On top of that double packed pod is a special version of the Manfrotto 701HDV head. You can't lock panning but there is a tilt lock. I guess the idea is to pan turning on the monopods shaft and holding the other hand at the handle of the head.



This head matches my 701HDV heads I have on my slider and on my main tripod, thus making it easy to slide the camera on and off which ever support I want. It's rated 4kg maximal load and that's borderline but works with my usual setup of just a 5D or 7D on top with lens attached.




The pole has 4 sections and can go really high for a monopod - 200cm and I tell you that is more than one will need. If I had a tilt able display I could shoot pretty high up and still see what I'm doing. But with the Canons you are stuck with a fixed display.



The three feet locks in position when folding them out and folds back easily. They are rugged and seams to last long. On top of the base is a small ball head and it can support the 561BHDV standing straight up.



Looks familiar right? Basically it's a 701HDV so just pop that quick release on and off on different supports.

I have to do some shooting before telling how well it performs. I love my other Manfrotto monopod with just a small tilt head but this one seams to be more versatile!

About two years ago when the D90 was released I started building a DLSR rig for shooting video. It has been a rocky road trying out different cameras and rail systems. Finally something rise on the horizon. I have many parts from Proaim, Gini, Zacuto, Manfrotto, Easom, Berkey system and Shoot35. Now I don't believe one manufacture could have it all but I've found Shoot35 to be making excellent parts that's right on the money.

This picture illustrates almost how my final DSLR rig will look like. It has all the features I need and still is pretty small. I've seen many rigs that are just to complex and adds to much bulk and weight but this one is feasible.

Parts are from Easom, Berkey, Proaim, Manfrotto and Shoot35 on this rig but I plan on exchanging my Proaim mattebox to the Shoot35 one when it's released. Proaim is a budget brand and most parts are of poor or lesser quality. They will work to get you going but in the end you will upgrade. On the left side is a cage bracket from Easom and I decided to make my rig a one caged one. Just because it's easier to move parts around having only one bracket. When you hold this rig it feels so solid and adds just enough weight making it very stable to shoot, even handheld!

I'm working on a small add-on part to make this rig shoulder mountable. It's a padded shoulder piece that fits on the rear rods and a handle on the front rods.

To have this working on all my lenses which ranges from my smallest Zeiss 50 to my biggest 70-200L the front part of the rods are swapable to longer ones.The ones showed are the shorter lenght rods and they work for every lens except the 70-200L. I can slide the Manfrotto QR plate a good 60mm and this is the fastest way to adjust lenses to the follow focus unit. But adding longer rods gives me enough room for bigger lenses.

It's like a puzzle to put together a good rig. When you adjust for one feature you run in trouble with the next one so to figure out this rather uncomplicated rig took some time. Time well spent because I now know what work and what doesn't. I still like shooting with just the camera handheld or my favourite - on a monopod with or without a Z-finder. Lesser parts makes it easier to use.

I don't believe in over-pimping a DLSR rig and this seams to be spot on to me!

I had to try rods from Shoot35 and got four 15cm rods. They all have one end male threaded and one female threaded so that you can extend as you please.

In my toolbox I have many different rods. Some are thinner and some are wider. These rods are on the slightly wider end but still fits all 15mm clamps and blocks. If I compare these with rods from Gini I like the Gini better. They are better machined but both work great and if I didn't known about Gini I would think they are great. You can screw both Gini and Shoot35 rods together but not mix these. The threads are not the same sadly.

The best rods I've encountered are the ones from Berkey System. They on the other hand does not screw together but fit and finish is topp notch with all Berkey System hardware. I have many things from Shoot35 and besides other brands can have better things I think the strength at Shoot35 is that all things they do make are of great quality at a decent price.

I have Zacutos Zipgears for six of my lenses. These are expensive and I've asked myself are they worth it? Really there was no choice before Shoot35 came with their version called FLEXIgear. Seams similar right? Well they are very similar yet not entirely. Zipgears have two parts which holds the gear strip together, the FLEXIgear has a one piece lock and it's much easier to assemble.

The FLEXIgears are stiffer than Zipgears and I tightened just a turn to have it stick perfectly onto the Canon 70-200/4 lens and it's broad rubber ring.



I have tried lens gears that are bulky and screws onto the lens barrel from all angles and they are nothing I would like to use again. Zipgears or FLEXIgears are much better but the Shoot35 version is cheaper and feels better to adjust and assemble!

I got a Fader ND from Light Craft Workshop this week and this is the updated mk II version that is suppose to be sharper than the first version on longer focal lengths. Compared with my other Fader ND filters this one feels heavier. I will bring it tomorrow for a daylight shoot and see how well it fares on the 16-35L and 5D mkII.

The newer version is also a bit smaller so add that to the weight and it's a more solid construction. I got the 77mm version and I expect it to vignette on my widest lens and the 5D mkII.

Filters is a tricky thing. When doing run n gun I couldn't do without a Fader ND, but when mattebox mounted 4x4 filters are a much better solution and does not have the drawbacks of a Fader ND. Sadly the Fader ND still softens the image to the point that I don't want to use it for longer shots. Fixed ND filters are much better.

I had a long email dialog with Brian at Berkey System regarding clamps and making a hand held rig. We discussed and he showed me what could be put together. I think it's amazing that, from a cross the globe, we found something that works for me and might do for others. Brian is one of the most helpful people I been in contact with regarding sales and development.

Today at my local post office I received the rig. It took some time to put it together and find what would fit my body and my shooting style but it's pretty close now.

I have a shoulder rig but they tend to get to bulky and heavy so I wanted something light weight and uncomplicated. A support for your chest/shoulder, a handle in front and some rods in between to make it adjustable. Put my shoot35/Manfrotto 577 assembly on top since this was what I had in my bag at the moment.

This rig is all custom made by Brian for me but most of the parts, if not all, are his stock items so I guess you could expand this in any direction you like. I did some testing using my longest lens - a Canon 135L and it was very steady considering the lenght and my 7D's crop factor at 1.6. The camera is still a bit heavy but pro camera and pro glass is never going to be light weight. But the rig itself is only about 700g. It's all aluminium except neoprene on the shoulder piece and foam on the handle.

I've tried some ways to mount a quick release on rods and this is the most compact and easy assembly I've found so far.

On top is a Manfrotto 577 quick release. It's a versatile QR because I have the same plate on my 701HDV head and the same as on a 503 I often use. Below is the shoot35 rod Tripod connector/clamp with two washers mounted below the camera/QR plate. This is to have the camera at the right height to fit with EASOM cages. Under the rod clamp is another plate (just like the one on top) to mount on a tripod. Usually I mount another 577 plate under so I can slide on/off the whole rig on a tripod head. Since shoot35 don't have this to order I got a Tripod connector/clamp from the them and got another plate so I could configure it the way I wanted. This assembly takes up as little rod space as possible giving me more room to slide the follow focus unit for every lens.

Before I found out this solution I had Gini clamps but I think shoot35 stuff is of better quality. Gini rods on the other hand are great and I use them all the time.

I'm rigging one of my Canon 7Ds for some interviews tomorrow and since I got a JAG35 cage this week I wanted to try it out. To be honest I don't know if I'll need the JAG35 cage but it might come in handy when doing these jobs were you don't want to use a rail system and still put some stuff onto the camera.

On top is a Sennheiser EW112 G2 receiver and on the bottom a Juicedlink CX231 and DN101 for AGC defeat. The tricky part is to monitor what actually goes into the camera. I've found out that if you use the headphone output and it's distorted, the recording is also distorted. So I'm probably safe to adjust volume this way. My experience of recording with this setup is that you get clean audio. But I would still like to have a headphone output on the camera. I could get a 5D mk II and use the Trammel modified firmware to get by without the DN101 and be able to monitor.



A great thing about the JAG35 cage is that it's light weight. Like I said, I'm not sure how to utilise it best but I guess it will work fine for tomorrows shoot.

Today I received another cage type of brackets from a cinema5d user. These are suppose to come from thecinecity.com but I can't seam to find them there...

I made this assembly to try them out and they are very similar in size to the EASOM cage brackets. Just a tiny bit wider and taller. But with a bit of flexing I can fit these different types of brackets together. What differ the most is fit and finish. EASOM cages do have a much better precision quality. Rods slide in and out better mainly. Also the knobs doesn't tighten as good as the ones on EASOM. I must use a ball driver to get it to stick.

But when mounted properly they provide a solid cage that protects the camera very well. It's flexible in that they have an upper bracket and a lower one. It even works well to only have one lower bracket and it still feels solid.



You can clearly see it has more space inside the cage than EASOM cages. But I know Cory Easom is working on larger cages also.

Last shoot all my cables were a snakes nest onto the Canon 7D rig. I realized something had to be done. This weekend I had some time to put together a mount using a spare plastic rod clamp. First of I measured where I could drill holes to mount the clamp to the small splitter box. Once drilled and put together it looks great on the rig and will improve on the nesting.

I'm trying to get hold of shorter HDMI mini to HDMI cables in 0.5m length and eventually I will get them. The cable I have now is a bit to long but it works. I've discovered a bug in the camera or is it when connecting a splitter? If the splitter doesn't have any power and everything is connected to the 7D an error on the display can occur. The camera is locked and you have to remove the battery to reset this bug. It has happened twice but now when I know about it I won't be a big problem in the future.



The position of the side rods is carefully placed. It's in line with how the cables run from the HDMI output on the camera through the splitter and then to my Marshall LCD-monitor mounted in the front end of the top rods. When working in a studio or indoor environment, where you have access to power outlet, I use a power adapter to the splitter and when outdoors, in battery only mode, I have a small rechargeable 7.8Ah battery on order.



To make this rig even easier a central power unit that can power monitor and splitter could be something to look into...

I'm trying out different hardware between shoots to improve the rig and this time it was the new stuff Giottos MH1304 and the EASOM cages that was in focus.
The cages are a bit to small to really allow mounting on any side so these images shows one way to have them together with a 7D.

Back of the rig and there's ample space for the 7D on the left side but not on the right.



One cage to the left and the other to the right.



I attached the Giottos head on the cage and the Marshall V-LCD70XP to the head.
This head is very good. It holds the Marshall in place and it's light weighted.







A closeup of the little Giottos head. Another great thing about this head is the rubberized knob.
My BP970 batteries have arrived but the Canon mount for my Marshall will be delivered next week.
Probably my 7" lens hood as well.

A tip from a forum user led me to a Giottos MH 1304 mini ball head.
I have a solution for mounting my LCD monitor with a Manfrotto 234 head but I just had to try another way.

This ball head is really small but when you tighten the head it seams to stay put even with a heavier load.
I didn't have time today to try it out but I'm confident it will hold my 7" Marshall in place easily. I'll get back and report...

Cory Easom sent me a cage kit a month ago and now it arrived. Postal service can be flaky sometimes.

He had a run of 12 cages and I was able to get number 11 of these cages. They are a serious piece of machined aluminium.
All these cages have their unique serial number blistered on top of each cage pair. They are light despite their size.



There are a couple of bad things though. First of they do not have enough clearance on the vertical space.
You really have to have the camera as low as possible on the rods to be able to slide a Canon 7D back and forth.
When you loosen the  clamps they are loose and turns around making it harder to make quick changes like move rods or other stuff.
The cages do flex a bit and when loading the rig heavily the handle flexes a bit to much for my taste.

Compared to cpmfilmtools cages the EASOM are wider but not as tall. Cpmfilmtools cages feels more sturdy and I guess they take more pressure before breaking.
EASOM cages are not as wide on the rods and that's a good thing. You have more room for other stuff like follow focus.

A DSLR is such a bad video camera if you look on how it's built. It's not made to shoot video or to hook up anything than a battery holder or a flash/flashremote on the hot shoe.
Sometimes I just hate them because it is so cumbersome using them. It always seams something is missing to make it perfect.



I guess one sided cages will always be weaker than a two sided cage but despite only one side they'll probably will hold together great.
Trying only one cage and I think it flexes to much and I fear it could break if treated bad.
Love the fact that you have one side, the left side free to access the camera.

I had a Feed-ex delivery today. A small white padded plastic bag. I open it and inside is a small bag with a white label stating "ZipGear Prime Lens Kit"
Four tiny plastic gear rings, four small metal locks and a small wrench. That's it? How much was it? $265 What!

Yeah, this is one of the strangest things. Despite the ridiculous high price I'm satisfied.
I got the Shoot35 Cinefocus and their lens gears but they do not fit the 50L and they make my other lenses to bulky in my camerabag.
Shoot35 says they will release a solution and I bet it will be similar to these Zacuto ZipGears but alot cheaper... well I need these now so my choices were limited.



These ZipGears are really easy to attach to the lens focus ring. I put them on four lenses in just about ten minutes.
I got six lenses so that leaves me with to "ungeared" lenses so far. Might wait for the Shoot35 ones or get another two... pricey!
But I have four Shoot35 gears left and they work great when mounted just the bulk could be less.



Here's one ZipGear wrapped around the 35L. I like the fact my lenses seams to have lost some weight around their waist!
I didn't get the stop parts but I do have an idea I'll try this weekend for zero $...

I got a new follow focus system this week from Shoot35. Compared with the one I had before it's like day and night.
This one is built to last. Solid as a rock, it oozes quality. Take a look:

I got it with four lens gears and so for I put one on the 35L lens which is one of my most used lenses.
The feeling of using this is just great. No play when turning, lens gear fits nice even on the to borderline to big 35L.
I know I can't put it on my 50L because its just to fat. Might try a Zip gear later on.

The gears come with a rubberband that goes inbetween the gear and the lens, to protect the lens from marks.
Of my lenses these gears do fit the 16-35L, 85/1.8, and 135L. Without rubberbands it does fit both my 35L and 100LMacro.
I would say pulling focus is a joy with this follow focus on all my lenses which I have tried.

Shoot35 has a speedcrank which I got and it's also a solid piece. They will release a cinewhip this spring so I'm looking forward to complete this FF then.




Look at the size of the cinefocus! Big hands is not a problem I tell you!
Interesting to see many manufactures use black and red on their products. It sure look great together and the feeling of well machined aluminium is excellent.
The marker is rotateable 360 around the focuswheel and the marker plate has that 3D shape so you can see focus marks from a great number of angles.

It was delivered in a cardboard box with foaming inside and inside that a product box and inside that bubbelwrap and inside that a cinefocus case!
And inside that case padded compartments for the cinefocus and crank. Wow! I love how certain manufactures cares about packaging.

I'll get back when everything is put to use on our next commercial shoot. Let's hope it's soon because I'm dying to try it out!

I have a slower week and been trying out some new interesting stuff that arrived this week. I'll get back when I'm through configuring.
Some eye candy til then!

I'm currently looking to expand my 7D rig with additional support gear. It's really a jungle of items from different manufactures and most of them are pricey.
My current baseplate and rods has worked so far but as I become more familiar with how to use the camera more needs emerge.

Top handle, side rods, adjustable rods, well there's a plethora of stuff to choose from but I'm onto something very interesting! Stay tuned for more info about a week or so.