beaulieu 5008 Is there a cage or way to attach externals to a Beaulieu 5008MS?

[Jonathan Massahi]

Hello,

I've recently video-tapped my Beaulieu for a project that has required video dailies - it works quite well; just an 8mm bullet camera attached to an external battery with the image being converted through a HDMI into a recordable monitor. It's a pretty simple set up but it's extremely messy -- lots of wires, a chunky battery, it's all quite annoying to set-up/deal with.

As I expect to be using this set-up again for further projects, I was wondering if anybody had any thoughts on how I could tidy this up a little bit. My initial thought was a universal frame/adjustable arm but the issues I've ran into here are: a) it's just not capable of supporting the weight of the monitor and external battery and b) the camera has an uneven top, so, even if it did work, everything is way too crooked to really work with.

Is there anyway I can merge all of these components together like a Mini or RED set-up that allows me to quickly just slide the camera into a slider/tripod/rig and go, only having to really set-up and break-down once?

[Eric Eader]

Jonathan,

To my knowledge, the short answer is:

                                                                      No.  No one makes a cage for your camera.

                                                                      Yes:  You can make your own.

Buy a ream or two of cheap typewriter paper, some pencils and erasers, and a bottle of single malt scotch, then sit down and work it out one problem at a time. Keep an eye on weight reduction, convenience of operating and don't negate the advantages of that small shoot anywhere camera. Find a machinist to transform your drawings into reality.

Many years ago, I took my 5008 to Clairmont Camera (a major rental house in "Beautiful downtown Burbank," now defunct), to make a baseplate with attachments to allow using a Chroziel mattebox and follow focus.  Because they were doing a lot of work for an early Bat Man movie they recommended me to an outside machinist they used as needed and he did an excellent job for me.

Why I'm telling you this is because one day I came home from work and on my second step into my bedroom, the camera on it's baseplate, sitting nearly dead center on a cheap fiberboard closet shelf suddenly snapped that shelf in half and fell to the floor, smashing the eyepiece rendering the camera totally useless (except for parts).

The moral of this story:  Keep the camera in its case until needed. Keep that in mind, as well as convenience and mobility when you work out your solution.

Best of luck. 

Maybe post a picture or two of what you've already done; and some more when next phase is complete.

[Joerg Polzfusz]

Hi!

There have been (and are) many generic cages - also for bulkier/larger videocameras like the Canon C300. I’m pretty sure that there’s one that will accidentally fit your Beaulieu.

The main question is: Does it have to be a full cage? What about a C-shaped grip as in the attached image? They are also available in various sizes and materials (including metal). And there are also metal bars that have been used to put a 1000W halogen lamp onto the same tripod as the camera. No clue what they are called in English. I gonna post a photo later.

Hope this helps

Jörg

[Joerg Polzfusz]

In German, these metal bars are usually called „Blitzschiene“, „Kameraschiene“ or „Zubehörschiene“. They are available in various flavors and in different lengths: with tripod mounts, with „cold shoes“ (for flash lights), … and they are also available in L-shape.

[Joerg Polzfusz]

An old metal bar with a halogen lamp (from the 70s - image from eBay) and its today’s equivalent with an led lamp (and the bar most likely made of plastic - image from an online shop)…

…however, the metal bars are still produced and sold (without halogen lamps though) - the image in the previous posting is from an online shop.