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DSLR rigs?


Mike Washlesky

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looking into purchasing a rig for my D7000 and have been looking at the Zacuto rigs. Wondering if anyone has used this or other rigs and if there are any pros/cons to the different brands. These things are4 pricey and I want to be sure which one's to stay away from.

 

Thanks,

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  • 4 weeks later...

No kidding. Havent heard of these guys. Been nosing around some Chinese Zacuto knockoffs around this same price point but am wary of the quality. How does it perform? And negatives about this particular product that you've found? Thanks for the heads up!

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No kidding. Havent heard of these guys. Been nosing around some Chinese Zacuto knockoffs around this same price point but am wary of the quality. How does it perform? And negatives about this particular product that you've found? Thanks for the heads up!

 

 

Yeah, it was hard for me to believe too. I went on a limb and bought it cause I was desperate, but it turned out to be a pretty decent rig! It has plenty of rails to connect accessories, plus a nice shoulder mount with screw threads to connect a counterweight (I used a D-Weight, some screws, and a piece of wood to construct mine). What I really love is that you can sort of fold it up into itself without detaching anything, so packing it away and setting it up is pretty easy.

 

Negatives to this rig:

-No counterweights available (which is weird, but whatever).

-Some of the rails used to construct the rig aren't standard 15mm size, but the two that attach to lens accessories are.

-I've seen some wear already on the smaller rails, but only surface scratches.

-C-Bracket adds a lot of weight, so I never use it.

-Snap gears were a slight learning curve, but they're decent.

 

Otherwise, it's a solid rig and I'd say worth the price.

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  • 2 months later...

Some nice rigs and components over at Berkey System... All made in the USA.

 

http://www.berkeysystem.com/

 

He lists all the individual pieces so you can create whatever rig you have in your head!

 

 

that's cool. Thanks for the link. I partnered up with a buddy and we went with the indiSystem rig with a Ruige 7-inch HD monitor, but had to cough up the cash for the Zacuto Pro3X (man those things are pricey...)

 

Turned out to be a pretty decent rig for around $1,700.00 which isnt bad. It's already been used on a corporate gig in Germany. I havent shot with it yet but monkeyed with it and was satisfied. We'll see how it performs when put through the paces on a short or feature...

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Here's the problem - which I've written about before.

 

DSLRs are small, cheap, lightweight and unobtrusive devices. If you strap a ton of ACME patent crap onto it, it's often none of those things anymore, which can go at least some way to making me think "why didn't you just buy an F3". A lot of rigs are also hopelessly large, heavy an bulky in their own right, even ignoring the comparative compactness of a DSLR. This whole thing has almost become an anodizing fetish, a fashion statement, and it's long since become quite ridiculous.

 

There are rigs that, to my mind, do at least try to represent something useful. The ECC Tools Binary Rig, which I wrote about around NAB, has a lot of potentially very useful functions, it's usefully square, and it doesn't suffer from Rainbow Anodizing Syndrome, but it's also large and heavy and I hate to think what it costs.

 

Strap on the minimum amount of gear you can possibly get away with - or use a real camera.

 

P

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Here's the problem - which I've written about before.

 

DSLRs are small, cheap, lightweight and unobtrusive devices. If you strap a ton of ACME patent crap onto it, it's often none of those things anymore, which can go at least some way to making me think "why didn't you just buy an F3". A lot of rigs are also hopelessly large, heavy an bulky in their own right, even ignoring the comparative compactness of a DSLR. This whole thing has almost become an anodizing fetish, a fashion statement, and it's long since become quite ridiculous.

 

There are rigs that, to my mind, do at least try to represent something useful. The ECC Tools Binary Rig, which I wrote about around NAB, has a lot of potentially very useful functions, it's usefully square, and it doesn't suffer from Rainbow Anodizing Syndrome, but it's also large and heavy and I hate to think what it costs.

 

Strap on the minimum amount of gear you can possibly get away with - or use a real camera.

 

P

 

Sure, why not just buy an F3. I havent put my camera through the trenches yet. And of course they are really "hot" right now, but hey if it works, why not right? I agree, using a "real" camera is the way to go, which normally I use be it an HVX, or a RED, but the DSLRs serve a function. BTW, what the hell is "Rainbow Anodizing Syndrome"?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Zacuto is great, with incredible SUPPORT - Red Rock is good, too. ALL the others are a step down unless you are speaking about custom (overkill)rigs like the Binary mentioned above. But you know what works very well and costs a LOT less? A prime lens, a seven inch HDMI-ready monitor, screw-in filters and a good quick release plate on a QUALITY fluid head. DON'T hand hold these cameras - get a doorway dolly and/or a slider and make a simple pogo cam for stabilization on "steadycam" style moves. But if the overall purpose is to emulate cinema on a low budget, spend your time and money on glass and a serious fluid head.

 

Do your research but don't waste your money on a fancy "rig" until you have a full set of manual primes and a SERIOUS tripod set, with baby legs and a high hat, etc. Then price out all the post production and sound gear, too. Then make sure you have the right cases and bags.... The advantage of HDSLR shooting is in the areas of budget and low light. Everything else is a total compromise, and adding all the crap in the world wont change that fact.

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maybe you can consider

 

skier DSLR rigs-[MINE LOCATOR] Plus which is made from Taiwan!!

http://www.luck-in.com/archives/235

 

It only take USD$1438.5 more inexpensive than Zucuto rigs

 

This DSLR Rigs can separate as two parts,the handles and the shoulder mount which provides better solution when needed to attach to the DV tripod. You also can put your monitor on left side.

post-52412-0-51850600-1307953931.jpg

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